2018 FALL SPORTS WRAP UP: VOLLEYBALL
With 2018 in the rear view mirror, here’s a look back at the fall sports champions.
VOLLEYBALL
CLASS A
New Class, Same Result For Logan
Logan won the 2017 Class A State Volleyball Championship. In 2018, they played in a new class with the same result. Logan met up with Melrose for the Class A blue trophy in the first match of the day at the Rudy’s Real Texas Bar-B-Q State Volleyball Championships. Melrose never trailed in the opening game as they took down the top seed 25-23. Logan evened the score in game two by a 25-20 count. Melrose couldn’t find an answer for 5’10” Harlie Roach. The senior finished with more than 25 kills on the day. Logan took game three as well 25-13. Junior Karli Webb added plenty of punch at the net for Logan, but Melrose won game four 25-21. Neither team wanted this one to end as the Lady Longhorns overcame three-point deficits in the final set…twice! The final set finished with a 16-14 total and Logan lifting the blue trophy.
“It’s amazing to have this great of a year,” said head coach Robert Young. “Melrose won the Class A title last year and we won the 2A, so I knew it was going to be a battle.”
“It feels awesome,” added junior Karli Webb. “We worked hard all season and it’s just awesome!”
Logan finished the year with a 21-3 record and Melrose dropped to 21-4 with all four losses coming at the hands of Logan.
CLASS 2A
It’s Tough To Take Down Texico
The Texico volleyball team ended the season the same way they started, with the blue trophy in their hands. The 2A title matchup at the Rudy’s Real Texas Bar-B-Q State Volleyball Championships was a meeting between a perennial powerhouse and a newcomer to the final. Texico was in search of a fifth straight championship while the Dulce Hawks were making their first ever trip to the title game. Texico dominated early on taking a 20-9 lead in game one. Despite a rally by the Hawks, Texico won the first game by a margin of 25-18. The second verse was the same as the first. It included more Texico power as the Wolverines won game two 25-22. The Wolverines closed it out in three with a 25-12 tally in the final game. It’s Texico’s fifth straight state title.
“This team is different, we had a great presence in the middle,” said head coach Kristen Scanlan. “As the year went along, we got better and better with our defense.”
“It’s unbelievable, the feeling is so great,” said senior Baylee Sours following the win. “We probably played our best game of the season right there.”
“It’s always fun to win again, no matter how many times you win,” said senior Jasmine Davalos.
Texico ended the year with a 19-5 record and Dulce finished their standout season at 21-4.
CLASS 3A
St. Michael’s Puts An End To Sundevils Run
The Class 3A trophy at the Rudy’s Real Texas Bar-B-Q State Volleyball Championships came down to a matchup between Sandia Prep and St. Michael’s. The Sundevils were looking for their fourth straight state title. St. Michael’s entered the afternoon with a 22-2 record and the top seed in the bracket. The Lady Horsemen came out taking the first game 25-21. Sandia Prep evened the score by taking game two 25-19. St. Michael’s started the third set by taking six of the first seven points. The Lady Horsemen regained the advantage winning game three 25-14 and then closed it out in the fourth game 25-17. It was the first state volleyball title for St. Michael’s since 2002.
“It’s incredible and amazing,” said second-year head coach Valerie Sandoval. “Nothing this season had been easy. Our schedule was really tough and this tournament hasn’t been easy, but we fought, fought, fought.”
“We kind of fell in the first game and told each other we had to pick each other up with energy and then we brought the hammer to them,” said St. Michael’s sophomore Lily Barker.
St. Michael’s capped off their year with a 23-2 record and Sandia Prep ended the season at 20-5.
CLASS 4A
Tigers On Top For Second Straight Year
It was a new season with a new head coach, but the same result for the Los Lunas volleyball team. The Tigers won the Class 4A blue trophy at the Rudy’s Real Texas Bar-B-Q State Volleyball Championships. The Tigers came into the match as the defending state champs and met up with Goddard. The Rockets shot off to the early lead with a 25-16 win in game one. Los Lunas came back strong in game two with a 25-13 win. In game three, Goddard went on a 16-2 run to take control. Goddard won game three by a count of 25-12. The back-and-forth battle continued as Los Lunas forced a game five after getting the better of Goddard in game four 25-16. Los Lunas capped off a second straight state title with a 15-13 victory in the fifth and final game. The Tigers have won a state title in three of the last four years.
Tanya Sanchez took over the Los Lunas program just six weeks before the state tournament. “We stay late, we practice Saturdays, we push through whatever we need to in order to get these girls ready and we did it,” an excited Sanchez said after the title match.
“We did have a really rough start,” said senior Samantha Lente. “Tanya stepped up and made our team come together and we’re a family now.”
Los Lunas ended the year with an 18-9 record and Goddard wrapped the season at 15-9.
CLASS 5A
Bears Cap Off A Perfect Season With A Blue Trophy
The Class 5A matchup had two teams very familiar with each other. Sandia squared off with top ranked La Cueva for the blue trophy at the Rudy’s Real Texas Bar-B-Q State Volleyball Championships. These two schools met a week earlier for the state soccer title. Game one was about as close as you could get. Sandia had four shots at set point, but couldn’t close out the Bears. La Cueva avoided all four of them and claimed the opening game with a 30-28 advantage. In the second game, Sandia took a 14-11 lead, but La Cueva senior Brie Mortensen had three straight aces during a 9-0 run and La Cueva closed out the set on a 14-1 run. The Bears took game two by a score of 25-15. The third game was a close one, like the first, but the Bears prevailed in the end with a 25-23 score, sweeping the Matadors for the title and capping off an undefeated season.
“It’s honestly so amazing how we worked so hard for this and it finally paid off,” said sophomore Sidney Mcintosh.
“Coming in as a freshman, we won state and leaving as a senior winning state is unbelievable,” said senior Elena Garcia.
“We’ve been pushing for this the last two years after finishing in the semis,” said senior Brie Mortensen. “It’s been a goal for us to make it this far and we did it!”
The Bears finished the year with a perfect record of 22-0 and Sandia ended the season at 19-3 with all three losses at the hands of La Cueva.
