Senior Jenna Wagner jumps to spike the ball in Tuesday’s game against Hobbs. Wagner had 21 kills in Portales’ 25-15, 25-15, 25-16 win.

Senior Jenna Wagner had 21 kills, and Portales was rarely challenged by Class 5A Hobbs in Tuesday’s opener for both teams.

Seeking its second Class 3A title in three years, Portales trailed in each game before pulling away for an easy 25-15, 25-15, 25-16 win.

Portales coach Ruth Chavez was satisfied with the first-match effort before the team heads to this weekend’s Clovis Invitational.

“I was pleased with the ay they communicated and worked through the problems they had,” Chavez said. “It was a good offensive night where we spread the ball around. It was a good start to the season.”

Gabby Garcia and Wagner finished off the first game with a block, finishing off a 13-2 run to close the game.

Portales had a separate 13-3 run to finish Tuesday night, with Wagner slapping a kill to the right side to hold off a 3-0 Hobbs run.

The second game was tight early, with Hobbs leading 7-6 early. But Amanda Marquez had a kill and a block to give Portales the lead, and a combination of Ram hitting and Hobbs errors helped host Portales cruice to the win.

Portales travels to Clovis Friday and Saturday for the Clovis Invitational, while the Eagles play in the El Paso Loretto Varsity Volleyball Tournament

The Portales junior varsity swept Hobbs 2-0 in the opener.