Fort Sumner’s Bree Lucero passes during a preseason scrimmage at Rock Staubus Gymnasium.

Fort Sumner’s Rita Herrera, left, and Bree Lucero block the ball during the state tournament in Albuquerque.

There was no turning point. There wasn’t even a bump in the road.

Even in the one match the Fort Sumner Vixens lost on their path to the Class 1A volleyball championship, longtime coach Lisa McMath felt the team always played up to its potential.

“I think it was just that they were a very good team,” McMath said of Denver City, Texas, who handed the Vixens their first loss of the season early in Clovis’ Wildcat Invitational.

For the rest of the season, Fort Sumner was the better team. The squad ripped off 22 consecutive matches, and went 66-2 in the individual games.

Fort Sumner swept its way through the three rounds of the state tournament, and held off several title match rallies from an Animas team that, with the Vixens, had accounted for three of 1A’s last four title winners.

McMath had an inclination the Vixens would win the 2008 title late in 2007, when she saw the disappointment from the team’s state semifinal loss to Elida. The senior-laden squad that returned had motivation to push them through a tough offseason.

“Every practice was just a little bit better,” McMath said. “We competed in the summer with Clovis, Portales and Roswell, and I think that helps the girls play at a higher level.”

Depth also helped too. In the title match against Animas, the Panthers had decided to focus on middle blocker Bree Lucero and let the other Vixens beat them.

“After pool play, I was confident we’d win because I knew Animas was scared of Bree,” setter Rita Herrera said. “They always focused on Bree, and left our other hitters open.”

Outside hitters Rachel Chavez and Sarah Stinnett compiled 10 kills to help in the sweep.

“We were able to be versatile,” McMath said. “They’d focus on the middles, and our outsides were good.”

Stinnett returns, along with Justyne McMath and Macy May. Coach McMath said the biggest challenges for 2009 will be to find a definite middle hitter to replace Lucero and get a setter to fill Herrera’s slot.

“If you have a good middle in single-A, you can be very competitive,” McMath said. “We’re going to have to work on that.”

Roster
No. Name Pos. Yr.
0 Chelzie Sandoval DS Sr.
10 Katelyn Gunn OH Jr.
11 LaNay Chenshaw OH 8th
12 Courtney Kyle MB Sr.
13 Bree Lucero MB Sr.
14 Justyne McMath S Jr.
15 Candace Lyssy DS Sr.
20 Anna Chavez S Jr.
21 Candy Jo Webb MB Fr.
22 Racheal Chavez OH Sr.
24 Sarah Stinnett OH So.
25 Rita Herrera S Sr.
Head coach: Lisa McMath

Results (21-1)
at Santa Rosa W 3-1
Denver City L 3-0
Albuquerque Academy W 3-0
El Paso Ysleta W 3-0
Grady W 3-0
Melrose W 3-0
Clayton W 3-0
Jal W 3-1
at Logan W 3-0
Melrose W 3-0
at Elida W 3-0
Floyd W 3-0
Santa Rosa W 3-0
Dora W 3-0
Elida W 3-0
at Floyd W 3-0
at Dora W 3-0
Hagerman W 3-0
at Melrose W 3-0
Class 1A state tournament
Tatum W 3-0
Magdalena W 3-0
Animas W 3-0