Lady Longhorns defeat Fort Sumner

One area high school volleyball team prepares to host a district championship, while two will be on the road looking for a win to extend their seasons.

The Logan Lady Longhorns beat Fort Sumner in three sets Saturday at the Snake Pit earning them the top spot in the District 6-2A tournament.

Saturday’s playoff game was a battle the Lady Longhorns (17-3, 6-1) had to win, said Kaylee Foote, Logan outside hitter.

“We were tired of having to go four or five sets against Fort Sumner,” Foote said. “We have the ability, the confidence in each other, there is no reason we should not have been able to win in three sets.”

The Lady Longhorns split wins with the Vixens during district competition, winning in five sets at Fort Sumner and losing in four sets at home.

The teams playoff match at the neutral court in Tucumcari was for more than just hosting rights, said Robert Young, Logan head coach.

“These girls have been working to improve; this match gave them a chance to show just how far they have come,” Young said. “Young said the girls did a great job of passing the ball off the serve to set up the offense. In the past we have had to just focus on getting the ball back over the net. Now we are looking for the openings to score.”

Foote said the team has been working hard on their offense, using multiple looks and disguising their hit/tip attempts.

“Our setters are getting good passes, that allows us to look for the opening and choose between the two attacks,” Foote said. “We want to be aggressive on offense, we also want to show that we can recognize opportunities and take advantage of them.”

Like their first two encounters, the Lady Longhorns won the first set (25-17). However, in the previous meetings, the Lady Vixens had won the second set.

“It was crucial we win the second set,” Foote said. “If we could win the second set we knew we could get the sweep.”

Foote said in the past errors would test the Lady Longhorns focus, the Vixens were quick to take advantage of that to rally back from behind or run away with a lead.

The Lady Longhorns took an early lead in the second set, errors allowed the Vixens to pull within 8 but the Lady Longhorns regained their composure and won 25-15. The Lady Longhorns won the third set 25-14.

The Lady Longhorns will host the district championship at 6 p.m., Friday at Logan.