Lady Longhorns overmatched by Melrose

RIO RANCHO - Perhaps beating the No. 1-ranked team twice in a week was too tall of an order.

Facing Melrose for a second consecutive Saturday, the Lady Longhorns this time found themselves overmatched by the top-seeded Lady Buffs 11-25, 17-25, 16-25 in the semifinal of the Class 1A volleyball tournament at the Rio Rancho Events Center.

It was a rematch of the previous Saturday's district matchup, one that host Logan won in four sets.

Melrose's Graci Odom led her team's hit parade with a match-high 14 kills, and teammate Jayda Brittenum added 10 kills, three blocks and six service aces.

The Lady Buffs went on to defeat Gateway Christian in the championship to capture their second straight Class 1A state title with a 25-1 record – their only loss to Logan.

For Logan, senior Rilee Nials led her team with eight kills and Kaylee Williams added six kills. The Lady Longhorns ended their season 19-8 overall.

Logan coach Robert Young said his team's passing and serve-receive game was bad compared to the previous Melrose clash. Indicative of those troubles, the Lady Buffs totaled 14 service aces compared to four for the Longhorns.

"This time, we didn't block as well," he added. "Our blocking was non-existent, really. You have to block to beat a team like that, and you sure have to pass the ball. Our ball control just wasn't good.

"We didn't complete today, and Melrose just got after us."

Logan never had a lead in any of the sets Saturday against Melrose.

Melrose coach Casey Jackson said he didn't alter his team's approach during the semifinal after the previous loss to Logan.

"We've played each other, I think, four times. There's not a whole lot different you can do at that point," he said. "But I think our mindsets were a lot different this time than last week.

"And we were healthy," he said, alluding to his players' apparent recovery from nagging injuries and stomach flu that slowed them the previous week. "That really helps."

The Lady Longhorns advancing to the semifinals was no small feat. They lost their early Friday match to district foe Fort Sumner by a 25-23, 25-22, 16-25, 25-17 decision. (Fort Sumner lost to Gateway Christian in the other semifinal.) Logan then had to fight their way through the losers bracket in the double-elimination format by defeating Pine Hill 18-25, 25-13, 25-22, 25-15 and Ramah 25-23, 25-20, 25-19.

Young said his team was sluggish in the first set against Pine Hill, then caught fire.

"We settled down and started playing better," he said. "And that continued against Ramah. We probably played our best match against them. We were really excited, and I thought our seniors stepped up in that game."

Against Fort Sumner earlier, Young said the Lady Longhorns were "night and day" in their performance.

"We started out really well. The first two sets, we jumped out to a lead on them," he said. "Our passing was good early and our blocking was good, and all of a sudden it just went away.

"I don't know if we lost our focus or got nervous. We got real tight and started to press. I think it was nerves with our young kids; it was the first time they had been in a state tournament."

Young said he generally was pleased with his team's performance this season, noting it finished higher than its fifth seed in the tournament.

"I thought it was a great season," he said. "Overall, we have a lot of young kids mixed with some older ones. I thought they melded together really well. They matured, and I think they have a bright future."

Logan loses four seniors – hitter/setters Nials and Reece Goldston, libero Kyra Conway and back-row player Sierra Horne. The Lady Longhorns had no juniors on this season's squad, so it will be the sophomores who will carry much of the load next year.

"They were good leaders for us," Young said of the seniors. "They played hard; they gave us almost everything we had. They took charge with the things we were doing. They'll be hard to replace."

Logan 3, Quemado 0

Logan didn't play its best during its final home match of the season but still advanced in the Class 1A tournament with a 25-15, 25-18, 25-23 victory against 12th-seeded Quemado in its play-in game Nov. 9.

The Lady Longhorns dominated at the net with 33 kills, compared to 16 for the Tigers. Nials led Logan with 13 kills, while Goldston added nine and Natalie Bongers seven.

Quemado, which finished the year 12-10, was led by Tori Hood and Katelyn Orthman, with five kills each.

Young admitted his team wasn't hitting on all cylinders.

"We'll take it; it's a win," he said. "I thought we had a bit of a letdown after we beat Melrose (on Nov. 6). We dropped our intensity and may have underestimated (Quemado) a little bit. They were a 12 (seed), but they're better than that. We made a lot of mental errors and didn't pass the ball as well."

Logan broke open a close first set with a 10-1 run. The Lady Longhorns closed the second set with five unanswered points.

In the third set, the Tigers threatened late, but Conway sealed the victory with a service ace.