Lady Rattlers take second in district

The Tucumcari High School volleyball team celebrated more than normal after its 25-22, 25-14, 21-25, 25-11 district victory last week over New Mexico Military Institute.

It wasn't entirely because the Lady Rattlers had avenged an earlier loss to the Lady Colts on Oct. 20, though that played a part.

It wasn't entirely because the win came during Tucumcari's final regular-season home match and Senior Night, though that played a part, too.

The main reason for the rejoicing was the victory gave the Lady Rattlers no worse than a second-place finish in its district and greatly solidified their berth in this week's Class 3A state tournament.

Though Tucumcari and NMMI split in head-to-head competition, the Lady Rattlers edged the Lady Colts in the tiebreaker - total points scored - for second place in the district. In that, Tucumcari prevailed 175-168 in the two matches.

Tucumcari might have gained a postseason berth with a third-place finish or a victory over district champion Ruidoso later in the week, but the prospects of either were iffy.

Tucumcari coach Dana Benavidez informed her team what the point spread had to be if they beat the Lady Colts in the fourth set. But she said her team battling back from a 20-4 deficit in the third set also was key.

"We had to win by more than seven in that last set to win second in the district, and we did," she said. "Every point that we won in that third set when we were down 20-4 and we battled back, it mattered."

As it turns out, Dexter made the tiebreaker system moot later in the week. The Lady Demons upset the Lady Colts in a five-set match on Thursday. That gave Tucumcari undisputed sole possession of second place.

Haisley Huffman, sidelined due to illness during the previous NMMI matchup, led the Lady Rattlers with 13 kills. Cambree Benavidez added 10 kills, and Kirksey Smith and Caylee Benavidez each added seven kills.

At the net, Tucumcari commanded a 44-23 advantage in kills over NMMI.

"Our passing was phenomenal tonight, and that set up our hitters to dominate," coach Benavidez said. "And July (Lafferty) had a great night blocking. It was a good night all the way around."

First-year NMMI coach Chantale Riddle, who has seen significant improvement with her squad, didn't entertain the thought of being on the road as an excuse for the loss.

"I think they just fought harder than us," Riddle said of Tucumcari. "It was Senior Night; everyone's going to fight harder.

"Mentally, we're young, and the pressure gets to us," she added. "I need to teach them that pressure is not always bad. You've got to take it on you, and you have to go for it."

In the first set, Tucumcari's Alexus Lafferty served two aces to jolt her team to a 5-1 lead. Cambree Benavidez also notched four kills midway through the set to put her team firmly ahead.

In the second set, Tucumcari went on an 8-1 run to forge a double-digit lead and eventual win.

In the third set, a lot went wrong for the Lady Rattlers, as they fell behind 11-1 and 20-4.

During a timeout, coach Benavidez sought to reset her squad.

"I told them to believe in themselves, that I believed in them, their town believes in them," she said. "I expected them to fight."

Tucumcari responded with a 16-2 run to almost tie it before the Lady Colts rallied to win, 25-21.

In the fourth and final set, Tucumcari stormed to a 17-4 lead. July Lafferty made several blocks that made the Lady Colts more gun-shy at the net.

Mindful of preventing points for NMMI, Alexus Lafferty shelved her high-risk, high-reward jump serve and went to a traditional, flat-footed serve during the set.

"I didn't ask her to do it," coach Benavidez said, "but we've talked many times about a safety serve when it's super important to not have service errors. She knew it and did what she need to do for us to get the win."

On match point, back-row player Alexis Ramirez dived to make a save on a Lady Colt spike. Her return sailed over the net and into NMMI's back corner for the kill, touching off a celebration.

Before the match, Tucumcari honored its four seniors: Alexus Lafferty, Sierra Valverde, D'Naylie Rivera and Jade Duplantis. Lafferty, a libero who leads the team in digs and aces, is a four-year starter.

Tucumcari 3, Ruidoso 2

The Lady Rattlers avenged an earlier district loss to Ruidoso with an epic 25-23, 26-28, 23-25, 25-17, 15-12 road victory Friday to close the regular season.

Tucumcari lost a four-set district match against the Warriors on Oct. 15.

Coach Benavidez said it was an "amazing" game for her team.

"Every point was a battle with long volleys," she said. "We were playing to win the entire game. We were bringing our best serves, we were trying to hit hard, we were covering the floor the best we ever have."

During the fifth and deciding set, Tucumcari grabbed a 7-2 lead "with a lot of hustle plays," Benavidez said.

Cambree Benavidez made the final three kills in the set to seal the victory. She totaled a team-high 16 kills in the match.

"She is only an eighth-grader, and that's a lot of pressure," her coach and mother said. "But she didn't fold; she shined. But every single player in the game contributed to the win."

Caylee Benavidez added 11 kills, and Huffman and July Lafferty each totaled seven kills.

"Kirksey Smith played amazing at the net with eight blocks, which was so huge in our defensive game," her coach said.

Tucumcari finished the regular season with a 16-7 record - its best mark in more than 15 years - and 4-2 in the district, good for second place.

Ruidoso finished its regular season 7-11 and 5-1 in district.