Logan spikers edge No. 2 Legacy

LOGAN - Logan's gymnasium wasn't close to being full Saturday, but the crowd noise and especially the play on the volleyball court resembled a state-tournament atmosphere.

In the end, fourth-ranked Logan (10-4) emerged triumphant in an epic 25-21, 20-25, 26-24, 19-25, 18-16 non-district battle against second-ranked Legacy Academy of Albuquerque (11-2) in what likely will be a preview of the Class 1A state tournament.

The Silverbacks' only previous loss was to No. 1-ranked Melrose in four sets early in the season.

The match featured a lot of high-level volleyball, including sizzling spikes, booming blocks and hustling saves. The crowd noise in response to those plays was almost loud enough to resemble a full house.

The resilience of the Lady Longhorns proved critical to the outcome. They rallied from a double-digit deficit to win the third set, then overcame a 14-10 gap in the fifth and deciding set.

Kaylee Williams played a sizable role in Logan's victory with a team-high 17 kills, five blocks and four aces. Haylie Bidegain aded 14 kills and three blocks, and Desta Rose made eight kills.

For the Silverbacks, Joslyn Alvarado made a team-high 17 kills and three blocks, and teammate Briley Boll added 12 kills. Both are sophomores who stand 5-foot-10.

Legacy coach Brooklyne Sandoval admitted that playing on the road is tougher and cited her players' relative inexperience for the loss.

"We still are a young team; I have only two seniors," she said. "Logan came and brought it, and they definitely have gotten better, and we weren't expecting that.

"I think this loss is good because it's still early in the season. We'll see them again at state. It's a humbling loss, so we have to get back in the gym and work harder."

Legacy, in just its fourth year as a member of the New Mexico Activities Association, has experienced a rapid rise in the Class 1A ranks. It finished 23-4 last year and lost to eventual champion Gateway Christian in the semifinals. One of the Silverbacks' victories at the 2022 state tourney was against Logan in the consolation bracket.

In the opening set Saturday, Logan trailed only once early, largely because of Williams and her five kills, three aces and two blocks during the 25-21 win.

In the second set, Legacy's big players began to impose their will at the net and led by as much as eight during its 25-20 win.

In the third set, Legacy led by as much as 19-9. But the Lady Longhorns went on an 11-1 scoring run to tie it at 20.

Late in the set, Williams, made two kills and a scoring block, and Bidegain executed another scoring block.

With the set tied at 24-24, Legacy committed a serving error. Williams responded with an ace to give her team a 26-24 win and 2-1 lead in sets.

Legacy again led by double digits in the fourth set. Logan rallied to close the gap to five before the Silverbacks won it 25-19.

In the fifth and deciding set, Legacy surged to a 14-10 lead, one point from winning the match. Logan repelled match point four times to tie it at 14-14.

With the back-and-forth set still tied, Williams executed a block for a point to give her team a 17-16 lead. Logan libero Hailee Robertson then saw her soft pass clip the top of the net and fall to the floor between two Legacy players for match point and the win.

Sandoval said her players need to get tougher and close out leads.

"It's mind-set," she said. "We need to work a lot on our mental game. They're young, but if they stay a little more locked in, we're going to be fine."

Logan coach Glynna Strand said she didn't give her team any special instructions during timeouts when they faced big deficits in the third and fifth sets.

"I just put it in their hands. They did it all on their own. That's why I'm so proud of them," she said.

Sandoval said she fully expects to again play against Logan and Melrose at the state tournament in November.

"Us three are definitely the top three teams in the state. It's going to be a dogfight for the state championship," she said.

In case anyone was wondering, Strand said it was Legacy's idea to play a regular-season match about 200 miles from its home base.

"They emailed us and were looking for games," Strand said. "We were like, 'Yes, that would be great to see somebody from the other side of the state.' We both wanted to play. We thought it would be great to play them somewhere else than (the state tournament)."

Logan 3, Clayton 0

On Thursday, the Lady Longhorns traveled for a non-district match at Clayton, and they easily prevailed 25-12, 25-12, 25-12.

It was Logan's second win over Clayton in a week.

Clayton fell to 5-11 overall.