Lady Rattlers win 11th in a row

Tucumcari's volleyball team ran its winning streak to 11 and tightened its grip on first place in its district with a 25-11, 25-22, 25-15 victory over visiting Dexter on Thursday.

The Lady Rattlers, who improved to 17-4 overall and 4-0 in District 4, knocked the Lady Demons (10-11, 1-3) out of district contention.

Tucumcari can wrap up an undisputed district title with wins Tuesday at New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell and at home Thursday against contender Ruidoso.

The Lady Rattlers, ranked fourth in Class 3A by MaxPreps.com, on Thursday also surpassed their best win total of the last 15 years, beating last year's 16 wins.

Tucumcari dominated at the net. The Lady Rattlers totaled 33 kills to Dexter's 14. Haisley Huffman led THS with 10 kills, while July Lafferty had eight and Cambree Benadvidez seven.

Laying the foundation for the onslaught was setter Caylee Benavidez, with 33 assists.

"I'm proud of my kids, man," THS coach Dana Benavidez said. "They give it their all. We've been working on different offensive sets, and Caylee has been doing a great job leading the team, working all the hitters, working different offensive plays."

Tucumcari also dominated at the service line, notching 17 aces to Dexter's two. Kirksey Smith, along with Cambree and Caylee Benavidez, each had five.

Tucumcari jumped to 7-1 advantage in the opening set, fueled by Smith's three straight aces, and soon led by double digits. Huffman had four kills during the set.

The Lady Rattlers struggled with six serving errors during the second set but managed to stay ahead. Leading 23-22, they won the set on Cambree Benavidez's kill and Smith's ace.

Tucumcari trailed 12-7 in the third set but went on an 11-2 scoring run after that to wrestle back control.

"When they pulled ahead of us, our hitters were struggling a little bit," coach Benavidez said. "But once our hitters get back on, we're pretty unstoppable."

The Lady Rattlers closed the set and the match with two kills by Huffman and one by Lafferty.

After going down in defeat twice in nine days to Tucumcari, Dexter first-year coach Miguel Vasquez talked about what makes the Lady Rattlers good.

"Their transition game is sound, and they're fundamentally sound," he said. "Their movement and chemistry is really good; they've figured it out. The Benevidez girls, as they go, the rest of the team goes."

Vasquez admitted his team also is going through a learning curve with his system.

"It's hard to compete when you're so inconsistent on the other side," he said. "It's my first full season as a head coach, and it's by no means a lost season. We've made a lot of progress, but it's a process."

Coach Benavidez said her team has a target on its back because it's emerged as the top contender for a district title. She said her six seniors welcome it.

"More so than ever, they want (a district title) so, so bad," she said.

"Being a senior-strong team, they know that this is their dance. They're going after it."

Logan 3, Grady 0

The host Lady Longhorns dismantled the Lady Bronchos 25-14, 25-7, 25-16 during a district matchup Thursday.

Kaylee Williams led Logan with 15 kills. Teammates Haylie Bidegain and Desta Rose each made eight kills. Hailee Robertson totaled 16 digs.

Logan, ranked third in Class 1A by MaxPreps.com, improved to 15-5 overall and 5-1 in district play.

In the district standings, the Lady Longhorns were behind only No. 1-ranked Melrose. The Lady Buffaloes play at Logan on Friday night in their regular season finale.

Grady fell to 11-10 overall and 1-6 in district play.

Grady 3, San Jon 0

Grady notched a district victory over host San Jon on Saturday. No full score was available.

Grady improved to 12-10 overall and 2-6 in district play.

San Jon fell to 9-13 overall and 0-7 in its district schedule.