H.S. volleyball: Lady 'Cats pull sweep of Manzano

CLOVIS — Well into autumn and district playoff time fast approaching, Clovis' volleyball team needed something, anything, to break out of its recent funk.

A five-game losing streak — four setbacks against District 2-6A opponents and one to area rival Portales — had changed the complexion of the Lady Wildcats' season, which had begun with a flourish at 8-2. They needed to change it back, return to a positive mode, and fast.

Enter Manzano, Clovis' opponent in Tuesday night's district showdown at Rock Staubus Gymnasium. The Lady Monarchs were struggling even more than the Lady 'Cats, sporting an 0-6 district record compared to Clovis' 1-5. But, they are a district foe, and records can be deceiving in the land of 6A giants.

The Lady Wildcats, though, got it done, dispatching Manzano 3-0 Tuesday night, winning by scores of 25-18, 25-21, 25-10.

Funk officially over.

"We played well," Clovis head coach Ruth Chavez said. "I thought Manzano played well; they played better than when we played them up there (and also won 3-0). We just did a lot of good things. We won the serving and the passing games again."

Something that was evident during the Lady Wildcats' fast start, but not so much during their recent losing streak.

"We've had a few games where we've missed too many serves," Chavez said. "We want to go back to how to serve a fastball and keep it in play ... just make our serves a threat."

By doing that consistently Tuesday, the Lady 'Cats got just what they needed, their second district win that improved them to 9-7 overall.

"It'll definitely boost our confidence," Clovis senior setter Sydni Hill said. "We just have to remember that we're in one of the toughest districts in New Mexico. ... We just have to remember what we can do, what we believe."

Manzano appeared ready for a tussle when earning the match's first point by breaking Clovis' opening serve. The Monarchs, in fact, had the match tied well into it, forging a 13-13 stalemate before the Lady 'Cats won five straight points.

Manzano then won the next two, closing to within 18-15, but a Lexi Cole kill, Hill ace and Kassidy Furrow kill made it 21-15, and Clovis went on for a 25-18 set victory.

Things got unexpectedly dicey in the second set after Clovis stormed to a 24-14 lead, just a point away from a 2-0 overall match advantage. On the way to building that lead, Hill had two aces, including one that immediately followed a Furrow ace.

Manzano, however, tore off seven straight points, narrowing its deficit to 24-21 before the Wildcats finally closed it out.

"I knew we were going to get (the set victory)," Chavez said. "A few things fell their way. We had to take a deep breath. I knew we were going to be fine."

"In those moments," Hill said, "we've just got to calm down. ... We've just got to go back to our fundamentals, know we've been taught correctly and finish the game."

Journey West got the Lady Wildcats off to a strong third-set start with an ace for the first point, and Clovis was in control for most of the way, thanks in part to another Hill ace. It was definitely her night in that department.

"It just depends on how (the other team's) defense is set up," she said. "We try to find the holes on the floor."

The match sweep was complete when Cole's kill finished off a 25-10 set victory.

The Lady 'Cats must try to keep it going when they visit district rival Santa Fe on Saturday afternoon. The Lady Demons edged them 3-2 at Staubus Gym on Oct. 4.

"We're just ready to head into Santa Fe and see if we can get a win there," Chavez said. "That's our focus now."