Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Portales senior Trinity Kizer goes for the dig in the second game of Tuesday night's showdown against Moriarity at the Ram Athletic Center in Portales.
Portales senior Jessie Campbell makes the return, while senior Zamorye Cox looks on.
PORTALES — A year after finishing second in 4A District 4, the 2017 Portales Rams volleyball team was on a mission to take the district crown. On Tuesday night, they did just that, as Portales took out second-place Moriarty in three sets, 25-22, 25-21 and 25-15.
"I'm just super proud of the girls because, from going one game under .500 last year (11-12 overall record, 4-2 in district), to this turnaround — it goes to show you how hard they've worked," Rams coach Charity Gomez explained.
"We started July 1st, and we've been at this for four months. They're just one of those teams where they all really truly care about each other. They're great friends, they've grown up together, and I think it's a quality that's just really kept them focused on what our goals have been, and they're really supportive of each other."
Portales (15-4, 5-0) came into the night with an opportunity to take the district crown, but had to first get past Moriarty (14-5, 3-2), who trailed by just one game in the standings.
In the early going, the match was an all-out battle, with several ties and lead changes in the opening set. Ties of 6-6, 8-8 and 9-9 were finally followed by a Moriarty 13-10 lead, prompting Gomez to call a timeout.
Portales soon regained the lead at 14-13, only to see it slip away when the Pintos went back ahead, 19-18. The Pintos built their lead all the way up to 21-18, only for the Rams to go on a 4-0 run, before finally taking the set, 25-22.
Set No. 2, however, proved to be an even more difficult test for Portales. Moriarty consistently held a four-point lead through the first-half of the set, and at one point, extended that to six points, 16-10.
But, the Rams finished the set on a 15-5 run — including 5-0 to end the set, to go ahead, two sets to none. "We stayed calm and just went for every ball, because we had to get the momentum back," Rams senior Sarah Blaeser said. "By pushing each other, we can get the momentum and come back."
Portales then finished off the third set pretty effortlessly, and will now host Hope Christian on Saturday to close out the regular season. According to Gomez, Tuesday's rally in the first two sets was about correcting unforced errors, and it's something that she looks forward to her Rams working on during Saturday's match, as Portales prepares for the state tournament.
And while winning a district title was a huge accomplishment for the team, Gomez and Rams players alike have their sights set on bigger things this year — like winning it all. "I wouldn't say we played our best game (tonight) — we're a lot better," Rams senior Trinity Kizer explained.
"We didn't bring all we had, so I'm looking forward to bringing everything in the state tournament." Gomez, meanwhile, added, "I still don't feel like we're playing our best. But, we have so many options and so many weapons that — if we can get everybody on the same page at one time (we'll be tough to beat)."
