Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Clovis High senior outside hitter Gizelle Petner looks for a kill as Roswell High's Analiese Casey, left, and Malia Dumlao attempt to block her during Tuesday's District 4-5A volleyball match at The Rock.
CLOVIS - It was a squeaker to say the least, but Clovis High's seven volleyball seniors were at least able to end their high school careers on a winning note.
Down two sets to one, the Lady Wildcats rallied to eke out Game 4, then rallied from four points down to pull out the fifth set and take a 25-16, 18-25, 17-25, 26-24, 17-15 District 4-5A victory over Roswell High on Tuesday night at Rock Staubus Gym.
Trailing 12-9 in Game 5, junior outside hitter/setter Erin Creasy served up an ace and the Lady Cats (11-12, 2-4) took advantage of a couple of Roswell High errors to push in front 13-12. They scored the final two points with senior defensive specialist Martha De La Rosa on the service line.
"We really worked hard to game-plan for their offense," CHS coach Darrel Ray said. "The kids really executed that pretty well."
It appeared the Lady Cats were on their way to an easy win in the fourth set, but Roswell High (11-12, 2-4) made it tough.
"We had control of Game 4, and nearly squandered it a couple of times," Ray said.
Junior middle hitter Kailyn Jefferson notched 14 kills, while De La Rosa had a personal-best 23 digs and Creasy and senior setter Ella Howalt each collected 22 assists.
PHS splits final two district tilts - Portales High's volleyball got past Lovington 26-28, 25-12, 25-15, 25-20 on Tuesday night at the Ram Athletic Center before falling at Artesia 26-24, 25-17, 25-19 on Thursday to wrap up District 4-4A and regular-season play.
Junior middle hitter Olivia Low had 16 kills and three blocks for the Lady Rams (9-14, 2-4 district) in Tuesday's win. Senior setter Maebri Knox posted 10 digs and 48 assists, while freshman middle hitter Skyler Massey collected seven kills and five blocks and junior outside hitter Audrey Paden notched team highs with 14 digs and four aces.
"Olivia Low stepped up big for us," Lady Rams coach Jacki Bailey said. "She was someone we went to over and over.
"(Junior) Abby Ontiveros had two big kills for us in the fourth game. She gave us an energy boost."
In Thursday's match, the Lady Bulldogs (16-7, 4-2) pulled out a back-and-forth first set and then pulled away in Games 2 and 3 to lock up the win.
Low had six kills and three blocks for the Lady Rams, while Knox finished with 25 digs and 17 assists.
Both Clovis and Portales appeared to be long shots to earn berths to this week's state tournament competition. The New Mexico Activities Association was slated to announce brackets for all five classes on Saturday night.
