Lady Buffs turn back Texico in five sets

MELROSE – It had been just five days since area small-school volleyball powers Texico and Melrose had met. Thursday night, the squads battled through a second five-set marathon.

Melrose, ranked No. 1 in Class 1A by MaxPreps, looked to be in trouble early in Game 2, then appeared on its way to closing it out in four. Texico, No. 2 in 2A, rallied back to force a fifth set before the Lady Buffs pulled away to win 17-25, 26-24, 25-17, 23-25, 15-11.

The teams met in the semifinals of the Peyton Chavez Invitational at Portales on Saturday, with Texico prevailing in five.

“It looked a lot like it did the other day in Portales,” Lady Wolverines coach Gabe Jones said. “We’re two evenly-matched teams.”

Both squads are coming off state runnerup finishes in their respective classes, and certainly have designs on taking it one step further this season.

Melrose senior outside hitter Graci Odom got off to a bit of a slow start, but she eventually got going – and her teammates were finding her more and more as the match went on. She finished with match highs of 15 kills and 33 digs.

“When we played them Saturday, we struggled with offensive execution at times,” Lady Buffs coach Casey Jackson said. “We were trying to get some offense from different places.

“When (Odom) got rolling we got rolling, but we had much better balance than we did on Saturday.”

Texico (10-3) romped through the first set, then opened a 14-6 advantage in Game 2 before Melrose rallied. The Lady Buffs (10-1) tied it 15-15 on an ace by sophomore outside hitter Hally Draper, then fell behind 23-19 before finishing on a 7-1 surge that included a block from junior middle blocker Kambree Draper, an ace from senior libero Tenley Trollinger and two kills by Odom, including one on set point.

”Volleyball’s an up-and-down game,” said Trollinger, who finished with 24 digs and three aces. “They’re a tough team. I give it all to our coach – he really works us in practice.”

Junior middle blocker Chantzee Elliot’s kill gave Melrose a 14-6 lead in Game 3. Odom had three kills the rest of the way, including another on set point.

The Lady Wolverines then opened a pair of 10-point leads in Game 4 before Melrose charged back late. With Trollinger on the service line, the Lady Buffs ran off seven consecutive points – including a pair of aces – and eventually got to within 24-23 before junior outside hitter Aspyn Furrow’s kill on set point squared the match.

Odom’s kill then provided the first point in the tiebreaker, and the Lady Buffs kept the lead from there.

“I’m proud of these girls,” Jones said. “They battled, and it’s good experience for down the road.

“If a couple of bounces go our way it might’ve been difference. Hats off to Melrose – they made the plays they needed.”

Hally Draper also had three aces, and she and Elliot each notched 11 kills for the Lady Buffs. Senior setter Kye Saulsberry finished with 50 assists.

Junior middle blocker Adalyn Autrey had eight kills and a pair of blocks for Texico. Junior setter Ella Collins had five kills, 10 digs, two aces and 31 assists, while junior libero Desiree Holman led four Lady Wolverines in double-figure digs with 19.

Each team lost a player to injury during the match – senior outside hitter/defensive specialist Sonia Ortiz for Texico and Elliott for Melrose. Both coaches were hopeful the injuries were not severe.

Melrose opens its District 6-1A schedule on Tuesday at Grady. Texico is back in action on Saturday, traveling to Capitan to face the Lady Tigers and Tularosa.