Lady Cats fifth at Lubbock Christian meet

LUBBOCK – Clovis High’s cross country girls put three runners in the top 18 on Saturday and the Lady Wildcats claimed fifth place with 196 points in the 39-team Lubbock Christian Invitational.

Meantime, the CHS boys came in 11th out of 46 squads with a score of 326.

Canyon ran away with both divisions, finishing with 19 points to 125 for Big Spring (Texas) in boys competition and 21 points to 157 for Hereford on the girls’ side.

“We’re just going to keep training,” Clovis cross country coach Liz Ledezma said. “Whatever we’re doing is working. That’s the highest we’ve ever finished in a Texas meet.”

Senior Sammy Fuentes had Clovis’ highest finish in the boys’ three-mile competition, placing sixth at 17 minutes, 58.1 seconds in a field of 390 runners. Canyon’s Lathan Lewter was the winner in 15:01.80.

Other finishes for the Wildcats were senior Victor Sanchez, 78th in 17:58.1; freshmen Adrian Surita, 90th in 18:09.8; Ryder Bonney, 99th in 18:21.6; Connor McQuiggan, 100th in 18:21.9, and Marquez Lippman, 110th in 18:29.4; senior Rudy Ledezma, 152nd in 19:14.8; eighth-grader Alejandro Hita-Olivas, 182nd in 19:46.1, and senior Angel Diaz, 262nd in 21:12.2.

Sophomore Brooke Newcomer led the Lady Wildcats, placing 10th over 3,200 meters in in a field of 341 runners in 12:43.7, while senior Gabi Foggie ran 13th in 12:55.8 and freshman Rosalia Morales was 18th in 12:58.5. Canyon took the top three spots, led by Addyson Bristow in 11:28.40.

Other places for the Lady Cats included freshman Jelena Maldonado, tied for 75th in 14:06.3; junior Joselyn Foggie, 104th in 14:27.2; eighth-grader Xeomara Garcia, 110th in 14:30.4, and senior Kira Tree, 173rd in 15:09.4.

Clovis runners return to action on Sept. 28 in the Canyon Invitational.

Volleyball – Clovis High’s volleyball team struggled to a 1-9 mark in its six-team pool on Friday, then came back to split a pair of matches in Saturday’s four-team bronze backet in the 12-team Zia Classic at Roswell.

The Lady Wildcats lost to Los Alamos 25-23, 25-22, 25-18 before topping Lovington 25-18, 18-25, 25-23, 25-11. They took a 4-2 record into a Tuesday matchup against defending Class 1A state champion Melrose at Rock Staubus Gymnasium, then are slated for a rematch against Lovington on Thursday at The Rock.

Second-year coach Cristy Hill said she was looking forward to playing just the team’s second and third home tilts of the season.

“It was not a good weekend for us,” she said of the tournament. “We’re home this week, which is nice because we’ve been traveling a lot.”

Los Alamos (3-3) pulled out two tight sets before taking control in the third against the Lady Cats. Senior outside hitter Ashlynn Evans had seven kills for Clovis, and senior setter Amanda De La Rosa compiled six digs and 14 assists.

Senior middle hitter Maricella Gutierrez added six kills, while senior libero/defensive specialists Jori Mondragon and Jesenia Jimenez had six and five digs, respectively.

“We missed 15 serves,” Hill said of the match. “It’s hard to beat somebody when you do that.”

Against winless Lovington (0-8), senior middle hitter Brooke Renteria had eight kills and two blocks while Evans delivered seven kills, junior outside hitter/setter Brynn Petner had six kills and nine assists and De La Rosa posted 28 assists.

“Jesenia played good defense, and Brooke hit the ball good,” Hill said. “It didn’t seem she had all those kills, but she did a good job of playing the ball.”

In the championship match, Roswell High posted a five-set victory over Hobbs.