Miyamura netters clinch district title, earn state playoff bid

GALLUP

The Miyamura volleyball team did not let off the gas on Thursday night.

The Lady Patriots continued to blitz the Shiprock Lady Chieftains during Senior Night at Miyamura High School.

The home team pounded 41 kills and swept the Chieftains, earning Miyamura the District 1-4A crown with a 9-1 record.

The set scores were 25-16, 25-12, and 25-13.

“By design, we specifically work on hitting different parts of the court with our shots,” Patriots coach Eric Zamora said. “We spent a lot of time in transition, getting off the net and getting back into the next play.”

The first-year Miyamura coach said his backcourt players did a phenomenal job keeping the tempo up, allowing senior setter Autumn Boggs to run the offense.

“When you find that groove, good things are gonna happen,” Zamora said. “A lot of teams that we play with, especially in district, find themselves playing defense a majority of the night.”

That was the case with Shiprock, as the Chieftains sent a lot of free balls to Miyamura.

“We’re hitting hard, and we’re hitting in the court,” Zamora said. “Those free balls are going to come and it’s like here we go again. It might take three or four times and that’s fine, but sure enough it works.”

Like her coach, Boggs credited the Miyamura defense for its hitting attack as seven players registered at least one kill, with seniors Hailey Situ and Seannowa Smith leading the way with eight kills each.

“First of all, I gotta thank my passers,” Boggs said. “The passes is what generates our offense, and we have a lot of big hitters up front.

“We also have a lot of versatility,” she added. “We got hitters that go from right side to outside and middle. I think it’s really big for us to have that versality because when I put a ball I know that they’ll put it down.”

Smith had the hot hand early on by putting down six of Miyamura’s 17 kills in the opening set. She delivered three consecutive kills in one sequence to give the Patriots a 24-15 cushion.

In the next set, the Patriots put across seven aces, with sophomore middle blocker Elena Haley serving in three and junior outside hitter Margaret Caponpon throwing in a pair.

On the offensive end, Caponpon also added four kills in Miyamura’s 25-12 win.

The Patriots continued its onslaught in the third set, with 14 kills headed by senior outside hitter Jaclyn Yazzie, who delivered five of her seven kills.

“We have a lot of big hitters, and they’re really amazing,” Miyamura libero Ryleigh Silva said. “As long as we pass the ball, we have players like Brielle (King) who is going to kill it regardless. Even if she messes up one time, she’ll come back and give her another set she’s going to kill it.”

After clinching the win over Shiprock, the Patriots celebrated its district championship win, a feat that was last accomplished during the 2019 season.

“It feels really good to finally win something that we haven’t in a really long time,” Silva said. “It feels really good and with the people that we love the most.”

“I think winning the district championship is really important for this program,” Boggs added. “It’s gonna allow us to grow. We’ve always had the talent, and I’m just super grateful that we finally like got that banner.”

As the league champion, the Patriots earned the district’s automatic bid to the 4A state playoffs. On Sunday afternoon, the New Mexico Activities Association will release the state bracket, which starts next week with the play-in game scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 16, in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.

“We’ve had a really great season,” Zamora said. “I mean, the work that these kids have put in is phenomenal. They have bought in, they’ve put in the work, and they’ve done everything that we’ve asked of them.”

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