Crownpoint outlasts West Las Vegas in five-set thriller

By Quentin Jodie
Navajo Times

CROWNPOINT – With state playoff implications on the line, the Crownpoint Lady Eagles were eager to make their case as a bona fide playoff team last week.

Crownpoint (7-2) hosted West Las Vegas (7-5) in a nondistrict match on Thursday, Sept. 25 that featured a pair of top 8 teams according to the recent New Mexico Class 3A coaches poll.

The eighth-ranked Eagles outlasted No. 3 West Las Vegas in five sets as Crownpoint pulled out a thrilling 25-22, 25-23, 20-25, 23-25, 15-11 win.

“I told the girls that we got to put up a good fight, and fight for every single point,” Crownpoint coach Abby Bodie said of their strategy to top the Lady Dons. “This is what we practiced for. We practice like we’re down and so we got to keep pushing. I’m super happy that we were able to push forward and get this win.”

West Las Vegas coach Stacy Fulgenzi praised the efforts from both teams while citing Crownpoint’s tight-knit bond as an ‘X-factor’ of them winning the game.

“I think both teams worked hard, and it was a good game,” Fulgenzi said. “We always love good competition, whether we’re winning or losing.

“You know, Crownpoint is a very good team,” he added. “I mean, you can tell they have a great relationship with their coach and with each other. And their home crowd did a lot for them, so it was hard for us to get over that big push.”

After trailing 5-3 in the first set, the Eagles took the lead for good when they went on an 8-1 run behind a pair of kills from junior opposite hitter Destiny Begay (11 kills) for a 12-6 cushion.

The Eagles extended that advantage to as much as eight points (19-11) before West Las Vegas rallied behind some nicely placed winners by junior Tyra Horner, who finished with a game-best 19 kills. The Dons closed within 23-22, but Crownpoint scored the final two points, including the game winner by senior middle blocker Courtney Craig.

In a near replica of the first set, Crownpoint pulled away from the Dons in the middle of the second for a 20-15 lead following a stuff block by junior middle hitter Miley McMillian.

But West Las Vegas did not back down as Horner went to work by putting down a pair of kills. She then served up two aces to get her team within 23-21.

After the two teams traded side outs, West Las Vegas drew within 24-23 but a service error gave Crownpoint a 2-0 edge in sets.

“West Las Vegas is a good team, and they had a lot of comebacks,” Bodie said. “They were right there with us, and we fought with them along the way.”

After nine early ties in the third set, West Las Vegas used a 6-0 run for a 20-14 advantage with Horner putting away two kills while sophomore Peyton Richardson served across three aces.

The Eagles did get within 23-20, but the visiting Dons capped the set with a kill by Haylee Coca and an ace by Bryanna Montoya for a 25-20 win.

The Crownpoint coach acknowledged West Las Vegas’ strong servers as the Dons finished with 17 service winners, including five in the third set.

“They had really good servers,” Bodie said of the Dons. “It gives us an insight of how we need to work on our serve receive. A lot of their points were off our receiving.”

West Las Vegas received a pair of aces from sophomore setter Ciana Medina for a 4-1 cushion in the fourth set. The Dons extended that margin to 6-2 after a kill by Horner.

Crownpoint, however, received a pair of timely blocks from Craig and pulled within 6-5. Other than a 4-0 run by West Las Vegas in the middle of the set, the two teams played evenly with the Dons reaching the 20-point plateau first following a service error by Crownpoint.

That error gave the Dons a 20-18 edge as the two teams traded points and closed out the fourth with West Las Vegas forcing a fifth set with a 25-23 win.

“They started playing more like themselves,” Fulgenzi said of his team. “They started trusting each other and that’s the whole thing about community. They just started putting their faith in each other and it started to work out.”

The Fulgenzi-coached team gained the early lead in the deciding set thanks to five kills – two from Horner – for a 6-4 advantage.

Crownpoint, however, scored nine of the next 11 points for a 13-8 cushion. In that rally, Craig came up big with a pair of kills and a key block. Despite a late push by West Las Vegas, Craig put down her 14th kill, which earned Crownpoint the marathon win.

“We’re a different team from last year,” Bodie said when asked about her team finishing out the game on a strong note. “We’re mentally strong and we’re able to come back from the little mistakes that we make.”

Crownpoint opens District 1-3A play by hosting Wingate on Tuesday night.

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