Laguna Acoma advances to Final Four in 2A volleyball

Posted by Quentin Jodie | Nov 16, 2024 | Sports, Volleyball |

RIO RANCHO, N.M.

After coming up short in the opening set, the Laguna Acoma Lady Hawks looked stronger in the final three in dispatching the Raton Lady Tigers on Friday night at Rio Rancho High School.

The four-set win put the fifth-seeded LA netters in the Final Four round in the Class 2A state volleyball tournament. The set scores were 21-25, 25-17, 25-17 and 25-14.

“We’ve played a lot of volleyball,” LA coach Melanie Garcia said. “We’ve played a lot of volleyball in a short amount of time. Our games in the earlier rounds were tight, too. I mean, we won in three, but they were really close.

“And today’s games were like go, go and go,” she added.

LA plays No. 2 Texico in one semifinal while the other side of the bracket features top-seeded Legacy Academy pairing up with No. 3 Las Cruces Mesilla Valley Christian School. Both games are set to start at noon at the Rio Rancho Events Center. The 2A title game is scheduled for 4 p.m.

“I know everyone was saying that Legacy and Mesilla Valley are the two dominant teams, but I think it’s up for grabs,” Garcia said of the 2A state crown.

Earlier Friday, the Hawks lost to Legacy in a five-set thriller in the double-elimination portion of the tournament. The set scores were 22-25, 25-14, 21-25, 25-18, and 15-11 in favor of Legacy.

“We were ready to go against Legacy, but the little mistakes that we made hurt us,” Garcia said. “That game took a lot of us, so we came out slow in this game and we lost that first set. It was one of those things where our legs were tired.”

Despite weary bodies, the Hawks outhit Raton at the net. The Garcia-coached team racked up 54 kills to Raton’s 27. Junior hitters Brianna Carrillo and Kalie Poncho led LA’s attack with 13 and 11 kills, respectively.

Navajo Times | Quentin Jodie
Laguna Acoma setter Sofia Lazos sets the ball up for junior middle hitter Brianna Filmer against the Raton Lady Tigers on Friday night at Rio Rancho High School. The LA Lady Hawks plays No. 2 Texico in Saturday’s 2A semifinals. Senior defensive specialist Gianna Carrillo added nine as she played a few rotations in the front row while the LA coach rested junior middle hitter Brianna Filmer for today’s matches.

“I had to give my big hitter a break,” Garcia said. “She was gassed and so luckily my defensive specialist was able to connect. She mostly played defense all year, but she’s a seasoned veteran.”

In the opening set, Raton took control of the net as the Tigers seized an early 14-6 advantage behind two kills and three stuff blocks from junior middle blocker Paige Lemons.

The Hawks erased that eight-point deficit and tied the match at 19- and 20-all, but Raton closed out the set with two kills from Lemons for its 25-21 win.

In the next set, the Hawks placed nine kills, including three straights by Gianna Carrillo, to open an 18-10 cushion. LA finished the set with four more winners to tie the set at one game apiece.

The Tigers started the third set with some momentum by taking hold of a 10-7 advantage. But LA turned back Raton with superb defense, which gave them extra swings at the net. The Hawks downed seven kills down the stretch while getting three aces from Gianna Carrillo for their 25-17 win.

“My girls just don’t give up,” Garcia said. “These girls don’t know what quit is. They just don’t. They work so hard for each other.”

The Hawks upped its offensive game in the fourth as they put away 17 kills headed by the seven winners from Brianna Carrillo.

“We lost in this round last year in five sets, and we missed making the Final Four, so this was retribution for us,” Garcia said. “The girls worked hard to get here, and we’re excited about our chances.”