The Taos High School varsity volleyball team defeated the visiting Raton Lady Tigers Tuesday (Sept. 24) at the Taos High School main gym, having won three of four sets on the evening.
Raton struck first by winning the first set over their hosts, beating the at-home Lady Tigers 25–23 to start things off. Raton initially led 6–3, but the Taos team crawled back with a combination of stiffer defense and mistakes from the invaders. Staying on the offensive, the visiting Tigers regained the lead late in the set, forcing Taos to call a timeout.
“We came out a little flat and didn’t communicate. We didn’t believe that we can actually be a team,” Taos volleyball head coach Rachel Rael said after the game. “We’re trying to find that team chemistry in the first set of the game and didn’t have that coming out.”
The visitors maintained a 2-point cushion to win the first set, but the hosting Lady Tigers’ adjustments carried to the next one. Paige Lemons, Raton’s junior middle blocker, suffered an injury before the end of the first set, but Taos’ guests were still dangerous with one less body. In the second set, the Lady Tigers rallied to win the second set 27–25 in a back-and-forth.
The two Lady Tigers were cued into each other, with neither team taking the initiative. Halfway through the set, Raton gained some momentum and built a six-point lead (18–12), but Taos cleaned up their hitting mistakes to overtake their guests late in the innings. Taos assistant volleyball coach Valerie Ely said she agreed with coach Rael in her assessment of the first period, but said the team made the right adjustments to pull through.
“They started believing that we could win and beat any team that steps on our court,” Ely said. “Sometimes they doubt themselves a little bit, and they just play to compete and not to win. Tonight, we are really proud of them. Seeing them bring it all together to win.
The visiting Tigers looked deadly at the early stages of the battle but slowed down notably in the third set. Taos dominated the third early with a 10-point and never looked back. Raton’s errors — in combination with the home team's offense — ended this set at 25–10.
In the fourth set, the home team was poised to launch a killing blow to their opponent, but Raton roared back.
Taos mauled their Tiger rivals to create a 10-point (16–6) advantage, just like the previous set. However, the opposing Lady Tigers mounted a 7–3 and forced another timeout from Taos. After the break, Taos kept their distance and defended their turf with a final set score of 25–21.
“I’m really proud of our foot movement,” Ely said. “In our last couple of sets our defense really came alive. They trusted each other. They moved and talked. I know we focus a lot on the big hitters but man, without our defensive passes, those big hitters couldn’t have as much fun as they do. Super proud of our passes and setters for being able to convert those passes.”
Tournament in Portales
Later that week, the Lady Tigers traveled to Portales High School for the Peyton Chavez Tournament, held Friday and Saturday (Sept. 27–28).
The tournament was filled with stiff opposition across the board. Before the trip, coach Ely said she hoped the team would get the details right against the competition. “I would love to see them workout the small things,” Ely said. “Mechanics of their footwork and hands, being able to track the ball, all the things that we have worked so hard on in practice. I’d like to see them carry that into the tournament and refine those skills.”
Taos started the competition against the Melrose Buffaloes on Friday. The Lady Buffaloes won their ninth state championship in 2023 and five in the last nine years under head coach Casey Jackson. The Class-A powerhouse in Southeastern New Mexico crushed the Lady Tigers in this game, having lost three sets against the Lady Buffaloes.
On Saturday, the Lady Tigers were given no quarter against the Goddard Lady Rockets. Despite a lackluster record to start 2024, the Goddard volleyball program, led by head coach DeWayne Roberts, have had a winning record since 2019. The Lady Rockets are also a frequent postseason team.
In Saturday's game, the Goddard team defeated Taos in four sets. The Lady Tigers came out flat in the first set, with a loss of 25–16, but kept up with the Lady Rockets in the second set (28–26). Taos used that momentum to win the third (25–23). The Rockets ultimately won the game by beating Taos in the final set, 25–22.
Finally, the Lady Tigers took on the Moriarty Lady Pintos to end their tournament run in Portales. The Lady Pintos have struggled immensely in the regular season with an 11-game losing streak and a win on their record. Taos finished off their tourney by beating the Lady Pintos in three sets (25–18, 25–12, and 25–19) to end on a positive note.
With two losses from the tournament, the Lady Tigers stand at 5–5 and will travel to Albuquerque to play the Valley High School Lady Vikings tonight (Oct. 3) at 6 p.m. before going back home on Saturday (Oct. 5) to host the Santa Fe Indian team at noon. After Santa Fe, the Lady Tigers begin their district tourney by traveling to Pojoaque Valley on Oct. 8 and playing the Elkettes, also at noon.
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