NMMI Sports Press
The Lady Colt Varsity Volleyball squad got back on the right track Tuesday night with a 3-0 home victory over the Loving Falcons.
The Lady Colts had lost two-straight coming into the matchup, and had already lost twice to the Falcons this season — 2-3 at the Gateway tourney and 0-3 last Tuesday in Loving.
“I’ve said this before, but we really do have all the pieces,” said second-year head coach Chantale Riddle. “What we lack more than anything is confidence in those pressure moments. We are still very hesitant and scared at times. Our defense looks great and our transition to score is amazing. We are definitely improving.”
Some of the most promising and exciting signs of improvement came from the Brazilian duo of junior outside hitter Sara Pires and freshman middle blocker Vitoria Assis. Pires displayed more consistency on the attack while the 6-foot-plus Assis wowed the crowd a few times with her ability to get above the net and hammer balls into the hardwood.
“Vitoria has never played volleyball before, so to see a first timer being able to get up like that and show that kind of control is exciting, especially since she’s a freshman,” Riddle said. “There are moments where she’s still a bit lost, but then you see her reaching over the net and blocking like Division-I player. Her improvement from day one, not being able to do anything, to where she is now is crazy.”
With no assistant coach on her bench, Riddle has had to rely even more heavily on senior team captain Ashlynn Irish to make sure players are in the right spots and on the same page.
“She has really taken this leadership role seriously and it’s brought out another great side to her,” said Riddle. “She leads by example, works hard, takes the extra reps and so it’s easy for the team to follow her and listen to her.”
The sweep over Loving didn’t come easy. The Colts were down 17-14 in the first set, but charged back behind good defense and solid serving to go up 20-18 and eventually take the opening stanza 26-24.
The second set had a similar trajectory as the Colts fell behind 14-11, but recovered, this time with big swings from Pires and freshman kill machine Kaytlyn Lackey. With the score tied at 23-all, NMMI locked in and played solid defense, letting the Falcons error themselves out of the next two points.
The third set featured strong service from senior defensive specialist Alanna Pinder and sophomore setter Mia Martinez as the Lady Colts mostly cruised to a 25-18 win to complete the sweep.
Riddle said she’s confident her squad can win all seven remaining non-district games and carry a ton of momentum into the district slate.
“We are on the rise and hopefully continue to work towards our peak,” she said. “I really feel like we can win out before district. There are a few tough games in there, but if we bring everything we have to the court, it’s very doable.”
Up next for NMMI is a trip to Mescalero to take on the Lady Warriors at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. The next home game is next Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in the GAC against the Tatum Coyotes.