NMMI Sports Press
A much-improved NMMI varsity volleyball squad swept the visiting Tatum Coyotes 3-0 Tuesday night at the Godfrey Athletic Center, flipping the script from last month when the Lady Colts lost 0-3 at Tatum.
“You can definitely see our growth from the beginning of the season until now,” said second-year head coach Chantale Riddle. “We aren’t making the same mistakes. They know what I want, what I expect and they’re listening and making the adjustments. That was a big win for us.”
The Lady Colts jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the opening set behind big swings from freshman outside Kaytlyn Lackey and senior outside Anastasia Ament. After a Tatum timeout, Ament and senior libero Ashlynn Irish served up a barrage of tricky balls that kept the Coyotes off balance as NMMI cruised to a 25-15 win.
Unforced errors derailed an early NMMI lead in the second set, but after a timeout at 11-11, the Lady Colts recovered and went on a 12-1 run that featured some emphatic kills at the net by freshman middle Vitoria Assis. The Brazilian newcomer to the Institute and the sport of volleyball has improved her game exponentially over the past month.
The third set featured strong all-around play from Ament with several kills, ace serves and some tough digs in the back row as the Colts won 25-19 to complete the sweep.
“Anastasia has really stepped up as a senior captain. Her play has improved and she isn’t shying away from the bigger moments, and that’s what we need from her,” explained Riddle. “She did a lot of good things tonight.”
Sophomore setter Mia Martinez showed great anticipation and awareness as a blocker, and surprised the Coyotes with a few fake-set attacks.
“She hits against me in practice and she’s learning and blocking other teams the same way,” Riddle said. “And with my new assistant being a setting coach, it’s going to help Mia even more in her growth as a player.”
If anyone can coach a squad solo, it’s the uber-competitive former pro player, but Riddle said she was very pleased to finally have an assistant coach, especially as her team approaches district play in just under a month.
“The pieces are falling in place. We’re getting better, we’re more comfortable with each other and I think we’ve all felt the stress melt away a little,” she said. “We’re making progress every day and having a good time doing it.”
The NMMI junior varsity squad fell in straight sets, 16-25 and 7-25.
The Lady Colts have won three-straight matches, all 3-0 sweeps, but the competition ramps up with a trip to 7-2 Elida Thursday. The Tigers swept the Lady Colts in the GAC back on Sept. 5. The next home game is Tuesday, Oct. 3 at 5 p.m. against Hondo Valley (no JV game).