The Lady Colt Varsity Volleyball squad started district play on the wrong foot Tuesday, dropping a home match to the Ruidoso Lady Warriors in straight sets, 19-25, 11-25 and 22-25.

Ruidoso came into the game with a 3-10 record, but NMMI head coach Chantale Riddle knew her team would have their hands full.

“I saw their record, but then I watched their film,” Riddle said. “I think they’re a good team. Very controlled and they don’t commit many errors. They played a lot of big teams, but with more consistency, I think we can compete with them.”

The Lady Colts struggled to handle Ruidoso’s serves and shots, something Riddle said was carry over from practice.

“We’ve struggled with serve receive lately, no matter what serve it is,” she said. “I think they served hard, but I think a lot of it has to do with us not moving our feet. We just need to go back to the drawing board, focus on moving our feet, our passing and cutting down errors.”

Until Tuesday, the Lady Colts had only played one match since Sept. 29, so rust and rhythm were a big factor.

“I don’t think we were very ready for competition,” said Riddle. “Without that regular playing schedule, it’s been hard to stay game ready. We didn’t have that gameday feeling every other day. But we just have to go back in the gym and work harder.”

Riddle said senior middle Emily Spaniel and junior outside hitter Anastasia Ament played well, perhaps with a little extra motivation against familiar foes; Ament is from Ruidoso and Spaniel is from nearby Alto.

The Lady Colts will have just one day between games as they prepare to face 12-6 Tucumcari Thursday at the Godfrey Athletic Center.