NMMI Sports Press

The Lady Colt Varsity Volleyball squad ousted the visiting Lady Panthers in straight sets Thursday night at the Godfrey Athletic Center, avenging a season-opening loss at Jal.

After a relatively easy 25-16 first set, NMMI squeaked out a 26-24 second period before running away with the final set 25-11.

Once again, the Lady Colts were shorthanded with two injured players and two more out for personal reasons. NMMI head coach Chantale Riddle brought up junior Yasmeen Marrufo from the JV team and has been pleased with the results.

“I brought her up during the tournament at Gateway and she did so well that I kept her there,” Riddle said. “She earned a starting spot and it’s her spot to lose.”

Riddle said she’s starting to see her team gel after two weeks of chemistry building.

“I think our defense is getting a lot better,” she said. “I think as a whole, the team is improving. The serves are better, the passing is good. Every week they’re getting better and more comfortable, no matter who is on the court, and that’s what I want. Tonight we played with everybody.”

Riddle said the key to tonight’s victory over a srappy Jal team was the play of her middles.

“Our middles came out playing well and Jal noticed that early, so they started double blocking us,” she said. “But our middles played smart and tipped to the open areas. We had a lot of girls step up at positions they weren’t really ready for.”

Now that the Lady Colts are seeing where their hard work can lead them, Riddle is making sure to keep them focused on the next match.

“I told the girls tonight they had 20 minutes to celebrate and then it’s on to the next game,” said Riddle. “Wins are exciting, but we need to be excited about working hard and improving every day. District will be tougher and we need to be ready. I think if we keep up the work, we’ll be fine.”

The Lady Colts hit the road for a 6:30 p.m. engagement with the Loving Lady Falcons on Tuesday. NMMI defeated Loving in straight sets at the Godfrey back on Aug. 30.