By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multi-Media
Wow!! is what can be said as the Lady Tigers hosted the St Mikes Lady Horseman for a go at the state tourney Monday afternoon March 29, 2021 in Tiger Gym as long volleys and a lot of hustle on both sides of the net made for a state tourney quality match.
The scores really didn’t reflect the hustle and heart the Lady Tigers showed on the court and despite some large deficits the girls never gave in and always worked to come back. As game one got under way the Lady Tigers weren’t going to make it an easy win as they tied the game at six. St Mikes took the lead but Raton kept it going with some long volleys and tough play at the net despite being out sized by the Lady Horseman.
Game two was the one that sparked the fire as Raton kept it close only a couple of points difference throughout with ties at 12, 13 and 24. St Mikes however was able to slam home a couple of balls just out of the reach of our Lady Tigers to make the points and the win.
Game three was another close one in the beginning with ties at three, four and six. St Mikes then pulled away and with a 19-9 lead. Raton however hustled and rallied back again with some long volleys and good play at the net. The rally closed the score to 23-18 before St Mikes slammed it home for the win.
Despite a few more mistakes than St Mikes the Lady Tigers played a great match. St Mikes is the only district team Raton played during the unseason of spring volleyball. This match was part of the 2020-2021 Rudy’s Real Texas Bar-B-Q Volleyball State Championships – Spring – Class 3A”. As the pandemic forced volleyball to the spring and most of Raton’s usual district opponents elected not to return to a hybrid model of school, so they could play sports, with the exception of St Mikes it left Raton playing area opponents and not seeing any district matches until this match in the pandemic configured state tourney.
A pat on the back goes to new head coach Vanessa Gonzales along with new assistant coach Brylee Medina. In an unusual year the new coaches brought the team a long ways with a 9-3 record. This match ends a season that was almost not. The senior girls all stated at the beginning of the season they are simply glad to get to play.
Visit https://www.facebook.com/KRTNEnchantedAirRadio/videos/1184473748654610 to watch the video of the match.
