Peter Dindinger – NMMI Sports
During this condensed season, every match counts.
This week the New Mexico Military Institute Colt volleyball team has to play four games in four straight days before the regular season wraps up in a quick two-week span.
The last time NMMI met the Hondo Valley Eagles, the Colts took each set by 11 or more points.
On Tuesday night at the Godfrey Athletic Center, during the rematch, the Eagles made NMMI work for every point.
In the end, the Colts prevailed and showed lots of grit in route to a straight-set win, 25-20, 25-21, 26-24.
“It is easy when you get down by five, six points to just kind of shutdown and not fight your way back,” NMMI head coach Stephanie Schooley. “So, (I’m) proud they were able to pick it up and finish.”
In Game 1, Rilan Maloney tied up the score early on 1-1 with a kill. The Eagles tied up the set at 2-2 and then took a one-point lead.
NMMI's Olive Amechi then tallied a key kill to tie up the score once more.
The Colts (2-2) used the kill to go on a 4-0 run and eventually build up their lead to six points.
Hondo battled back to tie the set at 13-13 before taking a 16-15 advantage until Maloney dealt another kill to tie the set at 16-16.
NMMI then went on another 4-0 run to later close out the set on top.
Game 2 was heart-pounding in every fashion as both teams were deadlocked seven times.
In the middle of the set, the Colts held an 11-7 lead before Hondo fought back to tie the score at 13-13. Jasmine Munoz then gave NMMI a quick one-point lead with an ace before the score was all tied up again.
Hondo (0-2) broke away for a 16-15 lead until the score was nodded up at 17-17. Kamryn Ryan then served up two aces to put NMMI ahead.
JayCee Payne then extended NMMI’s run to 6-0 with an ace before the Eagles chiseled down the deficit to three late in the set.
Much like the previous two sets, Hondo lead at the beginning of each, including Game 3.
After a tight start, Amechi recorded a kill to tie the set at 4-4.
Hondo broke the tie and went on to lead by as much as six points.
After a pair of kills by Amechi and Ryan and an ace by Ashlynn Irish, the Colts ended up tying the set at 22-22.
NMMI held its own and finished off Hondo on a 2-0 run to win the final set 26-24.
The Colts travel to Mescalero for a 6:30 p.m. match Wednesday before returning home to begin district play with Tucumcari at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
“The fewer sets that we could play tonight the better for our recovery because we do have to travel to Mescalero,” Schooley said. “I think we’re making a lot of progress coming together.
“JayCee’s a little spark plug for us. She can place the ball well. We’re getting Olive to take a better approach and little by little it’s clicking.”