Tucumcari edges Elida in five games

Tucumcari's Lady Rattlers' volleyball team edged Elida 3-2 on Thursday night at the Snake Pit.

"We transitioned well in offense and defense," said Lady Rattlers head coach Tony Alarcon. "They came back despite that first-(game) loss."

Sophomore Michelle Fazekas sealed the deal for the Lady Rattlers with a kill, winning the decisive game 15-12.

"As I was going for the kill I kept thinking 'follow through, you gotta follow through,' Fazekas said. "I wanted to get a good hit and place it well. I needed it. We needed it."

The Class 2A Lady Rattlers jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the final game.

"We were not aggressive at all," said Lady Tigers head coach Darell Chenault. "We sat on our heels the entire game. The girls waited for Tucumcari to beat themselves. They ended up beating our tails."

The Lady Rattlers lost the first game 27-25 before shifting the momentum for 25-21 and 25-22 wins. Elida forced the tiebreaker with a 25-21 win.

"The girls stuck with it and finished the game," Alarcon said. "I am very proud of them."

"This helped us to see that maybe we are not such a good team," Chenault said. "I told them I was not happy with anything tonight. I need to coach better, they need to play better."

The Lady Rattlers' next game is at 5 p.m. Saturday at Logan.

The Lady Tigers' next game is at 6 p.m. Sept. 11 at Lake Arthur.