FARMINGTON – It took just one losing set for the Navajo Prep volleyball team to find its rhythm at the net.
The Eagles used calculated kills and quick rotations to weather a pair of Kirtland Central rallies and open the season on the right foot with a 3-1 victory over the Broncos at the Eagles Nest on Thursday night.
The Eagles were led by senior Riley Dawes, who finished with nine kills and five service aces. Kirstyn Tameson added eight kills, four of which came at the net on blocks.
The Broncos dominated the opening set. Senior Kamryn Kee jump-started the offense with two aces during a 7-2 run. Navajo Prep answered briefly, cutting the deficit to 8-7, but hitting and defensive rotation miscues opened the door for senior Jasmyn Buckner. She delivered four kills as Kirtland Central regained control and closed the set 25-12.
Navajo Prep shook things up in the second set as Dawes found her rhythm with two kills, helping the Eagles jump to a 3-0 lead. The defense answered with back-row digs, countering the Broncos’ aggressive spikes.
Navajo Prep capitalized on Kirtland Central mistakes, and Dawes added an ace to force a Broncos timeout and push the Eagles ahead 9-3. A short serve ended the Eagles’ 5-0 run, but Navajo Prep kept its momentum. Sophomore Tamryn Himmelreich added three kills during the stretch to secure a 25-17 second-set win.
“They just had more confidence in them,” Navajo Prep coach Jolynn Joe said of the team’s improvement between sets. “They know they can play, especially with one another. It was just more of their mentality knowing that you can, and adjust quicker.”
The Broncos controlled the net early in the third set, finding gaps in the Eagles’ middle. Kee and sophomore Arianna Nargo combined for five kills to build an 11-4 lead. Navajo Prep adjusted to the attack, and Dawes answered with five straight kills to tie the set at 15 and force another Kirtland Central timeout.
“(Dawes) is an awesome player,” Joe said. “I tell all my hitters that I need them to play all three positions if they play front row so they’re more of a threat, and (Dawes) took it and went with it.”
The teams traded points at the net until Tameson delivered a block kill to put the Eagles ahead 19-16. Tameson then teamed with senior Natasha Serrano for two more blocks before sophomore Dejanelle Denetso finished the set with a tip over the net, securing a 25-18 victory.
In the fourth set, short hits and over-serving hurt the Broncos, while rotation miscues left defenders late to digs. Serrano added a pair of kills to push Navajo Prep ahead 10-4.
Senior Aliyah Becenti sparked a Kirtland Central rally with two aces, cutting the deficit to 11-9. Kee followed with a block to tie the set at 12, but receiving errors helped Navajo Prep regain a 15-12 lead.
The Eagles never looked back, as Dawes added two more kills, while Kirtland Central errors helped Navajo Prep close out a 25-20 win and seal the match, 3-1.
Navajo Prep (1-0) returns to action Tuesday for a 6 p.m. match at Aztec. Kirtland Central (0-1) hits the road Friday for the East Mountain Invite in Sandia Park, with first-round action set for 10:45 a.m.
Scorpions open season with tournament wins
The Farmington High girls soccer team opened the season with a pair of wins Thursday in tournament action at Piedra Vista.
The Scorpions opened tournament play with a dominant 12-0 win over Lovington, before remaining perfect with a dramatic 1-0 win over Hobbs.
Avery Sandefer, Avery Taft, Rochelle Tadeo and Lilliana Chavez each recorded a pair of goals in the 12-0 win over Lovington to open the tournament.
Farmington was also aided in the runaway victory with goals from Ashlynn Sandoval, Kaidence Light, Logan Reeves and Allie Frost.
In the second game, which had to be delayed due to a lightning break, both the Scorpions and Hobbs teams battled to the final minutes before Brooklyn Herrera found Tadeo open before a late goal clinched the win for Farmington.
“Hobbs was aggressive and it was a fun game,” said Farmington head coach Bryce Frost. “We struggled a little bit the first half. I think a lot of it had to do with our first game being so hot, the girls were a little sun beaten. But after the lightning delay the girls returned with a little more intensity. We had plenty of shots on goal, and passed really well the second half.”
Junior Antonio Garcia’s first half goal proved to be the difference maker as the Piedra Vista boys soccer team scored a season-opening win Thursday in tournament action over Santa Fe.
Garcia’s goal and super goalkeeping from sophomore Cameron Popal, who recorded six saves in the shutout win, got the Panthers off to a fast start to the current season.