FARMINGTON – For a couple of area teams, the prep volleyball season got an early start last weekend, marking the beginning of another sports campaign for the fall season.
For several teams that found themselves in the state tournament last fall, the chase to get back to the postseason remains paramount, while others are looking to get off to fast starts as they hope to reach the playoffs.
The Kirtland Central Broncos began its season at home Thursday night, beating District 1-3A champion Navajo Prep three games to one in the opening match of the campaign for both teams.
Kirtland Central won the opening game by a score of 25-16 before Navajo Prep evened the match with a 25-23 win in the second game. The Broncos closed out the match, winning the third game by a score of 25-19 and the fourth game by a score of 25-20.
Head coach Nadia Begay-Watson will be looking to get the Broncos back into the Class 4A state tournament. Last year, Kirtland Central entered the tournament as the 10-seed before back-to-back losses to district rival Aztec and Albuquerque Academy brought the season to an end.
Kirtland Central will be back in action in a pair of matches this week when they visit Espanola Valley on Tuesday at 6 p.m. before hosting Farmington on Thursday at 6 p.m.
The Eagles, which finished last season with an 11-1 mark in District 1-3A, entered the Class 3A state tournament as the seven-seed before back-to-back losses to Ruidoso and Cottonwood Classical Prep brought an end to the season.
Navajo Prep will host Capital on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
The Aztec High School volleyball team opens its campaign on the road, facing Dulce on Thursday. Coached by Anna Strauss, the Tigers are coming off a sold campaign last year in which they went unbeaten (10-0) in District 1-4A play before being eliminated in the state tournament losing to St. Pius and Los Alamos.
The Tigers will be returning a pair of key starters from last season, including Riley Engle and Nika McKenzie. Engle was one of the top scorers for the team last year, recording 251 kills while McKenzie recorded 74 total blocks last year.
“Both of those girls are dynamic leaders who are exciting to watch,” Strauss said. “We’re super excited to build on the successes of the program.”
The Farmington High volleyball team will open its season with back-to-back road trips, starting Tuesday when they visit Durango followed by a match at Kirtland Central on Thursday.
Head coach Lars Baker is hoping the Scorpions will be able to put pressure on La Cueva, which went unbeaten both overall and within District 2-5A play last year and lost only one set in 10 matches in district play before capturing the Class 5A state championship.
“Our goal is to win as many matches as possible, build up our criteria and qualify for the state tournament,” Baker said. “We play in one of the toughest districts in the state so to finish in the top three in the district pretty much gets you into the tournament with a high seed.”
The Scorpions will be led on the court by junior Jayla Yoder, who earned honorable mention honors on the all-district team last season. Junior Linzay Yazzie led the team in kills last season and is expected to be a solid contributor again this season.
“Many of our bigger role players were on the junior varsity team last season, so it’s been important for us to get ready for the start of the season,” Baker said.
