Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Lady Steers look and play sharp

Nat Holland El Defensor Chieftain Reporter,nholland@dchieftain.com

The Magdalena Lady Steers volleyball team has recently changed its look, but hasn't given up its determined style of play.

Magdalena continued its domination of District 6-1A with a tight 3-2 win on the road at To'Hajilee on Friday, Oct. 10, and an easy 3-0 victory at home against Temple Baptist on Saturday, Oct. 11.

The Lady Steers wanted to try long-sleeve, black jerseys and purchased new uniforms on their own, said head coach Barbara Gordon.

The five games against To'Hajilee (7-5, 4-4 District 6-1A) were a little too close for comfort for the coach.

"We've got to get better playing on the road," Gordon said. "We won, but it wasn't our best."

The Temple Baptist Roadrunners (5-8, 3-4) didn't put up much of a fight, but Saturday's game revealed that Magdalena (12-4, 9-0) players were able to serve consistently.

The Lady Steers served up six or more points on several occasions before the Roadrunners were able to piece together a play and return the ball to Magdalena's side of the court.

Magdalena defeated Temple Baptist 25-14 and 25-18 in the first two games of the match.

Nicole Hardy served for eight points to open the final game and Nati Montoya followed a bad serve by the Roadrunners with another five points to give Magdalena a 14-1 lead in what would end as a 25-10 Magdalena win.

"I have 13 girls on the roster," Gordon said. "Every game I try different combinations and see who can come up with the squeeze plays."

It's good to have the depth for the varsity team, but Gordon will eventually have to whittle the roster down for post-season play.

"There are some young girls on the court that are doing great and the seniors are stepping up," Gordon said.

Gordon is confident the Lady Steers will win the games they need to win the rest of the regular season but was concerned how the current performance would match up against the tough opponents in post-season play.

Magdalena plays today (Wednesday) at 4 p.m., in Alamo, and then hosts Quemado this Friday, Oct. 17, at 1 p.m.

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