Socorro started on track, but the Lady Warriors ran off the rails in a shocking 3-0 District 3-3A volleyball loss to Hot Springs on Oct. 24.

The Lady Warriors (8-10, 0-1) biggest foe appeared to be the rust accumulated during a 10-day layoff from competition due to scheduling. Socorro struggled with communication, court awareness, and Hot Springs’ speed.

“It killed us (the layoff). We tried to practice upbeat, but it’s not the same.” Socorro coach Jaden Jones said. “At the beginning of the season, we’re playing back-to-back matches, and the girls were rolling.”

The Lady Warriors topped Highlands 3-1 on Oct. 14, then depended on practice to keep their edge honed.

“It’s all mental. I said to the girls, you gave it to them. Hot Springs (12-6, 1-0) didn’t deserve it. I don’t mean that they don’t deserve to win. They’re a good team. They recovered well. They came back well, but we just gave it to them,” Jones said.

Socorro matched up well in the first set and had a 24-21 advantage before things went south, and the Lady Tigers rallied for a 27-25 win. At that point, the Lady Warriors’ offensive game dropped off the charts.

The Lady Warriors’ kill percentage was only 17 percent, with Tamra Fowler getting three of Socorro’s eight total kills.

Ironically, Socorro served up the ball at an 85-percent rate. Still, the serves only generated two aces over three sets. Kaedyn Gonzalez and Davaeh Murrietta were perfect at the line with 100-percent marks.

Socorro got 10 points with Jaylin Gonzales at the service line, and Kayana Acosta and Murrietta had eight each.

Lila Azar had three of the team’s five blocks at the net.

Jones will finally get that back-to-back action she prefers when the Lady Warriors play host to Cobre in a 6 p.m. match on Thursday.

Russell Huffman, El Defensor Chieftain Asst. Editor