Volleyball team works to put skills together consistently

Jaylin Gonzales sets up for a kill against Quemado. Gonzales sports a pink uniform to promote breast cancer awareness.
Russell Huffman | El Defensor Chieftain

The Lady Warriors are still seeking the balance that will consistently get them into the win column.

On Sept. 15, Socorro nearly broke through before falling to an excellent Quemado squad. “Serving is killing us,” coach Christie Chavez said. “It has been taking away our momentum. We’re passing better, and we are communicating.”

Communication had been one of Chavez’s biggest concerns, along with getting the Lady Warriors to battle through bad spells. It’s a frustrating process, and with Socorro testing out junior varsity players at the varsity level — it will not be speedy. It’s not like the squad doesn’t have heart and Socorro showed plenty of it with a 3-2 win over Alamo Navajo on Sept. 9. Down 2-0 after 25-16, 26-24 losses, Socorro roared back to win games three and four, 25-19 and 25-20.

The final was a hard-fought 16-14 win. In their 3-0 loss to Quemado, the Lady Warriors showed flashes of brilliance only to see them tarnish when mistakes crept in and inconsistency struck.

Chavez has had to juggle her lineup with two starters sidelined. Hitters Davaeh Murrietta and Jaylin Gonzales were out against Cottonwood Classical Prep, leaving Socorro one-dimensional in attacking the net.  Gonzales was back in the lineup against Goddard, but Murrietta wore a brace on her right ankle on the sideline.

That’s not to say that Socorro doesn’t have some great potential, and hitters Tamra Fowler and Lila Azar have been a strong presence at the net.

Azar and Reyna Alvarado are a potent blocking combination, and Chavez is anxious to see it all come together — consistently.

“My bench really stepped up. I was very proud of the girls. I had a lot of JV players who played the whole game (against Cottonwood),” Chavez said. “Kayana Acosta, Lila Azar, they played the first three games the whole game, and I’m very proud of them. Then we had more JV players come in and contribute, and they did well.”

Being seeded fifth at the Magdalena tournament was an accomplishment.

“There were some tough teams, and the girls played hard,” Chavez said.