Rams are all smiles after second district win

RIO RANCHO (Oct. 10, 2024) -- The Rio Rancho Rams had a lot to celebrate on Thursday, not the least of which was their 3-0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-14) victory against Volcano Vista in their second district match of the season.

The Hawks (8-7, 1-1 in 5A-1) were tough, with plenty of nimble defense in the mid-court. Their power at the net was spot-on, but the Rams (10-5, 2-0 in 5A-1) had the rhythm and the momentum and had no trouble putting away their district rivals.

Jacey Mader was a standout in the match. Her power on the spike has grown dramatically since the start of the season.

“The last couple of games have been off for me, but I think I’m definitely getting back into it now,” Mader said.

Now that she is adding accuracy to the mix, the junior middle blocker will be a force to be reckoned with in Class 5A.

“She is really heavy-handed,” said head coach Toby Manzanares concerning Mader’s power at the net. “She has worked really hard on that shot and, just because she is so heavy-handed, she causes problems for [other] teams.”

Senior Alyssa Dominguez also made a huge impact with powerful serves that either ended in aces or in weak lobs back to her side. She largely remained in the backcourt, where her defense proved essential in the Rams’ win.

“I thought we served it really well,” Manzanares said. “I thought we passed it well. ...I thought our middles were pretty active tonight and that takes some pressure off our pin hitters, something that we’ve really stressed.”

RRHS took a moment to get used to the Hawks tough offense at the net, but by the middle of the first set, the Rams were locked in.

“Defensively, we got some good touches, but we can always be better. The simple run-throughs are something we really want to concentrate on over the next couple of weeks, just because we are capable of getting to those balls in two or three steps instead of having to get on the ground to have the same effect,” Manzanares said.

The Rams were in high spirits on their home court after taking down Farmington in their season opener on Tuesday and rebounding from a recent skid. The team was all smiles and laughter, even during the few tough moments of the match.

“They are a cast of characters for sure and sometimes we need to get them to be a little more even keeled,” laughed Manzanares. “They bring a lot of personality to the volleyball court, and it is a great joy to have that on this team, or any team, to be honest.”

If the Hawks mistook the Rams’ jovial attitudes for weakness, it was a mistake. They had a few muffed serves and a couple of small mistakes, but on the whole, they played one of their best games of the season... and had a lot of fun doing it.

“The team played amazing,” Mader said. “We all played as a team, and it was a very fun game.”

There was a little extra energy to the Rams' fun attitudes as well. It was the 18th birthday for Rams star outside hitter Alexandria “Alex” Shane.

Shane had a fantastic game in defense and managed to navigate that tricky Hawks block at the net.

“We did really good,” Shane said. “I was nervous at first, but we were able to get round that block. [The Hawks] were being a little aggressive with us also, and I think that made us have a little more fun.”

The Hawks managed to pull ahead in the second set for a brief time, but the Rams quickly mounted a comeback and, for the most part, dominated the Hawks.

“I thought it was a good effort,” Manzanares said. “I like the ring of 2-0 in district.”

Next up...

The Hawks head north to take on Farmington on Oct. 15.

Coach Manzanres says the #12 Rams will take a day to rest up before preparing to head to Cibola (10-5, 1-1 in 5A-1) to face the #13 Cougars on Oct. 15 at 6 p.m.