Cleveland VB avoids rivalry scare, beat Rams for 11th straight win

RIO RANCHO — Make it 11.

After a first-set scare, Cleveland volleyball (17-6, 10-0) took care of business at Rio Rancho High School with a 3-1 win over the Rams (12-11, 5-5).

The rivalry win makes it 11 straight wins for the Storm, finishing district play 10-0 as the regular season is now in the books.

But when play began on Thursday night, continuing the win streak did not feel like a sure thing.

Trying to avenge a runaway loss at Cleveland weeks earlier, the Rams came out ready to play. Feeding off the energy of their “Pink Out” crowd, a night in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness, it was Rio Rancho that found itself in the driver’s seat early.

The Rams were flying all over the court, including some impressive play in the front row. Outside hitter Briland Kienle and middle blocker Paige Spolar came together on some key blocks and plays while outside hitter Jacey Mader tallied a 17-kill night, her highest total since late September.

While Rio Rancho was off to a fast start, Cleveland was out of sorts. Errors and violations on the Storm fueled the Rams’ fire. If you compare this to their last matchup, this opening set felt like some type of “Freaky Friday” switch-up between the teams.

Cleveland would stage a late run, but the Rams would close out set one 25-18. It marks their first set win against Cleveland since September 2023.

It also marked Cleveland’s first set loss after winning 24 straight sets, with their last loss coming on Oct. 9 in a 3-1 win over Farmington. That is 10 matches and almost a month of straight dominance.

And that dominance started to show.

Cleveland came back to win three straight sets (25-18, 25-15, 25-14) after the first-set stunner. Those previous errors and self-inflicted wounds went away with libero Aspen Maxey leading the charge in the back row, allowing the usual names in the front to get rolling and power their way to a victory.

Seniors Azylnn Tittmann and Aaliyah Simpson delivered some powerful kills in what was likely their final match in their rival’s gym. Freshman middle blocker Lela Del Angel put together an all-around game, posting kills and blocks, often igniting a Storm run.

While Cleveland was back to its usual ways, Rio Rancho did not stand down. All four sets were competitive, an improvement from their first meeting, and something to build off of with the postseason around the corner.

What is next for these two teams? We will soon find out with the NMAA volleyball bracket set to be released in the next couple of days.