Storm take district title on Senior Night

RIO RANCHO — On Senior Night, Storm volleyball took care of business at their home gymnasium with a 3-0 rout of hometown rivals, the Rio Rancho Rams.

Cleveland is the top-ranked team in the state, and their talent was on full display for what was the final game of the regular season for both squads.

The final set tally Thursday, Nov. 7, was 25-16, 25-8, 25-17.

Seniors Emma Wild, Kelsey Hefner and Ceci Vance were powerful at the net. Vance led the team at the service line with three aces. Azlynn Tittmann was right behind them with 10. Tittmann was also a monster in defense, grabbing 13 digs. Vance and Wild were tied for the second most, with nine each.

“I think we are just starting to build on a lot of really good offense, and it’s just starting to click,” said Storm head coach Charity Gomez. “This group of girls, they really care for each other. They really want to play hard for each other. It’s a lot of fun.”

Kelsey Hefner reached into her bag of tricks early and often, using her powerful right to wind up for a kill, but instead lightly tapping the ball over the net with her left. Even so, she finished the game with 11 kills (tied with Vance.)

The Rams put up a much tougher fight than the score indicates.

“Offensively, we didn’t score,” Rams head coach Toby Manzanares said bluntly. “(CHS) has a little bit to do with it, just because of their size and the length and because they make the court shrink so small. But we can still compete in service, and we can still compete at the net, even if we have an off night offensively.”

RRHS is ranked 11th in the state, so a playoff berth is all but guaranteed. However, a first-round bye is most likely out of the question.

Manzanares said that might not be the worst situation for his squad.

“This gives [the Rams] an opportunity to refocus and lock in and then set their goals. And that’s always a good thing for playing more volleyball,” he said. “We had to get through this match before we could look forward toward next week and the state tournament, where we have some [similar] opponents [to the Rams] and we have some opportunities to compete ... before we go into that upper part of the bracket.”

Indeed, the Rams seem to be coming together at the right time, despite the loss. Jacey Mader and Sanieda Trejo are turning into an impenetrable wall on the right side of the net, and Alyssa Dominguez’s power on the left is good for multiple kills per match.

The Rams ended the season with a 14-9 overall record. They finished third in district 5A-1 with a 6-4 record.

Domiguez was the Rams’ season leader in aces with 52. Libero Reece Cave led in digs with an impressive 308 to go along with a team-leading 352 receptions. Mader was the kill leader with 216.

After the game, RRPS Executive Director of Athletics Todd Resch and Cleveland Athletic Director Matt Martinez presented the Storm with the District Championship trophy.

“This is our third [district title] in the last four years.,” said an excited Gomez after the presentation. “We didn’t drop a set [in district]. It’s really exciting, especially leading into next week, obviously.”

The Cleveland Storm finished the season with an overall record of 21-2. They finished undefeated at 10-0 in district 5A-1. Vance finished the regular season as the team leader in kills (274), aces (74) and digs (238).

“[The end of the season] is always sad,” Gomez said. “It’s a really good group. We have one more week together. I’m just trying not to think about it too much because I get emotional. I feel fortunate that I just get to be with this group of girls every day.”