Long Live Lente
In what was one of the more thrilling games of the day, the Tigers took the fight to Goddard and eeked out a 3-2 win, 16-25, 25-13, 12-25, 25-16, 15-13.
At first glance, Goddard’s size advantage would carry them past the smaller sized Tigers, but as they say, it’s not the size of the dog in the fight. Goddard’s big front line–sisters, Sophia and Vittoria Price, and MB Aliyah Valdez–were dominant, especially in the third set, easily blocking and scoring at will. Although that same rotation gave Los Lunas difficulty during the fourth set, the Tiger’s offense found ways to score.
“I knew there were going to be huge blocks, so I had to use that to my advantage. I just want to thank my setter (Jackie Inman) for putting in the perfect spot every time,” said Samantha Lente.
Lente, with 20 kills (unofficial), was fearless facing the Rocket’s defense, managing to find space between the blockers and keep Goddard on their heels.