Mike Powers | News-Bulletin photos
Junior Riley Luther with the big hit for the Tigers against Eldorado.

Rio Rancho

After carrying an 11-game winning streak into the 5A State Volleyball Championship, the Los Lunas High School volleyball season came to an end with two losses at Rio Rancho Events Center.

The ninth-seeded Tigers were swept by No. 8 Eldorado in their opening match. After a narrow loss in the first set, the Tigers seemed to lose confidence in the second, falling behind 16-0 with

LLHS ends the season with a 15-7 record

Mia Mendoza eyes the ball during the Tigers match against Eldorado

Eldorado hitting at a high percentage.

Los Lunas played better in the third set, but ultimately lost the match 25-22, 25-16 and 25-18.

“We were out of system probably 85 percent of the time,” said head coach Tanya Sanchez. “It gave us no offense.”

Middle hitter Kaysin Robinson, the team’s only senior, described the end of the winning streak bluntly.

“It sucks, it does,” Robinson said. “I think our energy was pretty low. We need to regain our confidence.”

The Tigers did seem to have more confidence after an early wake-up call Friday, playing an 8 a.m. elimination game against seventh-seeded Sandia. This was far more competitive. The Matadors won the first game 25-23, but Los Lunas fought back to even the match with a 25-21 victory in the second game.

While the Tigers battled the rest of the way, ultimately Sandia took the final two sets 25-20 and 25-23.

Los Lunas ends the season with a 15-7 record and a district championship.

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Mike Powers spent more than 40 years as a television news and sports anchor, mostly in the Albuquerque market. He has won numerous awards including New Mexico Sportscaster of the Year. He covers a wide range of sports, including the Valencia County prep scene.