Las Cruces Sweeps Cibola for VolleyBash Title as La Cueva's Long Winning Streak Ends in Arizona

New Mexico's two highest-ranked high school volleyball teams will meet Tuesday night in Albuquerque after a Saturday that went very differently for each of them. Las Cruces claimed a tournament title in Rio Rancho, while top-ranked La Cueva saw a long winning streak come to an end in Arizona.

At the Rio Rancho VolleyBash, held at Rio Rancho High, Las Cruces beat third-ranked Cibola in straight sets in the championship match. The scores were 25-16, 25-23 and 25-19. The Bulldawgs, now 10-1, have won 21 consecutive sets since a loss to El Paso Franklin on Aug. 26.

"We've been on a tear since then," said longtime Las Cruces coach Keith Leupold. "What I like about this team is we really have great cohesion. We have a lot of people who can play, but there is no jealousy. They are just a great team."

Sophomore outside hitter Addison Massey, who is 6 feet tall and was named to the all-tournament team, led the Bulldawgs. They came close to being pushed only once in the final, late in the second set. Cibola, now 8-3, led 22-21 behind a strong match from libero Makayla Martinez. Back-to-back kills, the second by Massey, moved Las Cruces ahead 23-22, and Mercedes Willis then put away a set-clinching kill to give her team a two-set lead.

"It's a huge thing (to win this event)," Massey said. "It's very exciting, especially since it's only our second time coming here. To win is very big."

Earlier Saturday, Las Cruces swept Rio Rancho 3-0 in the semifinals, while Cibola defeated district rival Cleveland. Cleveland then rallied from two sets down to beat Rio Rancho in five sets in the third-place match.

Meanwhile, in Mesa, Arizona, Class 5A's top-ranked La Cueva saw its 54-match winning streak end at the Nike Tournament of Champions. The Bears, now 8-3, played in the National division, the most prestigious of the event's three, and were seeded 11th among 16 teams in the championship bracket. They lost to Millennium High of Goodyear, Arizona (25-13, 25-15), Beckham High of Tustin, California (25-20, 25-20), and Notre Dame Prep of Scottsdale, Arizona (22-25, 25-16, 10-15). Bracket matches at the event were best two of three rather than the usual best three of five.

La Cueva had gone 2-1 in pool play on Friday to earn its place in the top bracket, and it beat Casteel High of suburban Phoenix 25-6, 25-8 in its final match Saturday. Before this weekend, the Bears had not lost since Sept. 11, 2021, when Cibola beat them. Their 54-match winning streak against New Mexico opponents remains intact.

Las Cruces faces a busy stretch of travel. After visiting La Cueva on Tuesday, the Bulldawgs will return to the Albuquerque area Saturday to play Rio Rancho. La Cueva beat Las Cruces in last November's Class 5A state final. Las Cruces and Cibola are also set to meet again Thursday in Las Cruces.

"We're looking forward to playing La Cueva," Leupold said. "We're hoping to get multiple shots at some of the better teams up here." Massey added: "We're really excited … I think we're ready to go out there and show them what we have."