While the Lady Hawks started strong against Palo Verde Tuesday, the Lady Titans rallied at the mid-point of game one with a seven-point run and never looked back. The Lady Titans took the day, winning the match in three games, 25-19, 25-16, 25-18. The game went well for the Lady Titans, but top player Amanda Daly, who sat out with an injury, said the team wasn’t in top form against Rio Rico.

Rio Rico High’s Celina Alvarez receives a Palo Verde volley during a match at Rio Rico High School Tuesday.

“It was good, but I think they could have done a lot better,” she said.

Palo Verde and Rio Rico own the No. 5 and No. 6 spots in Gila 4A volleyball, respectively. Palo Verde has a 4-7 region record, while Rio Rico is 1-10. With no regionals this season, a place in the state tourney is a long shot for both teams. Palo Verde stood at No. 20 in Arizona Interscholastic Association power rankings, and Rio Rico No. 26 before Tuesday’s match.

The Lady Titans have one game left, against No. 2 Catalina. That might give them a shot at state, when all power rankings are finalized. Daly was positive about the Lady Titans’ chances.

“If we win that game, we’re going to state,” she said.

Still, Palo Verde coach Wendy Parra wasn’t happy with Tuesday’s performance and deferred to Daly for a post-game interview.

“Too many unforced errors on our side. I wasn’t happy with the way they played,” Parra said.

Hard work and dedication helps Palo Verde, Daly said. “We’ve been together, most of us, since our freshman year, so we’re like a family.”

Daly, a senior, said some newer players will give the team a boost. “Jasmin Rogers can play, pretty much any position. She’s only a sophomore, so she can grow,” Daly said. Rogers had top stats for the Titans, with 15 attacks, 15 assists and 15 digs.

Rio Rico had a strong lead in the first game, outpacing the Lady Titans, 16-12, when the Lady Titans took off. After seven straight points, Palo Verde had a 19-16 lead on the Lady Hawks. Rio Rico had a brief rally at the end of game two, but couldn’t get past Palo Verde’s lead.

“We kind of gave it away,” Hawks coach Eddie Rodriguez said. “We tend to make mistakes in bunches �“ four- or five-point bunches. Against a team as good as Palo Verde, you can’t do that.”

The seven-point rally by Palo Verde in the first game turned the tide. “That’s been our problem, five to seven points we can’t get back. That’s sort of been our Achilles’ heel the whole year,” Rodriguez said.

The Lady Hawks played tough, though, Rodriguez said. “Today, they came out with a lot of energy. That’s good. Every week, because we’ve been in a bit of a slump, I’ve seen improvement.”

Rio Rico beat No. 7 Santa Rita twice, but has lost to every other team in the conference but Douglas, who they face Thursday, after Nogales International press time, at Rio Rico, at 6 p.m.

Rodriquez hopes to finish the season with a win, though.

“I got a couple of girls back who had been injured and a couple of girls who had been ineligible academically, so that kind of hurt us. We’re battling with teams now, we just can’t make those mistakes in bunches,” he said.

Overall, Rio Rico has a 3-12 record, and no chance to climb 10 steps up the AIA power rankings ladder before state. Regional competition, discontinued this season, could have made a difference. Rodriguez said, “Our season’s done after Thursday. I do miss regionals. I think because you can get a team that’s on a roll at the end of the season, like Palo Verde, and they could make state.”