By Gene Helfman

Weekly contributor

Maybe the Lobos were distracted by all the hoopla surrounding senior night, but things started slowly in their match at home Oct. 27 against the Cedar Park Christian Eagles.

The first game was close from the beginning, with the Eagles holding an 11-9 lead after a number of unforced errors by the Lobos. It took strong serving by senior captain Betty Burt to even things up. From there, the teams traded points right up to Cedar Park ahead 22-21. Lopez finished off serving for a 25-22 win. Lopez found their groove in the second game and surged ahead from the start, leading 12-1, sparked by strong serving by Burt and Ruby Sausman. The Eagles came back later in the game, getting as close as 23-20, but Lopez steadied for a 25-22 victory.

The third and final game saw multiple long volleys with Lopez playing some of their best volleyball of the year, emerging with a 25-17 victory and the match. Seniors Burt and Dani Arnott were celebrated afterward amidst hugs and tears.

Coach Karrie Warner was happy with the result, saying, “In the first game, we started slow. But often when that happens, we play much better later. In the second game, we served really well, which is something we’ve been working hard on. If we keep that up, we’ll do well in the post-season.”