The Lady Horsemen of St. Michael's High School do not want to put their playoff fate in the hands of the selection committee.

That's why they put their faith in Aimee Geyer.

And Alexa Chavez and Nicole Murphy and Monique Romero.

And Lynda Romero and Nicolette Serrao and Samantha McFall.

And Adrienne Chavez and Brittany Marquez and Melissa Cedillo.

And Amber Tassel and Lauren Blea and ...

Wait, there are no more ands.

In a match where every single Lady Horsemen contributed in one way or another,
St. Michael's defeated the Lady Tigers of Raton 25-18, 15-25, 25-18, 25-20 in the District 2AAA Tournament on Thursday night in Perez-Shelley Gymnasium.

The Lady Horsemen board a bus for tonight's semifinal in Michael Marr Gymnasium, home of the Lady Cardinals of Las Vegas Robertson. First serve is 7.

"I don't know. My head says yes, but ... I want to make it there because we're one or two in the district," Chela Butler, St. Michael's head coach, answered, when asked if the win over Raton guaranteed the Lady Horsemen a spot in next week's 12-team Class AAA State Volleyball Tournament.

"We still have some work to do."

Las Vegas Robertson is 3-0 against St. Michael's this season. The Lady Cardinals (15-5) swept the Lady Horsemen (12-9) in the Tournament of Champions and in Perez-Shelley Gymnasium. St. Michael's took Robertson to five games in Marr Gymnasium.

"We're ready to play," Geyer said. "We have a lot of respect for them, but we believe in ourselves. We're playing with a lot more heart."

The Lady Tigers will test your will — and your endurance.

The Lady Cardinals will test your block — and your defense.

"Blocking Brooke and digging Jazmine," Butler answered, when asked what the Lady Horsemen need to succeed against the Lady Cardinals.

Brooke, is Brooke Knezevich, the senior middle hitter who put Robertson on her back in last year's state tournament and carried them into the finals.

Jazmine, is Jazmine Harge, the outside hitter who transferred from out of state.

"If we do those things, more than they get kills, that would be nice," Butler said.

The Lady Horsemen have their own middle hitters in Alexa Chavez, a 6-0 sophomore, and Tassel. Geyer can also play middle, while Murphy, Monique Romero and Adrienne Chavez work the outside.

That combination plate of hitters kept the Raton block guessing.

In the opener, Geyer had a couple kills, Tassel had one and Monique Romero served two aces in an eight-point run for 10-5, Lady Horsemen.

Adrienne Chavez had two kills and Murphy one as the advantage remained doubled, 14-7.

Butler, though, changed her lineup for the second game and shifted the momentum.

"I was trying to get Aimee some attempts from middle front and Alex some from the left, but it created too much confusion," Butler said.

That became obvious when the Lady Tigers scored nine of 10 points for 13-4.

Butler knew a lost cause when she saw one. Raton knew an opportunity when it knocked.

The Lady Tigers were still matching points and trailed 14-11 in the third game. But Alexa Chavez struck from the middle and Geyer struck from the outside to widen the gap to 19-12.

An Alexa Chavez tip restored the one-game advantage and the Lady Horsemen parlayed that into a 13-5 head start in the fourth game. But when Geyer rotated to the bench, Raton rallied with eight straight points and 12 of the next 13 for 17-14.

Geyer returned after another Alexa Chavez tip, which was followed by two Murphy aces. Monique Romero untied an 18-18 knot with a rightside, crosscourt kill. Geyer followed with three more kills, including match point.

"It's hard," Geyer said of sitting, "but I have so much trust in my teammates. I know they can do it."

The Lady Horsemen will keep the faith. Will it be enough to secure their fate?

Contact Pancho Morris at 986-3089 or panchom@sfnewmexican.com.