The superior man acts before he speaks, and afterwards speaks according to his actions. — Confucius


What of the superior district, the one with five entries in this week's Class AAA State Volleyball Tournament, a three-day, 12-team gathering that begins Thursday with pool play and first-round matches in Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho?

It is District 2AAA's actions — not its words — that will accord validation or voidance.

"Our district has to go and put up, or shut up," Brian Ainsworth, Pojoaque Valley head coach, says. "For the past few seasons, we've talked about how this district is the toughest. Well, the message got out this year. We better make sure we go and make the statement that this is the toughest district.

"We need to compete for our pools and make sure we have five of the eight teams left after that first round."

A selection committee pinned the top seed on Pojoaque Valley, after the Elkettes compiled a 20-1 season, with the lone loss to Monument, one of the top teams in Arizona.

Las Vegas Robertson (16-6), the district runner-up to Pojoaque Valley both in the regular season and postseason tournament, earned the third seed. Of the Lady Cardinals' six losses, four were to the Elkettes.

St. Michael's (12-10) and Raton (14-8), the respective third and fourth teams in 2AAA, will arrive as the fifth and sixth seed. Santa Fe Indian School (9-12) is seeded 10th.

"They did some good things early in the season," Ainsworth said of the Lady Braves.

The best moment occurred at the Albuquerque Sandia Prep Invitational. That's where the Lady Braves captured the championship without dropping a game in their three matches.

Santa Fe Indian School also defeated Sandia Prep, which received the eighth seed and is in Pool A with Pojoaque Valley and Lovington. The Lady Braves, meanwhile, are in Pool B with second-seeded Portales and Bloomfield, the seventh seed.

"I'm shocked and excited," Chela Butler, St. Michael's head coach, says. "I thought maybe four would get it. To have five make it, says a lot about our district."

St. Michael's is in Pool D, which includes Hatch Valley and Ruidoso. The Lady Horsemen defeated Hatch Valley, the fourth seed, in pool play at the Tournament of Champions in September.

Ruidoso is the defending state champion, but the Lady Warriors
(9-12) were the last team selected. Perhaps, it was the graduation of six seniors off their title team, the departure of head coach Steve Brown, who resigned and accepted an assistant's position at Moriarty, and the sub-.500 record.

Whatever the criteria, Butler is looking forward to pool play.

"I feel good with the pool we're in," she says. "I'm just glad we don't have a team from our district in our pool."

Only Pool C does, with 11th-seeded Cuba joining Robertson and Raton.

Wading through the pools, Ainsworth believes the Lady Horsemen can reach the deep end of the tournament.

"St. Mike's is in a great position," he says. "If they come out and win their pool, they might pencil themselves in for a semifinal. Their toughest match is going to be against Hatch. If they win that, I think they'll be in the semifinals."

Ainsworth sees no advantage entering state for his Elkettes, who won the school's lone volleyball state title in 2006.

"We didn't get a 12th seed in our pool, and there is the potential of a state-caliber championship match in the quarterfinals for us," he says, depending upon what happens with Portales.

"Pool play didn't do much for us. But as I told the girls, if you want to be the best, you want to play the best. We don't want anyone saying we had a cakewalk."

Ainsworth knows most of the talk will precede 2AAA's walk.

"Portales is one heckuva volleyball team," he says. "They seem to be in the semifinals or finals almost every year. They have a great tradition. Nobody better overlook them."

Portales (14-7) owns seven state championships and six runner-up trophies, and if the Lady Rams are considered the superior program of AAA, it's based on actions.

Not words.