From sidelines to baseline, Del Valle had the volleyball court covered.

El Paso High School gave a defensive clinic Saturday in a semifinal of the Silver Bracket of the Clovis Invitational.

The cost?

For the Lady Horsemen of St. Michael's, a shot at one of two titles up for grabs in the 16-team, two-day tournament after the Conquistadores prevailed 25-15, 25-23, 21-25, 25-23.

"They picked up everything," Chela Butler, St. Michael's head coach, marveled. "This group would stick out an arm and it would be like a perfect pass to their setter, and you're left wondering, 'How did you do that?'

"Our hitters kept asking, 'Where do you want us to go?' I'd tell them, 'Line.' But that would be covered. I'd tell them, 'Tip. Cross court.' They covered those. We couldn't win it with just one good hit."

That was not the Lady Horsemen's final memory, though.

St. Michael's left Rock Staubus Gymnasium victoriously, defeating Española Valley 18-25, 25-22, 25-19, 25-16 for third place.

"Our kills were spread out, but we had a lot of block kills," Butler said. "Once we blocked them a few times, their hitters got frustrated."

Elissa Eccles and Lauren Blea led the St. Michael's block party from the middle, while Alexa Chavez and Monique Romero joined from the outside.

Chavez and Romero evenly divided eight kills against the Lady Sundevils. Against Del Valley, Chavez finished with 10 kills and Romero added six.

St. Michael's (2-1) returns to action Wednesday at Capital.

"We still have to work on our passing and some of our offensive plays," Butler said, "but we really improved on our overall intensity and our focus."

SANTA FE PREP 3, ESCALANTE 0

Right now, the Blue Griffins are winning with brawn, rather than brain.

Diana Ronquillo isn't complaining.

Santa Fe Preparatory rallied for a 16-25, 26-24, 25-22, 25-22 victory over the Lady Lobos in a nondistrict home match. The victory was the second straight for the undefeated Blue Griffins.

Sarah Ihlefeld, a freshman, and eighth-grader Desiray Anderson sealed the victory from the service line.

"They served really tough," Ronquillo, in her second season as head coach, said. "Sarah got the rally started and Desiray finished it off."

The Blue Griffins trailed 22-20 in the third and fourth games before Anderson stepped to the service line.

"Our volleyball IQ is still on the low side," Ronquillo said. "We still have to work through recognizing when you see a free ball and a tip, to be proactive and not reactive. But this group has made a commitment. I have a reputation of running my team hard, but they've all stepped up and really embraced it."

MONTE DEL SOL 3, SOUTH VALLEY 0

Good things are in store for the Lady Dragons.

According to whom?

According to Emily Carlson, who charts the Lady Dragons' progress daily.

"I think it will be a good season," said Carlson, Monte del Sol head coach. "I was impressed."

Monte del Sol parlayed powerful serving and precise hitting into a 25-16, 25-18, 25-22 nondistrict victory at South Valley Academy.

Aisha Herrera served 10 aces for the Lady Dragons (1-0). Erin Brooke followed with six, while Kamille Archie-Payne had three and Regina Pacheco one.

Pacheco and Archie-Payne evenly divvied 10 kills. Brooke also had a kill.

"Our serving was amazing and they're hitting the ball really well," Carlson said. "It was a nice opener."