Volcano Vista has gone 8-1 against Albuquerque recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Volcano Vista Hawks will be taking part in a tournament against the Albuquerque Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. Volcano Vista is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 54.3 points per game this season.
Volcano Vista is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of New Mexico's top teams: Hobbs, who was ranked second at the time (Volcano Vista was ranked ninth). Volcano Vista was beaten by Hobbs 67-37 on Wednesday. The matchup marked the Hawks' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.
Mila Espinoza
| 01/08/25 @ Hobbs | 20 |
| 01/07/25 vs Eldorado | 17 |
| 12/21/24 @ Clovis | 27 |
| 12/20/24 vs Piedra Vista | 18 |
| 12/19/24 vs Bushland | 18 |
The losing side was boosted by Mila Espinoza, who posted 20 points and four steals. Her evening made it five games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points.
Meanwhile, Albuquerque entered their game against Rio Rancho on Wednesday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. Albuquerque fell just short of Rio Rancho by a score of 47-44. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Bulldogs have suffered since February 23, 2024.
Volcano Vista will need focus on slowing down Lailah Bouldin, one of several Albuquerque players who made an impact when they last played. She had 19 points along with five boards and five steals. Bouldin has been hot, having posted two or more steals the last seven times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Abby Pavia, who posted ten points and five steals.
Volcano Vista's defeat ended an 11-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 7-3. As for Albuquerque, their loss ended a 12-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 7-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Volcano Vista has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30 boards per game. However, it's not like Albuquerque struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Volcano Vista couldn't quite finish off Albuquerque when the teams last played back in December of 2024 and fell 50-48. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Albuquerque's Zaiyah Hawley, who went 6 of 9 from beyond the arc on her way to 19 points and five steals. Now that Volcano Vista knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
