Las Cruces High School volleyball player killed in tragic crash en route to tournament

A Las Cruces High School volleyball player died in a crash as she was traveling for a volleyball tournament from Las Cruces to Midland.

Samantha Bursum, 14, was killed on March 1 in Ward County, near Pecos, Texas.

At 9:32 p.m., a car without headlights was stranded in a roadway due to a previous crash blocking both lanes of Interstate 10 East. The driver of the vehicle transporting Bursum failed to notice the car and collided with it, according to the Texas Department of Transportation

Bursum and the driver of both vehicles were taken to Ward Memorial Hospital in Monahans, Texas, where Bursum was pronounced dead.

The crash remains under investigation.

Volleyball community mourns loss of Samantha Bursum

The volleyball community remembers Bursum as a kind, intelligent girl determined to win and never missed a practice.

Alonda Dominguez, head coach of a traveling volleyball development team, said Bursum was on her way to the team’s tournament in Midland on Saturday.

“Samantha was a beacon of light on and off the court,” Dominguez said. “She was everything a coach could have asked for in a player.”

Dominguez said when she heard Bursum had died on the way to the tournament, she didn’t know how to tell the other players.

“We weren’t prepared to tell them,” she said. “We called a meeting and let the girls know and consoled them.”

The team ended up playing the tournament in Bursum’s honor, Dominguez said.

Social media posts also remember the teen, who was a Las Cruces Catholic School alumni. She had graduated from the school last year and was now a freshman at Las Cruces High School, according to the post.

“Sam was an amazing young woman who always had a smile on her face,” the post said.

Las Cruces High School also posted about Bursum, saying she was a friend to all and an amazing athlete and student.

Dominguez said Bursum’s jersey, number 15, will now be retired.

“She was a force of nature,” Dominguez said. “She was ready to change the world. She wanted to be a lawyer to help people. She was a go-getter kind of girl.”