The Patagonia Lobos have reached the “keep chopping wood” stage of the volleyball season.
One practice at a time, one game at a time, focus on slow, steady improvement. It’s worked so far, so why change now.
The Lobos remain ranked fourth in the current Arizona Class 1A rankings with a 10-0 record after Tuesday night’s 25-20, 25-7, 25-19 victory over Lourdes Catholic. (The rankings do not include their 7-5 record in tournament play – primarily against much larger schools.)
Seven regular-season matches are left over the next three weeks, including an Oct. 19 home encounter with top-ranked St. David and an Oct. 28 road match with second-ranked Cicero Prep, so there is work left to do and improvements still to be made.
“Oh yeah, always, always,” said coach Brenda Somoza after Tuesday’s win, Patagonia’s first in front of a home crowd since Sept. 10. “Always passing. Serving, obviously. Hitting. Transitioning on and off the net.”
So pretty much the whole gamut, except she might have forgotten one.
“Definitely our defense,” said senior Amaya Somoza, the coach’s daughter. “Other than that I think we’re a pretty solid team.”
The Lobos await pregame introductions. (Photos by Dave Lumia) 
Junior Reyna Velasquez launches a serve in the second set. (Photo by Dave Lumia) 
Senior Karol Balderrama tips the ball over the net. (Photos by Dave Lumia) 
The Lobos gather around coach Brenda Somoza during a break in the action. (Photos by Dave Lumia) 
Charlotte Myers, Nicole Cabrera and Amaya Somoza celebrate a point. (Photos by Dave Lumia)
Coach Somoza was able to give additional playing time to several of her younger and less experienced players on Tuesday night, in part because Patagonia’s top offensive player, junior Monique Snell, is limited because of a shoulder injury. The hope is that Snell will be healthy for the home stretch.
“Monique has an injured shoulder, so I’m trying to not play her for the next couple of weeks,” Somoza said. “So I played some girls today that don’t really get a lot of playing time, and they did good.”
Two of Patagonia’s shorter players, Nicole Cabrera and Amaya Somoza, took on additional attacking duties in Snell’s absence on Tuesday, and Reyna Velasquez had a good night serving, but service errors were an issue in the first and third sets, keeping Lourdes within striking distance.
The No. 4 ranking is uncharted territory for the Lobos, but Coach Somoza doesn’t think it’s a fluke. “These girls, I don’t know how to explain it, they’re mentally bought in,” she said. “They want to win. They know they’re good. They believe in themselves. And I think that makes a difference this year.”
On that, her daughter agreed.
“I’m very excited, very proud of everybody,” Amaya said. “We’ve had different obstacles and stuff, and everyone’s just showing up for everything. Watching everything come together, it’s expected.”
The Lobos head back on the road next week for away games at San Manuel and Valley Union next Monday and Tuesday, then have four consecutive home matches, starting with the big one on Oct. 19 vs. St. David.