Cheers and tears were the order of the day as the Patagonia Lobos celebrated Senior Day on Saturday with a 25-14, 25-12, 27-25 victory over Ray.
The victory capped a busy Homecoming week that saw the seventh-ranked Lobos host four opponents in six days. Following a straight-set loss to second-ranked St. David on Monday, Patagonia rolled to victories over Valley Union, Superior and Ray to improve their record to 14-2 with one game remaining — on Wednesday in Scottsdale against Cicero Prep, the top-ranked team in Class 1A.
“It’s been fun,” said senior captain and Homecoming queen Amaya Somoza. “I’m really tired, though, so I’m excited that it’s all over and stuff.”
“The support, though, was amazing from all my family, so it was really fun to play in front of everybody that I love and support me the most.”
Saturday’s outcome was never in doubt, but there were emotions to deal with for Patagonia’s four seniors — Somoza, Losi Estrada, Karol Balderrama and Viviana Pelayo, all of whom were inserted into the starting lineup.
Saturday was Senior Day for Patagonia High’s volleyball team. (Photos by Dave Lumia) 
Karol Balderrama swats the ball past the Ray defense. (Photo by Dave Lumia) 
Monique Snell hits the deck to save a point. (Photo by Dave Lumia) 
Amaya Somoza celebrates after setting up Monique Snell for a spike. (Photo by Dave Lumia) 
Charlotte Myers elevates for a tip. (Photo by Dave Lumia) 
Amaya Somoza launches a jump serve. (Photo by Dave Lumia) 
Monique Snell soars above the net to score a point. (Photo by Dave Lumia) 
Charlotte Myers and teammates celebrate after scoring a point. (Photo by Dave Lumia) 
Senior honoree Amari Salgado, team manager. (Photo by Dave Lumia) 
Senior honoree Joshua Woods, team manager (Photo by Dave Lumia) 
Senior honoree Losi Estrada. (Photo by Dave Lumia) 
Senior honoree Karol Balderrama. (Photo by Dave Lumia) 
Senior honoree Viviana Pelayo. (Photo by Dave Lumia) 
Senior honoree Amaya Somoza. (Photo by Dave Lumia)
“I was able to play all my seniors tonight, which is awesome,” said coach Brenda Somoza, Amaya’s mother. “I’ve been coaching this group since they were freshmen, so it’s been fun.”
Brenda shared some laughs and tears with her daughter during post-game ceremonies. “Just trying to enjoy the moment,” she said. “It’s been a lot of emotions this week.”
She said having such a busy schedule prevented the Lobos from festering on the St. David loss.
“This week has been so freaking busy with Homecoming and everything,” she said. “We haven’t really had time to dwell on anything. It’s been like go, go, go, go, go.
“I think they feel like, and I feel like this too, we definitely could have competed better with them. But I think that if we face them again, now that we’ve seen them, hopefully they’ll be a little bit more competitive.”
Wednesday’s game vs. Cicero will serve as a final tuneup prior to the postseason. The 1A South region tournament is Friday in St. David, with Patagonia playing at 3:30 p.m. against the winner of Valley Union-Lourdes Catholic. The state tournament will begin next Tuesday, with Patagonia likely to be a hosting a first-round game, potentially against Fort Thomas in a rematch from last year’s tournament.
“They’re going to be a tough game,” Somoza said of Cicero Prep. “It’s a long road trip, and they’re going to be really good. They have three players going D1. But I think it’ll be fun to play a team like that. We don’t really see that kind of competition very often unless we play St. David.”