Sooner or later, the Patagonia High volleyball team was destined to come face to face with adversity.
The question was how would they respond.
Three days after Patagonia’s unbeaten season was derailed by a gut-wrenching five-set loss to Class 1A South region rival St. David, the Lobos found themselves in another treacherous spot—trailing 2-1 against another region rival, The Gregory School.
This time, they battled back for a 25-19, 22-25, 20-25, 25-23, 15-10 victory—improving their record to 8-1 and keeping themselves in the thick of the race to host a first-round match in the Class 1A state tournament.
Take that, adversity.
“What I’m most proud of is how my girls are competing overall,” coach Brenda Somoza said. “They fell apart in the last set against St. David, but that’s the only time this season they haven’t been able to bounce back. Their ability to stay mentally strong has improved so much compared to last year.”
Continued resilience will be needed as the Lobos enter the home stretch of their schedule. Several difficult opponents await, including a rematch at St. David on Oct. 15 and the regular season finale against San Simon at home on Oct. 24. Those two matches will likely determine the 1A South region title.
“The Gregory game was a mix of excitement and frustration, but I was proud of how the girls finished the last set strong and played their game,” Somoza said. “Serving really hurt us in that match, but overall I’m pleased with how our season is going so far. We still have a lot of work to do, especially with serving and serve receive, which continue to be our biggest challenges.
The Lobos have a veteran core led by seniors Brianna Majalca, Emma Lewton, Ximena Gonzales and Lulu Donnelly and junior Amaya Somoza, but Somoza has been pleased with how sophomores Monique Snell and Nicole Cabrera have stepped into larger roles.
“Monique Snell has been a huge scorer for us in both the front row and the back row, and we’ve been able to count on her in many different situations,” she said. “Nicole Cabrera has also stepped up, taking on the role of defensive specialist and doing an amazing job. Her serving is currently our most consistent, and she’s been a big asset to the team.”
Five of Patagonia’s eight games in October will be played on the road, with their remaining home games scheduled for Oct. 9 vs. Hayden, Oct. 21 vs. ASDB and Oct. 24 vs. San Simon.
“My goal for this team hasn’t changed, and I believe that if we keep playing the way we have been, we’ll be able to reach it,” Somoza said. “Every player brings something unique to the team. When one is struggling, the others step up to support and cover, which truly shows the value of teamwork.”