Close, but not quite there yet.
St. David is a perennial volleyball powerhouse and the team to beat in the Class 1A South region, but after winning their first seven matches of the season, the Patagonia Lobos set their sights on toppling the Tigers from their perch.
Their first attempt at doing so came Tuesday night at Patagonia High. The Lobos got off to a strong start but couldn’t sustain their effort throughout the match, falling by scores of 25-15, 22-25, 25-19, 17-25, 5-15.
“It was a heartbreaking game,” coach Brenda Somoza said. “We played so well the first four sets, then we fell apart.”
The game was classified as nonregion, so while it counts in Patagonia’s overall record, it’s not reflected in the 1A South standings. The teams will have a rematch in St. David on Oct. 15 that will factor into the region standings.
In the meantime, the Lobos have no time to sulk. They host two key region matches over the next six days: Friday night against The Gregory School, and next Tuesday against Valley Union. Gregory is 6-1 overall and is another strong contender. Both matches start at 5 p.m.
Somoza hopes Tuesday’s heartbreak will strengthen the Lobos for the tough matches to come.
“We have to move on and look forward and get better from our mistakes,” she said.