The Patagonia Lobos got back to their winning ways Tuesday night with a 25-20, 25-19, 25-19 victory over Valley Union.
The victory ended a two-game losing streak for the Lobos, who improved their record to 12-2 in state qualifying games. The first of the two losses came a week earlier to Valley Union by a score of 28-26, 25-22, 25-18, so the payback was satisfying. The back-to-back losses knocked Patagonia down from fourth to seventh in the state rankings.
“We needed that win,” said coach Brenda Somoza.
Somoza said the Lobos suffered through an off night in their loss at Valley Union – “It was just one of those days. Our serving was off, our passing, our defense, and they played really well.” – and then were overpowered by third-ranked St. David in a 25-13, 25-20, 25-21 loss on Monday night.
“We can’t depend on one person to score all the points,” she said of the loss to St. David. “It’s just hard to win against a team that has so many good hitters that can score.”
Amaya Somoza hits the deck to save a point and Karol Balderrama looks on in Monday night’s match vs. St. David. (Photo by Dave Lumia) 
Monique Snell tips a shot over St. David’s attempted block. (Photo by Dave Lumia) 
Karol Balderrama and Charlotte Myers put up the block against a St. David hit. (Photo by Dave Lumia) 
The Lobos celebrate a point in the third set against St. David. (Photo by Dave Lumia)
St. David established command early in Monday’s match, jumping out to a 13-4 lead in the first set, and then a 6-1 advantage in the second. The Lobos finally came alive in the third set, taking a three-point lead at 18-15, but St. David’s firepower eventually closed out the match.
With less than 24 hours to prepare for their next match, Somoza shook up her lineup by inserting Nina Sanchez and Viviana Pelayo. She also continued incorporating freshman Julissa Santos for her serving prowess.
“I got to watch the game film from the last two games, and I kind of just went through and read the service errors and passing errors and receiving errors, and I just decided I needed to try something different,” Somoza said. “And it worked.”
Amaya Somoza sets up Charlotte Myers for the kill. (Photo by Dave Lumia) 
Charlotte Myers tips a shot past the Valley Union defense. (Photo by Dave Lumia) 
Freshman Thais Snell blasts a shot past the Valley Union defense. (Photo by Dave Lumia) 
Viviana Pelayo receives serve in the first set. (Photo by Dave Lumia) 
Thais Snell and Charlotte Myers are all smiles during a break in the action. (Photo by Dave Lumia) 
Freshman Julissa Santos launches a serve against Valley Union. (Photo by Dave Lumia) 
Amaya Somoza and Monique snell go over strategy at the net. (Photo by Dave Lumia)
The one thing that didn’t work on Tuesday was trying to will her team to faster starts. A sluggish start was a major issue against St. David on Monday, and it repeated itself on Tuesday night. Valley Union jumped out to a 6-2 lead in both the first and second set and a 5-2 lead in the third before Patagonia settled down and took control.
“I told them, we’ve got to come out strong, you can’t let them get six points ahead immediately,” Somoza said. “But they pulled through. They came back. They never gave up on the game. And I’m proud of them.”
The Lobos have two more home games this week, then a road contest against top-ranked Cicero Prep next Wednesday prior to the start of the postseason. St. David will host the1A South region tournament on Friday, Oct. 30, and the state playoffs begin the following week.