With six games left in the regular season, the Patagonia High School volleyball team has put itself in strong position for a return to the state tournament for the first time since 2016.
The Lobos have climbed to 10th in the Class 1A rankings after rattling off three consecutive victories over the past week: 25-8, 25-22, 25-14 over Baboquivari; 25-20, 25-9, 19-25, 25-17 over San Simon; and 25-23, 25-20, 25-22 over Valley Union. Sixteen teams qualify for the state tournament, which begins on Nov. 5.
The wins improved Patagonia’s record to 9-4 overall and 3-1 in 1A South region play heading into their home match Oct. 16 against second-ranked St. David, which comes to town with an 11-1 record.
Head coach Andres Cuevas is pleased with the improvement he’s seen but noted that the Lobos still struggle with consistency from first set to last. They had to overcome a big letdown in the third set against San Simon, and they appeared headed for the same problem in Monday’s victory over Valley Union before rallying from a 19-17 deficit to pull away for the win.
“We have this situation, like a roller coaster,” Cuevas said. “Our energy goes up, up, up, and after the second set, it’s like we are going down.
“We talked to the ladies, we didn’t talk about the game, we talked about the emotions, and the experiences we had in the same way. So we weren’t obsessing about it, and that was enough.”
Cuevas credited co-captain and middle blocker Alexis Fimbres with being a difference maker against Valley Union.
“Alexis today was like, oh my god,” Cuevas said. “When you block them, they are going to be afraid of hitting.”
Cuevas said opponents have been strategizing to neutralize outside hitter Monique Snell, necessitating more reliance on Brianna Majalca. He’s also using Amaya Somoza and Emma Lewton to share setting and attacking responsibilities.
“I think they (Valley Union) realized Monique, she is so good, and they were waiting for her,” Cuevas said. “They blocked her with a double block. So they were leaving more for Brianna.”
Majalca, a co-captain with Fimbres, said the Lobos received a wakeup call in their Sept. 27 loss to The Gregory School. Patagonia won the first two sets but then lost the last three.
“Our confidence is up, and so is our attitude,” Majalca said. “I love the progress that we are making. We just need to play our game, and that’s the best we can do.”
After tonight’s game against St. David, the Lobos have remaining road games at Superior and San Simon and three more games at home: Oct. 21 vs. Lourdes Catholic, Oct. 22 vs. ASDB and the season finale on Oct. 28 vs. Ray.