In case anyone was wondering, the return of Patagonia High School volleyball is a big deal.
How big?
Twenty players big. That’s the turnout that greeted coach Brenda Somoza for preseason practice.
For a school with an enrollment of 64, roughly half of that female, well – you can do the math.
“I knew I was going to have a big team this year, but I was surprised, yeah,” Somoza said. “A good surprise.”
There’s a simple enough explanation, of course. The one about success breeding success.
Last year the Lobos had their best season in over a decade, compiling a 18-5 record and hosting a state tournament game for the first time in recent memory.
“I think so,” Somoza said of the carry-over effect. “I think that everybody’s bought in. I had so many girls show up for the summer program. They want to win, they want to be competitive, they want to have another successful season.”
The new season begins Thursday, with a 6 p.m. home game against Tombstone, and then a trip to Willcox on Saturday for the Cochise County Roundup, with matches against Fort Thomas, Bisbee and San Simon.
The Lobos return four starters from a year ago: senior Amaya Somoza (Brenda’s daughter), juniors Monique Snell and Nicole Cabrera and sophomore Charlotte Myers. Somoza and Snell will be looked upon to take over leadership roles after the graduation of seniors Emma Lewton and Brianna Majalca.
“(Amaya) and Monique, they’re ready for it,” Coach Somoza said. “They’re really great leaders out there. They love this game and they want to win, and I think that trickles down to everybody else.”
Amaya Somoza, in her fourth year as a starter, says she’s excited for the challenge. “I’m definitely one of the more quiet ones on the court, so I do have to use my voice a lot more.”
She said newcomers Mina Sanchez and Thais Snell have looked good in early practices, and she also sees Myers taking on a more prominent role.
“I’ve really enjoyed watching Charlotte grow as a teammate on and off the court,” Somoza said. “She’s really fun to watch.”
The Lobos’ victory total has climbed from 12 to 15 to 18 in her three seasons on the court, but they’ve yet to win a state tournament game. So what’s the key to taking the next step?
“We’ve just got to work super-duper hard every day,” she said.
Coach Somoza said the biggest challenge in going beyond last season’s success is a mental one.
“Man, I would love to make it past the first round of state,” she said. “I think they were very overwhelmed (last year) and just felt all this pressure. Working on the mental game is something that we really need to focus on, because that’s something that we’ve always struggled with. It’s a hard thing to overcome.”
Somoza said the program has a strong foundation to start the season, in part because of community support. Equipment has been upgraded, and donations will enable the team to travel to three in-season tournaments, including an overnight event in Tempe: the Epic Invite on Sept. 25-26.
“We’ve been able to get new balls, which I’ve needed for like five years, and a ball cart that rolls, so that’s really great,” she said. “That’s what keeps this school going is the community.”
