So far, so good for the Patagonia Lobos 2024 volleyball team.
The Lobos have a 5-1 record under first-year coaches Andres Cuevas and Brenda Somoza after Tuesday night’s 25-17, 25-21, 25-14 victory over Baboquivari. They are 2-0 in 1A South region play and now have more than a week to prepare for their next match, on Sept. 19 at region rival Valley Union.
“We are learning together,” said Cuevas. “This is my first time as a head coach. Coach Somoza, our assistant coach, this is her first year. Some of the ladies are new, but we are getting better and better.”
Cuevas inherited four regulars from last year’s team, but only one, middle blocker Alexis Fimbres, is a senior. Juniors Brianna Majalca and Emma Lewton and sophomore setter Amaya Somoza were key contributors to last year’s team, which finished with a 12-7 record, and they’ve been joined in the rotation by juniors Lulu Donnelly and Ximena Gonzalez and freshmen Monique Snell and Marion Koloto.
Majalca and Snell have given Patagonia a pair of strong outside hitters, and Somoza has been the team’s most effective server and a steady presence directing the offense.
“We have two awesome outside spikers and two awesome middle blockers, an awesome libero,” Cuevas said. “They are working and playing as a team, and that’s the key for our success.”
The Lobos opened the season by splitting a pair of matches against 2A schools Bisbee and Tombstone. But even in the lone loss to Tombstone there were promising signs. After losing the first two sets, Patagonia fought back to win the third before falling 25-23 in the fourth set.
The Lobos bounced back from the loss by stringing together four consecutive wins over 1A conference schools San Manuel, ASDB, Hayden and Baboquivari, losing only one set in the process.
“They are enjoying the game, they have a lot of enthusiasm,” Cuevas said. “That makes it easier to coach.”