Demonettes beat Valencia in opener
It was the kind of volleyball match the Santa Fe High Demonettes lost last year. Not in 2017. The Demonettes used strong serving and a more consistent hitting attack to fashion a 25-7, 25-13, 25-10 season-opening win over Valencia in Los Lunas on Tuesday. Last August, Santa Fe High opened with a fivegame loss to the Lady Jaguars, a match in which it won the first two games but could not close the deal.
Santa Fe High head coach Sam Estrada felt the Demonettes were much more consistent at the net and playing at a higher level than they were at this point a year ago.
“Our hitting and timing in there yet,” Estrada said, ‘“but we ran a couple of slide plays and some combo plays that we usually don’t get to until midseason. So, we’re ahead of the ball game.”
Some of that advanced play can be tied to Ysabella Trujillo, who took over the setting position full-time. She dished out 25 assists and also served three aces. Sophomore Salome Romp led Santa Fe High with nine kills, and Adonica Baca-Martinez added eight.
The Demonettes were strong at the service line, as Viviana Ortega and Adrianna Catanach each had a team-high five aces and Baca-Martinez added four.
“The girls have mastered the technique we’ve taught them,” Estrada said. “They are not making very many mistakes.”
The Demonettes will get to play in town for their next match on Aug. 30, but they head to Capital to play the Lady Jaguars.
GIRLS SOCCER ST. MICHAEL’S 4, CAPITAL 1
The Lady Horsemen got off to a slow start, and Capital took a 1-0 lead. However, the rest of the day belonged to St. Michael’s in both teams’ season opener at Christian Brothers Athletic Complex.
Tiana Baca tied the score shortly after the Lady Jaguars’ goal, and Devon Romero’s goal handed the Lady Horsemen a 2-1 lead just before the half. Baca added an assist in the second half, while freshman Olivia Farrar had both St. Michael’s goals to close out the scoring. Herzain Chavez, the Lady Horsemen head coach, said his team held a 26-4 shooting advantage on the Lady Jaguars, but he would like to see a better return on the shooting investment.
“The score didn’t reflect the game itself,” Chavez said. “We were just all over the place on our shots. “Hopefully, down the line, they will get tuned up and translate that into more productivity.”
SANTA FE PREP 4, SANTA FE HIGH 3
The Blue Griffins opened their 2017 season with a thriller against the Demonettes that wasn’t decided until Anna Swanson’s goal off a corner kick late in the second half.
Lynn Robey got her junior year off to a good start with a pair of goals for Prep, while sophomore Hayden Colfax added another.
Prep heads to the South Side on Thursday for a 6 p.m. match against Capital at Jaguar Field.
Santa Fe High fell to 0-2 on the season.