Demonettes show potential in loss
The Santa Fe High Demonettes showed they could play at a high level against a Class 6A team on Tuesday night. Now, they have to learn how to beat big schools.
Santa Fe High beat Albuquerque Sandia in Game 1 of a District 2-6A opener for both teams in Toby Roybal Memorial Gymnasium, but could not maintain momentum as the Lady Matadors won 24-26, 25-9, 25-15, 22-25, 15-6. Sam Estrada, the Demonettes’ head coach, said poor servereceive hurt his team in Games 2 and 3 after a strong start.
“We played really well in the first game, and I think it kinda shocked them,” Estrada said. “They didn’t know what to expect. Game 2 comes along, and all of a sudden, we couldn’t pass the ball. They took us out of our offense too easily.”
It wasn’t until Game 4 that Santa Fe High (6-5 overall) rebounded, using strong serving to keep Sandia’s offense offbalanced, but the Lady Matadors (5-4) scored the first two points in the finale and never looked back.
“When they’re on the net, they were crushing the ball,” Estrada said of Sandia. “It was good to keep them at bay [in Game 4], but they scored the first two points and we could never recover after that. Little mistakes just seal your fate.”
Salome Romp led the Demonettes with 14 kills, while Adonica Baca-Martinez added 12. Romp also had a pair of blocks, and Ysabella Trujillo dished out 36 assists. Adrianna Catanach and Alyssa Sandoval each had 17 digs on the defensive end.
LAS VEGAS ROBERTSON 3, ST. MICHAEL’S 0
The Lady Cardinals learned their lesson from watching other teams play the host Lady Horsemen.
When you have a good team down, keep them down. Robertson (9-1) did just that in the District 2-4A opener in Perez-Shelley Gymnasium, in a 25-12, 25-16, 25-22 sweep. Class 4A’s second-ranked team in the New Mexico Overtime SportCenter coaches poll wasn’t surprised by the tough defense St. Michael’s (9-4) deployed. The key was not letting that get in their hitters’ heads.
Alianza Darley and Brandelyn Fulgenzi had 13 kills each, and Darley added seven blocks. Jazmyne Jenkins added seven kills and Tessa Ortiz had three blocks. Sophomore setter Lauren Fulgenzi recorded 21 points on serve in the first two games and had 33 assists. Brandelyn Fuglenzi also had 23 digs, while Ashlea Lujan added 19 and Taylor Jackson had 16.
Robertson used its stable of strong hitters to keep attacking the Lady Horsemen, with a key moment in Game 3. St. Michael’s has made a habit out of stealing a game, then using the momentum to push a match to its limit. Fulgenzi emphasized to her team the importance of keeping its intensity high.
“They are a team that, if they win that third game, it’s basically like starting over,” coach Stacy Fulgenzi said. “That’s happened several times, where you’re up 2-0, then they win the third [game], then they win the fourth one. And then you’re in the fifth, and you’re like, ‘What happened?’ ”
ABQ. SANDIA PREP 3, SANTA FE INDIAN SCHOOL 0
The two-time defending Class 4A champion Lady Sundevils blasted the error-prone Lady Braves in a 25-6, 25-15, 25-16 sweep in a 5-4A opener for both schools in Albuquerque.
SFIS head coach Brian Gurule counted 40 errors that helped a Sandia Prep squad that doesn’t need much help from its opponents.
“We just couldn’t do anything on serve-receive,” Gurule said. “They served us short, and served us short again. My girls weren’t moving their feet. It was frustrating to watch.”
Danielle Jackson and Leanna Lewis led the Lady Braves (6-5 overall) with five kills each, and Sierra Shoals added three.
BOYS SOCCER ST. MICHAEL’S 6, QUESTA 0
The Horsemen took care of business against the Wildcats (1-8, 0-3) in a 2-1A/4A match at Christian Brothers Athletic Complex.
Wesley Reynolds had a pair of goals as he was finally healthy enough to play a full match. Meanwhile, Wesley Graham, Esteban Rigales, Berkley Reynolds and Santiago Lucero each had a goal to pace the St. Michael’s attack. It was only a 1-0 lead when the Horsemen (5-4-2, 2-1) exploded in the final 10 minutes of the first half with three goals.
St. Michael’s head coach Mike Feldewert also went out of his way to credit the Horsemen defense, which produced its third straight shutout. He specifically pointed out senior Wyatt Hoyle, who has become a staple of the St. Michael’s back line.
“I’ll tell you, if we had to pick a player of the year right now, it would be Wyatt,” Feldewert said. “He’s been one of the keys for our defense coming together. He played well last year, but as a senior, he really has improved tremendously.”