Robertson in rematch today for state title
Robertson sweeps to face equally dominant Sandia Prep in championship rematch
After 364 days, Class 4A is right back where it started. For the second year in a row, Albuquerque Sandia Prep will defend its state title. For the second year in a row, the Las Vegas Robertson Lady Cardinals stand in the way of the Lady Sundevils’ aspirations.
They spent most of the 2017 season as the top two teams in the classification, whether it was the coaches’ poll or Max Prep’s Freeman rankings, and they lived up to those lofty expectations Friday. Both teams swept the quarterfinal and semifinal matches after earning first-round byes for the Class 4A State Tournament in the Santa Ana Star Center.
The last stage of their journeys came Friday night, as the secondseeded Lady Cardinals slipped past an upset-minded No. 5 Moriarty squad 25-15, 25-20, 25-21 in one semifinal. Right next to their match were the No. 1 Lady Sundevils, whose power and efficiency were no match for St. Michael’s and its stout-hearted defense in a 25-16, 25-10, 25-13 win.
Sandia Prep has already staked its reputation as one of the top programs in the state, based on its performance over the past three seasons. Robertson, though, wants to show that it has matured from
the team that appeared to be happy to be at last year’s final, which the Lady Sundevils won with a convincing sweep.
“This year, when we get there, we know how to play,” said Robertson senior outside hitter Brandelyn Fulgenzi.
The Lady Cardinals (21-2) showed they know how to close out a match instead of letting an opponent dangerously hang around. When Moriarty jumped out to a 15- 9 lead in Game 3, thanks in part to uncharacteristic Robertson hitting errors, the Lady Cardinals didn’t panic or simply play out the string and wait for Game 4.
They chipped away at the margin with big hits from Fulgenzi (three kills) and middle hitter Alianza Darley (two kills and a block). Darley demonstrated heart and determination when she went up three straight times before finally getting a tip that landed off a Lady Pintos defender and then to the ground that cut the deficit to 18-15.
Fulgenzi tied the score at 21-all with a kill that appeared to simply hit the top of the net and ricochet out of bounds, but the side judge ruled that the hit went off the Moriarty block. The Lady Pintos lost their focus and the lead when Alyssa Adams pounded her hit into the net for a 22-21 deficit. It was the first of three Moriarty hitting errors in a closing 5-0 Robertson run.
“That’s been our mentality — fight for every point,” Robertson head coach Stacy Fulgenzi said. “And you see what happens.”
Fulgenzi added that it will be an important quality against the Lady Sundevils (21-2), whose hitting trio of Catherine Kelly, Camryn Nelson and Alora Lucero can be overwhelming at times.
“Sandia Prep, they’re an amazing team,” coach Fulgenzi said. “I feel for [St. Michael’s] because I’ve been there. I mean, what do you do?”
That was an enlightening question for Lady Horsemen head coach Valeria Sandoval. It seemed that every time St. Michael’s made a run to cut into its deficit, Sandia Prep simply fed the ball to its hitters and reeled off five or six points in a row.
That’s what the Lady Sundevils did in Game 1, as St. Michael’s got within 14-12, but Nelson recorded a kill, Lucero followed with a block and Sandia Prep scored the next seven points for a 21-12 lead. Lucero added a block during the run, and Sandia Prep head coach Audra Gentry said she has been overlooked as part of her team’s success.
“Everyone forgets Alora,” Gentry said of her 6-foot-4 middle hitter. “This season has been incredible. She’s been blocking great, she’s been connecting with our setter. She’s had a great year, and I am glad she’s getting some recognition.”
When the Lady Horsemen (17-7) rallied from a 7-1 deficit in Game 3 and tied the score at 9-all on a Sierra Moya kill, Sandia Prep scored 12 of the next 13 points and dashed any hopes of a Game 4.
“Our goal was not to let them get more than three in a row,” Sandoval said. “I think every game, they got at least five in a row and that changed all the momentum. But my girls played with heart and left it on the floor.”
Gentry said her team’s evenkeeled demeanor has been invaluable in withstanding runs. It’s also helped the Lady Sundevils deal with the trappings of success and the ever-expanding bullseye on its jersey.
“We get excited, but we don’t freak out,” Gentry said. “Some teams are real high or real low, and that makes for some big runs. For us, they get a few points and we’re just real calm, cool and collected. We regroup and that’s the great thing about our team.”
Robertson, though, wants to show it has a streak of greatness in it as well.
On Saturday, the Lady Cardinals get one more shot at the biggest, baddest team on the 4A block.