St. Mike’s sweeps Robertson
Lady Horsemen secure home court advantage for district title showdown
JACONA — That one was for you, Grandpa.
Or, more to the point, that was his gift to you, Lady Horsemen.
With Pojoaque Valley’s Ben Luján Gymnasium serving as the backdrop for Monday night’s District 2-3A volleyball tiebreaker, St. Michael’s needed just an hour and 15 minutes to complete a 25-12, 25-13, 25-14 sweep of Las Vegas Robertson to earn the top seed and home court advantage for this week’s district tournament championship match.
The Lady Horsemen (19-2) also made a strong statement to enter the postseason as the top overall team in Class 3A — but more on that in a moment.
First, an homage to Frank Padilla. A St. Michael’s graduate and the grandfather of Lady Horsemen junior setter Molly Maestas, he passed away Monday morning after spending a week in hospice care following a yearlong illness. In more ways than one he was a bright light in his granddaughter’s life. He attended countless events as she grew up and was usually the first one waiting for her at the bottom of the bleachers after the match.
“He was the best person, the best grandpa,” Maestas said, speaking in a positive and strong voice despite bloodshot eyes filled with tears. “He’s with me, I know he is. He’s up there watching me no matter if I’m doing something small or big. I know he’s going to be here, and that’s all I’m really thinking about.”
Padilla did her part in Monday’s match, one the Lady Horsemen dominated from the outset. They never trailed at any point in the first two games and briefly spotted the Lady Cardinals a 6-3 lead in the third game before an 11-1 run signified an early end to a night many expected to produce a
marathon five-set match between two teams who split a pair of encounters in district play. Not so, not on this night. Robertson (14-7) couldn’t get hitter Alianza Darley into a flow. Time and again she would fire shot after shot from above the net only to be defended to near-perfection by the Lady Horsemen.
“We worked all week on our defense,” said St. Michael’s head coach Valerie Sandoval. “It’s something we’ve been preparing for and against a team like that, against a player like her, you have to go into it knowing exactly what you’re going to do before you go out there and do it.”
The Lady Horsemen have won seven straight matches and own the best overall record in 3A heading into the postseason. With a win in Friday’s 2-3A finals, they’ll head into the state tournament as the clear favorite.
“Everyone said after we won the Tournament of Champions that we were that team, but that’s the last thing I want anyone talking about,” Sandoval said. “We can have that discussion later. I just want these girls focused on doing what we have to do right now because being the top team right now doesn’t mean anything.”
The Lady Horsemen started the first game with a 5-0 lead, then built a 5-1 cushion to start the second game. After a Darley spike helped Robertson take a 6-3 lead in the third game, the momentum shifted back to St. Michael’s. Alyicia Alvarez capped it with a service ace and Maestas drove home a kill from the left side to open a 14-7 advantage.
It was a play that certainly would have made grandpa Frank proud. On a night where her family mourned and her teammates rallied around her, Maestas was asked if she considered not playing in Monday’s match.
“This is where I need to be,” she said. “This is how I cope. This is where I go to.”
And with that, she took one last look around the gym that still had dozens of people wearing Horsemen blue laughing and talking.
“This team is my family, and I’m right where I’m supposed to be,” she said.