SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
By Arnie Leshin
It have been 15 years since St. Michael’s won its only state volleyball championship, turning back defending champion Portales in four sets at West Mesa High.
Now it has a team that can do the same. With Valerie Sandoval in her second season as head coach, it has been a remarkable regular season. On top the 3A field as the No. 1 seed, the Lady Horsemen carry in a 20-2 overall record, and won three of four times against second place Robertson that Included a sweep in when the two tied for the top spot.
Then, in the District 2-3A tournament final played at St. Michael’s, it was another sweep and the eighth straight set won over the Cardinals (15-8).
The tournament gets underway Thursday morning at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho.
There are four pools, with the Lady Horsemen joined by Thoreau (14-8) and Cobre (10-8). The other pools have Navajo Prep (20-2), Santa Fe Prep (8-14) and Hatch Valley (16-5) in one, Albuquerque Sandia Prep (16-6), Laguna-Acoma (12-7) in another, and the fourth pool has Tularoso (19-4), Socorro (13-10) and Roberson.
Who’s streaking? Well, Navajo Prep has won 20 in a row, Sandia Prep 14, and Hatch Valley 11, and St. Michael’s has won its last eight.
Who snuck in? Santa Fe Prep is 8-14 and ranked 18th in the 12-school field, and they made it in.
On opening day, St. Michael’s pool is scheduled to get underway at 8 a.m.
“I intend to tell the team that state is different than the regular season, and they shouldn’t slack off,” said Sandoval.
In 5A, Santa Fe High (14-7) made the field after losing to 5-5A winner Albuquerque Sandia in Saturday’s district tournament final.
St. Michael’s other setback came in four sets at Albuquerque St. Pius X, the top seed in 4A. Sandoval said it was probably its worse match of the season.
Tournament play is sponsored by Rudy’s Real Texas Bar-B-Q.
