SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
By Arnie Leshin
Visiting Robertson was getting closer, but St. Michael’s didn’t even flinch, collectively thinking, no way, no way.
That’s the confidence that the regular-season District 2-3A winners have, especially against the runner-up Cardinals. With Friday night’s second-straight sweep over the Los Vegas school, the Lady Horsemen (20-2) have probably earned the No. 1 seed when the state tournament brackets are announced Sunday.
After Robertson won in four sets at the Christian Brothers Athletic Complex, the next three matches were owned by Valerie Sandoval’s St. Michael’s girls. In the rematch on the road, they won in five sets after trailing 2-1. Then they dominated the fourth set and handily took the deciding set 15-2.
Now they have taken charge of this rivalry, getting a sweep over the Cards Monday night at the Pojoaque Valley court to untie a first-place district lead, and doing the same Friday night, which means the Lady Horsemen have now come away with the last eight sets
“Another great team effort,” said second-year head coach Sandoval. They led only once and we had no problem putting them away. Our net play, digs and passing was outstanding.”
The scores were 25-18, 25-20, 25-22, and that’s how the visitors improved in chasing the lead. But when you lose three in a row to St. Michael’s and now face falling again in the district final in Santa Fe, all head coach Stacy Fulgenzi’s team could do was do all it could, except that the Lady Horsemen were well prepared.v
Their only other setback came in four sets at 4A Albuquerque St. Pius X, which could be the top seed in its class.
“That might have been our worse match of the season,” Sandoval said.
As for the state seeding, Sandoval had answers for her team.
“I will tell them that state is different than the regular season,” she said, “and we have to continue doing what we’re doing.”
The Cardinals are now 15-8. They should get a seed somewhere in the top five, but they would have been higher if not for St. Michael’s.
Once only once did Robertson hold the lead, that coming at 15-11 in the third set. But once it fell behind 16-15, the home side hung on to wrap up the match.
Just to look ahead, the only time the Lady Horsemen won state was in 2003 under head coach Chela Butler.
. . . It was also a good Friday night for 2nd seeded 5-5A Santa Fe High as it swept visiting 3rd seed Albuquerque Manzano, 25-20, 25-14, 26-24, at the Toby Roybal memorial gymnasium, advanced to Saturday’s district final at top seed Albuquerque Sandia.
A win there would no doubt improve its chances for a top-10 seeding when Sunday’s state seedings are announced. The Demonettes are 14-6 and have lost both their matches versus Sandia, last year’s state 6A runner-up.
