The Española Valley Lady Sundevils have had an impressive start to their volleyball season.
Española opened with wins over two larger Class AAAAA schools. The Sundevils, a member of Class AAAA, beat Gallup 3-2 in their opening match Sept. 5 and then knocked off Santa Fe High School 3-1 five days later in Santa Fe.
The Demonettes are led by former Española coach Sam Estrada, who during his tenure from 2001 to 2007 transformed the Sundevil program into one of the most respected in the state.
The Sundevils slipped a bit last year under coach Garry Maskaly, who is now at Los Alamos. It remains to be seen if Salazar can achieve the success attained by Estrada, but he’s off to a good start.
The Class AAAA volleyball crown is up for grabs this year. Moriarty, the two-time defending state champion, lost several players to graduation. Española rival Los Alamos has already beaten the Pintos once this season, 3-0. Right now, the favorite would have to be Goddard High School, of Roswell, which is 7-0 and has defeated Los Alamos .
The Sundevils didn’t qualify for the state tournament last season, but a return looks to be a real possibility this year.
Elkettes
The Pojoaque Elkettes are also off to a strong start. They have knocked off three Class AAAA schools, including Los Alamos. Española and Pojoaque played Tuesday, so the results weren’t available for this column, but ever since coach Brian Ainsworth took over the program, Pojoaque has been a force. If you go by Pojoaque’s practices and see the number of young players who want to be future Elkettes, you’ll realize the program will be strong for years to come.
District 2AAA is one of the strongest in the state and that helps the Elkettes. Pojoaque is ranked second in the statewide coaches poll behind district rival Robertson, which has lost in the Class AAA championship game the last two seasons.
What separates District 2AAA from the other Class AAA district is that it is deeper than them. St. Michael’s and Santa Fe Indian School are also ranked in the top 10 teams in Class AAA, and they are always gunning for Pojoaque.
There’s another District in the state that could argue it is the toughest. District 4AAA has produced the last two state champions (Portales in 2007 and Ruidoso in 2008). Portales looks to be strong this year with a 3-1 win over Roswell, a Class AAAA school.
District 4AAA teams nearly always have a height advantage over Pojoaque. The Elkettes’ superior defense makes Pojoaque competitive and often allows the Elkettes to beat taller teams.
Small Schools
Dulce was runnerup in District 2AA last season but looks prime to dethrone Navajo Prep as district champion this season. It could be the Lady Hawks’ year, since Navajo Prep lost standout Nicole Crisp to graduation. Dulce has no seniors on its roster, so it could be strong in 2010 too.
Jessica Toya, formerly Jessica Thompson, has returned to Escalante High School as volleyball coach. During her previous tenure, in 2004 and 2005, the Lobos won a District 2AA title and were runner-up in 2005. She may be able to turn the program around on the shoulders of a tall middle blocker, 6-foot-1-inch Bonnie Salazar.
Coronado has outside hitter Angie Schmitz back and will also be trying to grab the runner-up spot in District 2AA.
In District 3AA, Peñasco is the clear favorite after winning the the Northern Rio Grande Tournament. The Lady Panthers have good hitters and a strong service game.
Mesa Vista may be able to escape the district cellar this year, because McCurdy appears to be down after finishing eighth at the Northern Rio Grande.