The Coronado Leopards volleyball team had to go through the 2021 season with at times just six or seven players.
Now, they have a full 12-player squad, enough to field a full junior varsity lineup.
“It makes a huge difference,” said senior and team captain Rebecca Chacon. “Even if they don’t play, just having a bench. Having support, and having a team behind you makes a big difference.”
Though they do not substitute often on varsity, even given the deep bench, the results have still been telling, as they have won six of their first seven matches.
The Leopards (6-1) defeated McCurdy (2-4) on Sept. 22 in Española, winning 25-16, 25-17, 26-24, to continue their hot streak to start the season. All six of Coronado’s wins so far this year have come in straight sets.
“The girls are working hard,” said coach Jerry Baca. “They’re staying focused. They’re team-oriented. They’re very organized and very dedicated to the game of volleyball.”
“We feel like we can make it very far as long as we keep doing what we need to do,” said junior Ashlyn Jaramillo.
Coronado is contending this year with the loss of Glenn Callaway, who coached the team in 2021. Callaway died in June at 64.
“It’s been tough, it’s been hard,” Baca said. “But the girls are really working through this, and they’re working good together as a group, as a team, and as a (school) district.”
Baca is tasked with guiding the team through that trouble, while also taking on his first year coaching volleyball after coaching several other sports.
“They make my job a lot easier,” Baca said of the team.
The Leopards jumped out to a lead over McCurdy in the first set, going up 11-3. As they would again later in the match, McCurdy climbed back to make the set close, but the Leopards were able to finish off the set for an easy win. Similarly, in set two they went ahead 10-4, and even though McCurdy came back to within two at 15-13, Coronado again was able to get the win.
Senior Aliyah Russell was the star of the game, logging nine assists, four kills and two aces. Elena Gallegos led the team with seven kills.
Last year, Coronado recovered from a 1-10 start for a surprisingly strong 4-5 in district, even pulling off an upset over Santa Fe Waldorf and winning sets in several of their losses.
The Leopards will look to continue their momentum into district play this year, starting late Tuesday night at Santa Fe Waldorf (7-2).