McCurdy Charter School volleyball head coach Roberto DeVargas is no stranger to senior night emotions. In 2012, he watched his son, Ron DeVargas, take to the field for the last time for the McCurdy baseball team, which he also coaches.
Last week, on Oct. 24, he stood on the sidelines, as his daughter, Maria DeVargas, took to the McCurdy volleyball court for the last time, as she and her Lady Bobcats faced off against Dulce High School.
The game, at McCurdy, featured a gymnasium bedecked in pink streamers, and posters honoring the graduating McCurdy seniors.
The realization of a last home game for the graduating seniors created a heightened sense of purpose for the Lady Bobcats, and they provided Dulce with two competitive sets.
“We kind of needed it,” Maria DeVargas said.
But, Dulce, a team on its way to putting together a strong state championship run, had different plans. The Lady Hawks grabbed a 13th consecutive win, and beat the district bottom-dwellers with a routine three sets.
They won the first and third sets by a score of 25-21, and they dominated the Lady Bobcats in the second set, 25-11.
Dulce head coach Kathleen Salazar-Valdez, while overall happy with her team’s performance, felt that the first and third set were, in fact, closer than expected.
“When I looked at our book, it was our errors that kept them in the game,” she said. “My main goal is to make sure we don’t have any service errors. I know we gave a couple of points on serves.”
In the third set, McCurdy had the lead, late on, with the score at 20-19. As they reached 20 points, the Lady Bobcats faltered, allowing the Lady Hawks to score six points, while they scored one.
Dulce’s Jaelyn Reval put the final touch to the game, crushing a kill past McCurdy’s Bea Salazar to ensure a Lady Hawk win.
“That third set, that was ours to win,” Roberto DeVargas said. “But, then we started thinking instead of reacting.”
The end of the game heralded completely different emotions for both teams.
For Dulce, excitement awaits, as they ready for the state tournament. Sophomore middle hitter Caitlin Duncan said she “can’t wait” for the playoffs to arrive.
On the other side, the Lady Bobcats, who finished with a 10-11 overall record and a last place district place, were looking for the positives to a losing season.
“Team-wise, everything has been good,” McCurdy senior AnnaLisa Martinez said. “It has been a little hard. I got a little sad when we have been losing our district games. But, it’s OK because I have to realize it is my last year, so I have to make the best out of it, no matter what.”