It was a noteworthy season for the Española Valley boys tennis program.
The doubles team of Damian Gallegos and Owen Silva Vigil reached heights that no other Sundevils duo has achieved. The pair was seeded second in the individual doubles portion of the New Mexico state tournament and ended up reaching the semifinals.
“It was the boys turn I was very excited about their accomplishments,” coach Nancy Suazo said not only of Gallegos and Silva Vigil, but the rest of the squad. “To reach those goals, they worked very hard in a loaded boys district. To get this far is something.”
Gallegos and Silva Vigil blitzed through their opening matches May 7, losing just four games against teams from St. Pius and Artesia.
Then they ran up against the Los Alamos team of Aditya Viswanathan and Michael Witkowski, whom the Sundevils had not beaten this season in three attempts.
Still, Gallegos and Silva Vigil won the first set 6-3 and were up 4-2 in the second when things went awry, Suazo said.
After Los Alamos held serve, Española was broken, dropping two double faults along the way.
And that turned the entire match around.
“It shifted momentum, which can happen very quickly,” she said.
The Hilltoppers took the next two games to win the set.
“When we split sets, we tried to get their mind away from tennis, but it took a little bit to calm them down and we could just feel them getting tighter and tighter.”
Indeed, Gallegos and Silva Vigil had nothing left to give, dropping the last set 6-0.
“That shows improvement on their part, but they just couldn’t get it done,” Suazo said.
Although they also lost the consolation match for third, reaching the semifinals and taking fourth place was a first for the boys.
In the team tournament, in which Española was seeded fourth despite finishing third in District 2-4A, the Sundevils outlasted Belen 5-3 in the quarterfinals before running into powerhouse top seed Albuquerque Academy, which advanced on a 5-0 count.
The results showed how far the program has advanced.
“I think it validated the players, even though they had been validated before, and it validated the program as one of the better programs in the state,” Suazo said. I am exceptionally proud of the four seasons they have put in. They have achieved some tough wins.”
Still, some rough times may lie ahead.
“I think they set a legacy to bring pride to the program and to show that it is a program and not just a one-time deal,” she said. “Unfortunately, I am losing six seniors. I don’t have a lot returning so it’s going to be a rebuild, but they have set a blueprint for a rebuild, which is important.”
The girls faced a tougher go. In the individual tournament, singles player Isabella Archuleta faced Lovington’s Joselyn Salcido in the opening round. They split the first two sets, but Archuleta was unable to muster much fight in the closing set, losing 6-0. However, she seemed to learn something from the match as they met later in the team round and Archuleta came away with the win to help the Sundevils beat Lovington 8-1.
“Team play is important so I’m glad she was able to bounce back,” Suazo said.
The team then faced top seeded Academy, losing 5-0.
For the individual doubles, Olivia Suazo and Kaydence Arrey had the unenviable task of taking on the second-seeded team of Ammelia Bosch and Shay Villegas from Albuquerque Academy. The Sundevils put up a good fight in losing 6-1, 7-6 to the Chargers pair that eventually won the state championship.
“Overall, I felt the season was a great success,” Nancy Suazo said. “We had a really good time and made some really great memories with the kids and ultimately, that’s what it’s all about in the end.”