A few minutes after the end of their match, the Escalante coaching staff called the parents into the Cleveland High School auxiliary gymnasium, double-functioning as a staging area for the team, giving them a chance to comfort the Lady Lobos after a heartbreaking end to their season.
“I wanted privacy, instead of out in public,” Salazar-Valdez said. “I want the emotions to be in here, and when we walk out, I want our heads to be held high. Because we had a great season.”
The No. 5 seed Lady Lobos (20-4) lost in four sets to No. 6 Tularosa (18-8) in an elimination match to fall out of the state tournament, a disappointing result for a team that definitely expected to win at least one match, if not several. Final score: 25-19, 28-26, 21-25, 25-22.
“I don’t know how to explain the emotion right now,” Salazar-Valdez said. “Of course it’s sadness, and my seniors are taking it hard. They played very well. We just gave up easy points.”
“We wouldn’t want to be with any other team,” said senior outside hitter Brycelyn Martinez. “And we’re proud of each other because we tried our best, and did the best we could do. And good luck to our girls for next year.”
Sophomore Alani Yeahquo was the player of the match for Escalante, including five aces and 12 kills, many seemingly in the biggest moments.
“I’m very happy with her,” Salazar-Valdez said.
“When she’s confident, and when she’s on, she’s just on fire,” said senior defensive specialist Katelyn Hinds. “She can hit down, block. She just needs that push and confidence.”
Senior setter Emma Maestas had 33 assists, and Martinez led the team with 13 kills, five in the third set.
“State is a whole different thing than the normal season,” Maestas said, and the younger players needed time to adjust. “Everybody wants to win.”
“It’s a whole different mindset,” Martinez added.
Escalante seemed to come out flat early on, and did not look fully comfortable until about midway through the second set — when they came back from down 22-17 with five straight points to tie, took the lead at 24-23, but ultimately lost 28-26 to fall down 2-0 in the match.
Salazar-Valdez attributed the slow start to needing to warm up, after they spent the rest of the day away from volleyball. Their loss to Mora ended slightly after noon, and they spent the afternoon clearing their heads.
“Last night’s loss really impacted them, and we tried to get them together and to relax,” Salazar-Valdez said. “We went to the mall. We did girl stuff. We went shopping. It worked.”
They carried that momentum into the third set, going up 14-8, and holding off a few Wildcat runs to win the set by four.
But in the fourth set, after falling behind 15-9, they slowly rallied back and took a lead at 21-20. But they missed a serve down 23-22, and lost the match on the next point, but not for a lack of trying. After a deflection sent the ball sky-high toward the stands, Maestas — seeing her season on the line — went desperately sprinting after it, and managed to keep it alive, but the Lobos came just short of the impossible bump back over the net.
“We didn’t get the outcome that we wanted,” Hinds said. “But I wouldn’t have wanted to play with any other team.”
The Lady Lobos will have to reshuffle next year, when they lose their starting setter, outside hitter and defensive specialist. But another young core, including a trio of good sophomore hitters, should keep them afloat.
And they apparently could be without their coach, as Salazar-Valdez said she is undecided as of now, but likely plans to “take a break” from coaching volleyball.
After the match, Salazar-Valdez said they planned to still stay the night in Bernalillo, and would spend the rest of the day (the four-set loss ended before noon) finding something fun to do in or around Albuquerque.
“It’s time to have a little bit of fun now,” Salazar-Valdez said. “We’ve always been business and meetings and everything. I want to have some fun, and take the coaching cap off, and enjoy my girls one more time.”