Escalante volleyball means success and even though the Lady Lobos just missed out on the state tournament last season, they have every intention of getting back there this year.
Coming off a 13-9 season, coach Isaiah Trujillo knows the team has plenty of work ahead, even though the team has a number of experienced players coming back with the loss of just two seniors.
“We have the same intensity, same program and everybody is already buying into what we initially started last year,” he said. “Our biggest goal this year is first to take our district.”
But that’s easier said than done, Trujillo pointed out.
“We have a really intense district,” he said. “There are a lot of returners. Mora, we saw them at the Cimarron tournament. McCurdy has some good hitters and Mesa Vista is bringing back quite a bit.”
The Lady Lobos, however, are also bringing back quite a bit, Trujillo said.
“We’re senior- and junior-heavy this year,” he said. “Last year, a lot of them were playing varsity for the first time so it’s good that they had that experience. Now they know the expectations and they know what it takes to win a game.”
That experience should make a big difference.
“I think it’s really, really important,” Trujillo said. “We only had two girls that had played varsity-intense matches before last year. It kind of hurt us a little bit, especially in those close district matches.”
He sees a different unit this time around.
“We’ve been able to put the girls through a lot faster pace,” Trujillo said. “They’re more comfortable and they know what to expect. They know they have to work twice as hard to stay in the game.”
With Trujillo entering his second season, the coach and players have had a chance to get more familiar with each other.
“They know what I expect of them,” he said. “And I know what to expect from them so I can push them harder in practice. So I know their limits and I know how they can improve and how I can push them to help them make those weaknesses better.”
What’s more, they had a full summer of workouts, putting them well ahead of last season.
“We started in early July and had a good turnout,” he said. “We had 14 to 15 girls consistently showing up. That helps a lot and alleviates some of the growing pains. That makes practice easier and more fulfilling.”
What will be even more fulfilling will be a few more Ws and a return to the state tournament.
Trujillo has high expectations and he’s looking for players like junior Xavanni Rivas (5’10” MB), senior Adryana Ulibarri (5’7” OH) and sophomore Lexi Trejo (5’7”) to lead the way.
The size Rivas brings to the net will be difficult for opposing offenses to handle, Trujillo said, and she also has a strong offensive game.
“She’s a big presence at the net and her blocking and hitting are really coming along well,” he said. “When she puts it all together, she can put it down.”
Ulibarri’s role is switching after she was the primary setter last year, but Trujillo likes her all-around ability across the spots on the floor.
“She’s good all over and her passing is very strong,” he said, adding that changing her role opened a spot for Trejo.
“She’s our main setter and she’s taken that role pretty seriously,” Trujillo said of Trejo.
Missing out on the state tournament last season has been a force in the hard work the team has already put in, Ulibarri said.
“Knowing what we could have had is feeding into our motivation and to play in unison once again,” she said. “We fell short of it last year. We expect a lot from each other and we expect to work as team and to have community support and to have each other’s support. And we’re hoping to bring something back to the community.”
And that something, of course, is a trophy.