Not that long ago the Mesa Vista volleyball team was suffering through a 61-match losing streak and was the doormat of District 3AA.
That losing streak started in 2004 and lasted to Sept. 1, 2007. Although the streak ended, the losing didn’t. The Lady Trojans finished in last place in their district in 2007 and 2008 just like they had since the district’s inception in 2004.
But this season, things have changed. The surprising Trojans are tied for first place in the district standings with a 2-1 district record (5-9 overall) despite a 3-0 loss Oct. 14 at Peñasco. Mesa Vista began district play with back-to-back 3-0 victories over McCurdy and Questa. It was the first time in District 3AA play the Trojans had recorded two consecutive victories.
“I gave them a pep talk,” Mesa Vista coach Victoria Alire said. “I told them, ‘We can win games.’”
Trojan senior Samantha Giron hasn’t been used to winning matches.
“We’ve been together since we were younger,” she said. “This is my last season, and I wanted to make the best of it.”
Giron and junior Carmelita Trujillo patrol the middle of the net for the Trojans.
“We worked hard this summer during open gym,” Trujillo said. “We want to win more than we have in previous years.”
Julia Martinez and Muriah Dean are Mesa Vista’s outside hitters, and Robin Martinez and Cynthia Alire, the coach’s daughter, are the team’s setters. They are joined by Andrea Salazar who is an effective server.
In years past Mesa Vista struggled with service errors and several players served the old-fashioned underhand way, but now all of the players hit their serves overhand.
“All of them have different talents,” coach Alire said. “I told them, ‘It would be nice if you use them together.’”
The Trojans took it to heart. Before discouragement would show up early in the match on the faces of the players, smiles and words of encouragement come from the players, even during matches that they lose, as they did to the Panthers.
“We work more together,” Giron said. “We keep talking.”
Where the Trojans have been a surprise, Peñasco had been a mystery. The Lady Panthers started the season 6-1, but then lost six straight matches to fall to 6-7 on the season.
The Panthers have since rebounded to win their next two district matches, defeating McCurdy 3-0 Oct. 9 prior to their win over the Trojans. They are tied with Mesa Vista with a 2-1 record in District 3AA. Questa (1-2) is in third place, and McCurdy is in last place (0-3).
The Panthers rely on their outside hitting. Against the Trojans, Alexandra Trujillo, Chelsea Visarraga and Shannen Gonzales each had multiple kills.
“This is the first match where our hitting has been all around,” Peñasco coach Maxine Abeyta said. “Now we’re playing better and are more upbeat.”
The Panthers pounced on the Trojans in the first game with good serving. Visarraga, Gonzales and Trujillo each had aces and long runs of points at the service line. Peñasco won the first game 25-9.
The third game was back-and-forth until the Panthers put together a five-point run to take a 21-15 lead. Peñasco held off the Trojans for a 25-19 victory.
Mesa Vista and Peñasco meet Friday in Ojo Caliente in the final district game for both teams.
“We could beat them,” Giron said. “We have to pull together and play as a team.”