St. Michael's stumbles in opening round but stays alive; Santa Fe Indian School eliminated

Nov. 13—The Las Vegas Robertson Lady Cardinals are yesterday's news for the St. Michael's Lady Horsemen.

All that matters is this:

The Hot Springs Lady Tigers.

At 10 a.m.

In the Rio Rancho Events Center.

Nothing else matters.

A season of speculation about Class 3A's top two volleyball teams and the dance that centered on the potential state championship matchup took a backseat Friday night to survival.

When Albuquerque Sandia Prep, the forgotten defending 3A champion and seventh seed in the Class 3A State Tournament, took down the Lady Horsemen in four games in the opening round of the modified double-elimination bracket, the storyline suddenly shifted from a hotly anticipated matchup with top-seeded Robertson to a sudden-death scenario.

Second-seeded St. Michael's passed its first challenge in the 3A consolation bracket, shrugging off a shaky start against District 2-3A foe Santa Fe Indian School to end the Lady Braves' season with a 25-21, 25-18, 25-17 sweep at Rio Rancho High School in the night session.

The win ensured one more match for the Lady Horsemen, who take on Hot Springs in the second round of contender bracket matches at 10 a.m. in the Rio Rancho Events Center. Any further speculation of what might lie ahead for them is moot.

St. Michael's is in win-or-go-home mode.

"I think we all realize this could be our last game," Lady Horsemen sophomore middle hitter Alana Overton said. "We have to work together and want it. That's really it."

It was a hard lesson to learn, but the Lady Sundevils helped supply it with a gritty 18-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-23 win in the opening round. Sandia Prep leaned into the role of the upset-minded underdog, as it simply outplayed the Lady Horsemen at key points.

Perhaps the breaking point in their psyche came in Game 3. St. Michael's (18-6) held a 22-20 lead and had the serve, but Sandia Prep scored four straight points and never lost the lead.

What followed was a 6-0 Sandia Prep lead to start Game 4, and the Lady Horsemen never recovered from that. It was a sign that a young team that has just two players with postseason experience hadn't quite learned how to deal with the state tournament atmosphere.

"We just kinda lost focus a little bit," said Marissa Sandoval-Moya, the St. Michael's freshman setter/outside hitter. "I don't know what happened. The team just kinda fell apart, and I don't think we were working together as much. I mean, we were in control of that match."

Valeria Sandoval, the Lady Horsemen head coach, said her team's inexperience — "Our youngness," as she put it — showed against the Lady Sundevils. She pointed out every single game they won was by the same slim margin, meaning St. Michael's was just a play or two away from warding them off.

"I think they were a little afraid to make a mistake, and we were playing really safe," Sandoval said. "I felt like that held us back a little bit."

While the two-hour break gave the Lady Horsemen a chance to reflect, refocus and recharge — Sandoval-Moya said dinner was very helpful in soothing wounded feelings — they seemed to be still a little gun shy in the opener against Santa Fe Indian School.

The Lady Braves (15-11), who played aggressively and confidently in the opening game of a four-game loss to Socorro in the first round, seemed to seize the opportunity and even took a short-lived 20-19 lead in the opener against St. Michael's. However, their inexperience showed, as they were slow to react to St. Michael's hits and often lacked communication in going after passes.

The Lady Horsemen finally regained their footing with a 25-21 win and played with confidence the rest of the way.

"I think, with this win, they feel like, 'Oh, state's not so scary. We can do it.' " Sandoval-Moya said.

Perhaps the only team that seemed to have a handle on how to play at the state tournament were the Lady Cardinals, who put on a clinic. Robertson (25-0) easily swept East Mountain (25-13, 25-9, 25-13) and Hot Springs (25-9, 25-12, 25-11) to advance to Saturday's semifinal and the single-elimination portion of the tournament.

Robertson head coach Vanessa Gonzales said it helps that the team has nine seniors who have mostly experienced postseason excitement and was well-prepared for it.

"We control what we can control," Gonzales said. "We can't control the bracket. It's just one game at a time, and that's all we can do."

Friday's action left six teams alive for Saturday's single-elimination matches that might leave fans' heads spinning. The two remaining survivors of the winner's bracket matches — Sandia Prep (14-12) and Robertson — await the winners from the two consolation bracket contests.

The Lady Sundevils, who beat Socorro in a quarterfinal match, await the Hot Springs-St. Michael's winner for a spot in the finals.

Meanwhile, Robertson awaits the winner between Albuquerque Bosque School and Socorro in the other semifinal matchup, with the championship set for 6 p.m.

Yet, St. Michael's cares neither for a potential revenge match with Sandia Prep or potentially getting a chance to play Robertson in the finals. All that matters Saturday are the Hot Springs Lady Tigers.

The Lady Horsemen learned that lesson the hard way.