Volleyball: Elkettes Set to Defend Their Crown

 Returning Starters: Front row left to right: Cara Salazar, Tamarra Vigil
Back row left to right: Kiana Vigil, Liz Gomez, Lindsay Longacre

Mirror, mirror on the wall who has the most successful New Mexico high school volleyball program of all?

The mirror’s answer, “I can’t say for sure, but Pojoaque Valley High under the mentorship of coach Brian Ainsworth just might be the most prestigious AAA program in the state. I can’t say for sure because I don’t have all of the New Mexico statistics at hand.

“But here’s a brief rundown of the Elkettes’ success under Ainsworth: They are the defending state AAA volleyball champions; Add in another state title in 2006; In Ainsworth’s seven years at PVHS, the Elkettes have reached the state semis five times and there’s a second place state finish. There might be a better AAA volleyball program in the past seven years, but I don’t think so.”

Ok enough of the mirror’s reflections. What about this year?

“We want to play in the Saturday State Championship game,” Ainsworth said. “That’s the only expectation we have in this program.”

Here’s how the Elkettes stack up in 2010 for their planned championship run.

Liz Gomez, a 6’0” senior with three years varsity experience will be a force on the front line.
Ainsworth said Gomez will be the go to player this year. With her improved footwork and experience, Ainsworth said he expects her to rack up 15-20 kills every night.

Four other starters from last year join Gomez: Tamarra Vigil, 5’3” senior, outside hitter. Maybe the best jumper on the team; Cara Salazar, defensive specialist; Kiana Vigil, senior, who Ainsworth said is “unbelievably quick”; and Lindsay Longacre, 5’8” junior, middle blocker.

“Our strengths this year are our defense and speed,” Ainsworth said. “We are really fast and really short. We’ll need to outplay our opponents with speed and agility.”

A host of talented newcomers will contribute to the quest for another title, including: Amber Lovato, who Ainsworth said “has a heart of gold”; Briana Ainsworth, 5’7” freshman, a setter with good hands and an outstanding grasp of the game; senior Audrey Smith; Kristin Woody, a freshman hitter who can tattoo the ball; Victoria Tapia, who will compete with Smith for an outside hitter position and Erin Lopez, senior defensive specialist.

“This is one of the shortest teams I’ve coached,” Ainsworth said. “We’ll compete with athleticism, quickness and heart.”

One of the strategies employed by this year’s team will be to set the ball lower, which allows hitters to have one-on-one opportunities, Ainsworth said.

As a side-note, Miquella Lovato, a member of last year’s state championship team, now plays for UNM. Ainsworth said she will probably start against Stanford this weekend. Stanford was in the NCAA final four last year.

The Elkettes are at home tonight for a 7 p.m. season opener against Capital High.