ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The defending state volleyball champions of class 5A are off to yet another unbeaten start.
“We haven’t really talked about it,” said Bears head coach Steven Archibeque. “The girls know that we’re unbeaten, but on any given night in volleyball, anybody can beat anybody. The girls know that, and we’ve had a target on our back for the last couple years and the girls know everyone brings their A game when they come to play La Cueva. So we don’t take anybody lightly.”
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La Cueva has not lost since September 2021, and has only lost three matches since 2018. The Bears have won three out of the last four state championships, and four since 2015. Coach Archibeque believes the success comes down to the culture established in the program.
“We kind of developed a tradition here with the girls and the mentality of winning,” he said. “The girls don’t like losing, so they’re going to do whatever they can to make sure that they get that win. They’ll work hard and they’ve just got that great volleyball sense.”
Archibeque joined the sports desk to discuss the success of his program and an outlook on the rest of the season. The Bears have around three weeks left in the regular season as they seek consecutive state titles.
