Volleyball Game Preview: Escalante Lobos vs. Sanford Mustangs

After both having extra time off, the Escalante Lobos and the Sanford Mustangs will shake off the rust and duke it out at 3:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Last Thursday, Escalante earned a 3-1 victory over Jemez Valley. The Lobos haven't had any issues with the Warrior recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive win against them.

The victory didn't come easy: Jemez Valley scored at least 20 points in every set. The final score came out to 25-21, 25-20, 13-25, 25-21.

Shea Archuleta

Digs

09/18/25 @ Jemez Valley	55
09/13/25 @ Bloomfield	20
09/04/25 vs Monte Del Sol Charter	21
09/02/25 vs Santa Fe Indian	14
08/30/25 vs Tohatchi	27
08/26/25 @ Pecos	56

Escalante can attribute much of their success to Shea Archuleta, who had 55 digs, and Natalie Aguilar, who had 11 digs and four aces. That's the most digs Archuleta has posted since back in August.

Meanwhile, Sanford got the win against Trinidad on Saturday by a conclusive 3-0.

Not only was the match a shutout, it was a big one: Sanford took every set by at least 12 points. The match finished with set scores of 25-13, 25-10, 25-11.

Escalante picked up their first road win, bumping their record up to 3-7. As for Sanford, their victory bumped their record up to 8-0.

Escalante suffered a grim 3-0 defeat to Sanford in their previous meeting back in September of 2024. Can the Lobos avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.