La Cueva's Abby Stomp has set herself up for collegiate stardom

La Cueva (Albuquerque, N.M.) senior Abby Stomp is not only the best volleyball setter in the state, she's also one of the best in the nation. She sees the often underrated position as her destiny.

The 5-foot-9 standout first tried out for the New Mexico Juniors club team when she was in fourth grade.

She recalled, "I didn't know much about volleyball. The coach asked who wanted to be a setter. I would rather (have played) any other position. (But) it was just like my destiny. I love it now. A huge part of being a setter is being able to communicate with your team and fulfill the role of calming everybody down. I'm used to having all that pressure on me. It helps you grow the most."

While performing for her club team, Stomp has played in 14 national qualifiers and on one team that placed ninth in the nation. She probably will switch to the Albuquerque Rebels Volleyball Club this year.

At this writing, Stomp had led the Bears to a surprising 14-0 record in the largest class (6A) and individually she paces the entire state in assists (446), aces (56) and blocks (80). She also has 124 digs and 63 kills. She dominated against Eldorado (Albuquerque) with 47 assists and 16 blocks and against Sandia (Albuquerque) with 38 assists and 11 blocks.

Second-year La Cueva head coach Steve Archibeque calls his star "a phenomenal setter. I think she's the best (overall) player in the state. She has a game that others can't match. She has soft hands, great placement and knows our hitters. She's just a great kid, great student and just loves volleyball - that's her passion."

Archibeque rates Stomp "equal" to the Bears' outstanding setter, Brandi Torr, who was a senior when Stomp was a freshman. He noted, "Abby is a little taller and gets more blocks."

The Bears have blanked 10 teams by 3-0 scores. The other four beat them in the first set before losing the final three.

"I won't say I'm surprised that we are undefeated," the La Cueva coach said, "but I knew we had potential to go undefeated at this point. We (now) have a target on our back."

Rio Rancho coach Toby Manzanares has faced Stomp throughout her prep career and he has great respect for her ability.

He calls her "the best setter in the state by far. She really has a great feel for the game, really directs her offense and distributes the ball well. When things get tight, she's the kid who just takes over. She flips the ball all over the court and really forces our defense. Her decisions have been really good all year and she's a great kid, to boot."

Stomp feels privileged to have been an understudy to Torr when she was a varsity freshman.

She pointed out, "Brandi helped mentor me to take the reins the next year. She was really good and really nice to me. I'm very happy that she was there. I definitely learned a lot of things from her, but I kind of did my own things, too."

As a sophomore she noted, "I was young, but I still had a voice."

She most remembers the Sandia game where she had to step up to fill a void for an injured outside hitter by playing great defense and blocking well.

The Bears rebuilt during her junior year but their final match -  a loss to Sandia - may have set the table for this year's great start. She related, "We wore them out and Cibola (Albuquerque) beat them (for the state title). That gave us a lot of motivation coming into this year."

This year - so far - is a dream come true.

Stomp said happily, "I've never been on a team that won this much. It's really cool. I am so blessed. My sophomore year, Sandia went undefeated. This year it's us. We just never take a game off, (but) we're still so humble about it."

The La Cueva star hasn't forgotten that senior teammate Julia Warren was named New Mexico Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year when she was a freshman. She was a big hitter, however, and Stomp admits that setters often take a back seat to big hitters when the awards are handed out.

She conceded, "That's - girls who hit balls hard - what people remember at the end of the day. I do believe that setters deserve more than you'd think. I've really been working hard this year."

If there possibly could be something that Stomp loves more than volleyball, it would be her toy poodle, Jazzy, who will be 13 on Halloween. She related, "I got her when I was 5 years old for my birthday. I don't really know what my life was like before I got her."

The La Cueva star probably doesn't know what life will be like when she leaves Jazzy and takes her 3.9 GPA to Northern Arizona University to play volleyball and study either biology or pediatric physical therapy. Stomp revealed that she had wanted to attend Northern Arizona, but was afraid to hurt her close family by being so far apart for four long years.

One day while shopping, she was happily shocked when her mother (Stacey) said, "I know what you want. You're going to call coach Ken and commit to NAU when we get home."

"It absolutely felt right. I just needed that extra guidance and helpful push to know that I had the support from my family. I was so excited to call him. Right after I finished calling coach Ken, I sprinted down the hallway with tears in my eyes, I'm going to fulfill my dream that I have had since I was 11 years old of playing Division I volleyball. That was easily one of the happiest moments in my life."

Meanwhile, however, she realizes that the Bears have won a state title in every other sport and has tunnel vision when it comes to adding volleyball to the trophy case.

She said confidently, "I certainly hope we win the state. We have all the keys to win it as long as we keep working hard. We have confidence - not arrogance. We really are committed to winning the state championship for La Cueva."