Page 67 - 2020 AIA Volleyball Championship Program

#2 Snowflake (15-1, 10-0)
“Being in 3A has brought some more competition,” Orr said. “We’re happy to be going to state in 3A this year. We want to give it our all and go as far as possible.”
Outside of the Lobos’ 25-19, 25-13, 25-19 loss to Northwest Chris- tian in their second match, first-year head coach Karen Hargrove’s team was nearly as perfect in set play this fall as the Crusaders were.
Orr characterizes her rotation as “a team effort,” with no individual contributors standing out. Her defense is experienced, if not statistically flashy.
The Lobos, in their Sept. 22 home opener, lost a sweep of Thatcher High School, 26-24, in the third set. Three-and-a-half weeks later, they dropped their first and fourth sets, 25-20, at the Gilbert North campus of American Leadership Academy, the sixth seed in
Three seniors were among the top seven in the South Central in blocks, with middle blocker Cassidy Wakefield providing the most net protection with 29 blocks.
this tournament.
But otherwise, Snowflake swept all comers this fall, cruising to
Another senior middle blocker, Mikaela Jorgensen, combined for 38 blocks with senior outside hitter Mia Carter this fall. Jorgensen is also one of 3A’s top 10 hitters with 95 kills.
the East Region title without having lost a set to a region opponent since Oct. 17, 2019. That earned the Lobos a No. 2 seed and an open- ing-round date with No. 15 Payson High School at 1 p.m. Nov.
Thatcher’s biggest killers, though--literally--are its tallest players, both six-footers. Junior Olivia Lunt is in the top 10 in the conference in kills, averaging three per set. But hot on her heels is first-year contribu- tor Peyton Devlin, whose 113 kills are third-most among all 3A fresh- men.
14.
The Lobos had four of the top five overall hitters in the region, led by middle blocker Anna Berger, who finished eighth in the 3A Confer- ence in the category.
Fellow seniors Reagan Olson and Marynda Caldwell had similar power and accuracy around the net, combining for 275 kills--an average of more than five-and-a-half per set. Olson alone finished sixth in 3A in kills, adding 132 digs and 34 aces to her prolific repertoire.
They are usually set up by senior setter Dallys Casillas, ninth in the conference with 261 assists and eighth in the South Central with 74 digs.
Junior outside hitter Macee LeSueur was also a top-five East hitter, racking up 118 kills in just 35 games played this fall.
“We count on the bench to step up and fill in when needed,” Orr added. “Our libero is on the floor as much as possible.”
Setting all of them up were a trio of experienced placers. Seniors Maci Penrod and Ellie Lundberg combined for over 300 assists this fall, but it is junior Kimberlee Eich who leads the team in the category. Her 215 assists were fourth-most in the East Region. Eich, Lundberg and Penrod also teamed up for 151 digs, 58 kills and 48 aces as well.
That would be senior Maci Lopeman, whose 126 digs were third in the region this fall. Stepping up when needed to help her off the bench are juniors Laney Morris and Kylee Dodge, who combined for more than 130 digs of their own.
But the floor-burn specialist for the Lobos is junior libero Rylie Wengert, whose 138 digs were in the top 20 in the 3A Conference.
Lopeman and Wakefield are tied at the cusp of the top 10 servers in 3A with 35 aces each. Morris is right behind them with 33, and anoth- er senior, defensive specialist Mazie Hunt, added 16 this fall.
The Lobos’ net protection belonged to a pair of six-footers in Berg- er and Carmen Whitney. The senior duo combined for 54 blocks this season, with Berger tying for ninth in 3A in the category.
“We are ready for the challenges that State brings,” Orr concluded. “We are coming together and peaking at the right time.”
#3 Valley Christian (13-2, 7-2)
Knights head coach K.J. Struz can’t say he hasn’t seen his first- round opponent before 9 a.m. Nov. 14.
The runner-up to Northwest Christian in the North Central Region, Valley Christian earned a third seed on the strength of its 13 wins, not its two losses to the Crusaders.
That’s because it’s No. 12 seed Parker High School, which the Knights just swept in their season finale Nov. 3, taking advantage of 25 service and attack errors by the Broncs.
Leaving out a 26-24 loss in their very first set of the season to Scottsdale Christian, the Trojans dropped just one game in all of their wins--and that was by the same score. The 26-24 loss in the second set at No. 7 seed Gilbert Christian was an auspicious bookend to the Tro- jans’ regular season, coming as it did in their regular season finale Nov. 3.
Lost in the shuffle in the North Central Region behind the defend- ing state champions and runner-up Valley Christian, Arizona College Prep’s only losses this season came to the top-seeded Crusaders and third-seeded Trojans.
Whether that 3-1 victory was test or telling for the Trojans, sixth- year head coach Lindy Ramsland will judge Nov. 14 at 11 a.m. against 14th seed Pusch Ridge Christian Academy.
The Knights dropped just three other sets all fall, including one at home to Benjamin Franklin High School and two in a marathon win over No. 8 seed Fountain Hills they ultimately escaped with a three-point win in the tiebreaker.
The Trojans rely on not only a tight rotation, but four players six feet or taller--making up in height for what they lack in bench depth.
Elise Jimenez is the only major senior contributor on an otherwise young team. She leads the team in aces, but the biggest standout is sophomore Shelby Blixt, who is seventh in her region in assists.
Of the five players providing the bulk of the Trojans’ attack, it starts with senior setter Kenzie Carpenter, whose 57 aces lead all of 3A and whose 332 assists tied for second in the conference.
Junior Aliyah Jones has collected more than 30 kills over the course of the season, assisted by more than 30 serves handled ably by sopho- more ZiQing Kuang.
Senior Macy McClain has proven a capable libero this season with 120 digs--second-best in the North Central and just seven away from the most. Junior Kylie Wong has ably assisted at that position with 124 assists, 54 digs and 24 aces.
Junior Julie France seeks to get into the double-digit block total for this season, while sophomore Amanda Ahyat is the only Knights player to have double digits in a different statistical category: digs.
The conference’s second-best hitter is Trojans senior opposite hit- ter Emma Richardson. Her 168 kills are eighth-most in 3A, just 12 ahead of junior outside hitter Cara Braun.
#6 American Leadership Academy - Gilbert North (12-4, 9-1) and #7 Gilbert Christian (12-4, 9-1)
At six feet, one inch tall, Braun would fill up the stat book in blocks and kills most nights in 3A. But the Trojans have developed another six- foot-one-inch net protector, sophomore Kate Phillips, whose 30 blocks were second-most in the North Central Region.
The Eagles of the northern Gilbert campus of ALA are birds of the same feather with seventh-seeded Gilbert Christian High School. Same hometown, same record, same region, home wins over each other by 3-1 counts.
These two form a wall, supported ably by six-foot middle blockers Mandy Stracener and fellow senior Ella Womack, in front of the Trojans’ net only one team was able to surmount this season.
It was, at last, strength of schedule that allowed the Eagles to soar to the top of the Metro Region and play their second straight match Nov. 14 at 11 a.m. against Blue Ridge High School. Gilbert Christian got second in the region, one seed lower, a postseason start time of two hours later and a matchup with No. 10 seed Yuma Catholic High School-- the Eagles’ first opponent this fall.
#4 Thatcher (13-3, 10-0)
When it faces the No. 11 seed Yellowjackets, ALA will need to find even more in its tank than the fuel it took to take them down in a 16-14 tiebreaker Nov. 5. They will need 3A’s fourth-best hitter and fifth-best killer, senior Carissa Hayes, to play above her ranking.
Thatcher High School’s tournament resume’ is not quite as domi- nant as in seasons past, when it was a small-school juggernaut and 2015 state champion.
But as long as the Eagles continue to be untouchable in region play, they are dangerous, and a tough out for any opponent as a fourth seed-- much less for 13th-seeded Tanque Verde High School in the first round at 9 a.m.
Hayes will need support from her fellow middle hitter, six-foot junior Paige Howard, who combined with her for 281 kills and 73 blocks. They will need even more assists than the five per set senior setter
“We respect every team we play,” fourth-year head coach Kim Orr explained. “Tanque Verde is a good team.”
Sydney Smith averaged to take 11th in the conference.
They will also need more than the 18 combined digs from bench
Thatcher, in point of fact, has not lost to a regional or sectional opponent, regardless of conference or divisional placement, in more than eight years. This fall, despite facing larger schools, the Eagles did not drop a single set in the 3A South Central Region, a winning streak that goes back to Oct. 8, 2019.
players like juniors Jade McRae E. and Lexi Watkins, sophomores Sadie Levesque and Grace Mcarthur and freshman Bentley Andrus.
#5 Arizona College Preparatory Academy (10-4, 5-4)
They need to support the 3.2 digs per set, and 34 aces compiled by senior libero Jennica Carrera. She also has 34 aces, among the top 10 in the conference.