The road to the 3A state volleyball title match Saturday, Nov. 21, at 4 p.m., has gone completely chalk so far, but seventh seed Gilbert Christian High School nearly erased Snowflake’s entire slate.

While two-time defending state champ and top seed Northwest Christian will play new 3A member Thatcher in the semifinals with relatively little fuss, second seed Snowflake got a game--or four, as was the case Saturday, Nov. 14--from the Knights en route to their Nov. 21 semifinal against third-seeded Valley Christian.

Late in the fourth set, though, the Lobos held off the Metro Region runners-up to join the other top four seeds Nov. 21 at Marcos de Niza High School in Tempe for the 3A semifinals and championship.

A preview of those matches by seeding, including overall and region records reflective of set-by-set results from the first two rounds below: 

 

No. 1 Northwest Christian (17-0, 9-0 North Central) vs. No. 4 Thatcher (15-3, 10-0 South Central), 11 a.m.

Following a regular season in which Northwest Christian lost just one set in search of a 3A three-peat, the Crusaders are still looking for their first test.

They just might finally face it in the state semifinals Nov. 21 with the Thatcher Eagles, who haven’t dropped a set all season in their first year in the conference, virtually sweeping the South Central Region's postseason awards.

“They are the only team in the top eight [seeds] we haven’t played during the regular season,” Crusaders head coach Jenna Hope said. “Thatcher’s tough on the outside. They’ve always been strong. They have really strong hitters [and] a lot of energy.

“Coming in the gym, I think they’ll have more motivation and be fired up to beat us.” 

The Eagles won another fan in Tanque Verde head coach Adam Shingler after his 13th-seeded Hawks were swept by the Eagles, 25-18, 25-20 and 25-17.

“Thatcher’s great,” he said. “They’re the No. 4 seed for a reason.”

In fact, at the end of the first two rounds of the 3A postseason, Thatcher played like it had been there before, even though the Eagles had never been there before Nov. 14.

“I feel like they earned it and really worked hard all season,” said Thatcher head coach Kim Orr, her region's Coach of the Year.  “It’s really a big confidence booster [because it] let them realize, ‘Hey, we do belong here, and we’re going to be OK no matter what.’”

Although Orr downplayed the morning effort, the afternoon effort was an improvement as the former 2A juggernaut made quicker work of fifth-seeded AZ College Preparatory Academy, 25-11, 25-19 and 25-18.

“It took us a little while to get going,” Orr said. “We’re not a great morning team.”

As evidence, Orr pointed to six missed service returns that led to aces by Hawks freshman Hannah Haggard and forced Thatcher into rallying from multiple-point deficits to win the first and second sets.

“We really work hard on making tough serves,” she said. “So we’ve got to clean that up a little bit, because from here on out, it’s going to be important.” 

Eventually, though, libero Maci Lopeman and fellow senior Cassidy Wakefield got serves to fall. Wakefield, the Eagles' leader in aces and blocks, got Thatcher more separation from Tanque Verde, who held a 16-11 lead over the Eagles in the first set despite being without the services of junior setter Emily Ruskay.

“We had to drop some people in that don’t really set,” said Shinglar, who finished 8-3 overall, winning the 3A South despite COVID-19 restricting his team to just five regional matches. “That’s how volleyball is. I thought the girls played a pretty dang fantastic match against a really good team.”

Shinglar credited senior Bailey Bushman and sophomore Jasmin Joseph for sliding in and keeping the match close in Ruskay’s absence.

“Bailey was pretty fantastic in scoring the points when we needed them scored,” he said. “Jasmin, our other left [hitter], was kind of our leader on the offensive side, being able to get out there, terminate it, work hard and push other people along with her.” 

But Thatcher junior and kill leader Liv Lunt, the South Central's Offensive Player of the Year, eventually found consistency in her blocks at the net and made the final kill to top the Hawks and the Knights, who swept Parker High School for the second straight match to reach the quarterfinal. 

“Especially here at state, everyone is good,” Orr said. “So we can’t expect anything less from anyone.”

Something’s got to give against two-time defending champion Northwest Christian, which held both No. 9 seed Empire and No. 16 seed Sabino to 12 points or less in five of their six sets.

“Everybody wants to knock off the [No.] 1 team, right?” Hope said. “We have to match their energy, if not outplay them.

“Honestly, I think if we play the game we’re able to play with the high-level players that we have, and keep the energy up, we’ll control our side.” 

Strong blocking by the Crusaders, who had 11 blocks the first two rounds but no player with more than two blocks in either match, will also be important to victory, Hope added. A better performance from sophomore Kierstyn Barton, who had just five kills and four digs in each of her first against Empire, will also help.

“She’s way better than what she played [Nov. 14],” Hope said of her six-foot, one-inch outside hitter. “When she gets in her groove--which she will, we’ll get her there--it’s going to be hard to beat.”

Hope’s daughter, Reagan, led the team with 19 kills and nine digs while fellow senior Molly Kipp had 25 assists and seven aces to take care of Sabino by three identical 25-12 scores.

“The things that bothered us all season seemed to crop up at bad times this game,” Sabercats head coach Mark Kornachuk said. “We had some opportunities and could’ve turned some plays that I think, mentally, we just weren’t seeing beforehand.”

Kipp, who will play volleyball at Baylor University next season, assisted on another 30 kills and had seven more digs in the Crusaders’ 25-17, 25-10, 25-11 sweep of Empire. 

“Molly has always had great hands and amazing athleticism, but this year she has really clicked everything together,” Jenna Hope said. She has the confidence to run risky sets and isn’t afraid to be aggressive in defense. She sees the block and adjusts to hitter matchups throughout the game.”

Head coach Daniel Arias’ Ravens had, two hours earlier, won their first postseason match in school history over eighth-seeded Fountain Hills High School, but they had to dig out of a 1-0 hole and win a marathon second set, 31-29, to do it.

“We’re still learning how to handle the moment,” he said after the quarterfinal loss to the Crusaders. “We’ve seen teams like them before, but it’s a tough matchup, especially with the outside [hitter]s they have.”

Still, Empire kept the first set close, with several lead changes, until senior libero Emma Harmeyer came off the bench to serve three aces and never look back.

“The momentum had shifted, and Emma comes in--changes it right back,” Hope said. “Her serves are phenomenal, she’s such a steady player, and she thinks the game.” 

Hope, a University of Oregon commit, continued her dominance of the front line with 14 kills and five digs. But Hope’s mother said it was McKenzie Wise who stepped up with 10 “dynamic” kills, six digs and two timely blocks against the Ravens.

“McKenzie is a dynamic hitter on the outside that can swing with a ton of power,” she described her senior outside hitter, who has signed to play at Grand Canyon University. “She has a fast arm swing and can put up a big block. She is a defensive weapon and can lay out for balls.”

 

No. 2 Snowflake (17-1, 10-0 East) vs. No. 3 Valley Christian (15-2, 7-2 North Central), 1 p.m.

Whichever team wins the Nov. 21 semifinal--Snowflake’s and Valley Christian’s first meeting of the season--looks to be contingent on which team responds with more hunger to the test.

After the first two rounds, Valley Christian head coach Lindy Ramsland gives the edge to her girls, who, if they defeat Snowflake, will not only be playing for a 3A title but a chance to avenge their only two losses of the season.

“Snowflake’s a great school; I do think we’re better than them,” she said. “We’re the actual [No.] 2 [seed], but we’re in the same section as Northwest. 

“Talent-wise, in some areas, I think Northwest is a better team; in some areas we’re a better team. It’s anybody’s game, but I’m glad we’re seeing them in the finals, not the semis. It’s hard to beat the same team three times in a row.”

While the Lobos had to overcome a 25-22 loss to Gilbert Christian in the third set of their quarterfinal, the Trojans had their own challenge in putting away two double-digit seeds in the first two rounds.

No. 14 Pusch Ridge Christian Academy proved little match for the Trojans, falling 25-12, 25-17 and 25-16.

“They just clearly had a lot more offense than we did,” said head coach Dana Wahl, whose Lions finished second to Thatcher in the South Central Region. “We got going OK, but we just couldn’t match their power. We eventually got some hands on blocks, but too late.”

Sophomore Kate Phillips’ power at the net, blocking five kills, helped put Pusch Ridge on its heels early. Then 16 kills by her fellow six-foot, one-inch teammate, junior Cara Braun, powered the Trojans the rest of the way to the win.

“She’s just a phenomenal player,” Wahl said of Braun. “I’ve got some height this year, but not that much.”

Setting up Braun and another 10 kills by senior Emma Richardson was another senior, fellow team captain Kenzie Carpenter, who went the distance Nov. 14 in the absence of junior setter Kylie Wong.

“We have had a few injuries on our team which has caused us to adjust and try new things,” Trojans head coach Lindy Ramsland said. “With that being said, anything could happen during any match; thus, we have utilized players in different roles or altered their current ones.” 

Carpenter and Richardson added three aces each, and sophomore Korah Nordin had 11 digs to end any chance for the Lions.

“It was expected,” Ramsland said. “They had a great middle blocker, but we have a lot of talent on this team.”

But in the next round, No. 11 Blue Ridge had rest on its side. The East Region runner-up had the fortuitous advantage of a first-round forfeit by the Metro Region champions, sixth-seeded American Leadership Academy - Gilbert North, due to positive COVID-19 tests.

“The season’s been weird, obviously, with all the COVID stuff,” said Ramsland, whose Trojans dominated the first set over the Yellow Jackets, 25-12, before eking out a sweep by identical 25-21 finals in the second and third games. “It’s like a puzzle, but I don’t know what the picture is. We’ve been ever-changing, but we’re flexible.”

Nordin stepped up with eight kills, nine digs and two aces, the team lead shared with Richardson and the Trojans’ fourth captain, Macy McClain. The senior libero combined with Richardson for 33 digs to help the Trojans clean up their service return game.

“They’re all very, very sweet, kind girls,” Ramsland said. “So that’s the biggest thing, getting that fire...if they can get a little feisty."

Braun had a team-leading 18 kills set up by 32 assists from Carpenter, who also had 16 digs.

“Cara was on,” Ramsland said. “I’m so happy I’ve got another year with her.” 

Snowflake, on the other hand, might as well have treated first-round victim Payson High School as a tune-up for its real test.

“This was not our best game,” said second-year head coach Shelli Creighton after her Longhorns were swept by the Lobos, 25-11, 25-12 and 25-14, in their third meeting of the season. “Snowflake gets in our head. They always have, as our rival.”

Although senior outside hitter Kylee Carnes did her part, Payson was doomed by nearly 30 errors returning the Lobos’ serves. Carnes had five kills, six assists and 13 digs to lead the Longhorns.

“I was happy we were getting to the block [and] were hitting hard,” Snowflake head coach Karen Hargrove said. “We just kept attacking, and eventually, somebody would make a mistake.”

Senior Reagan Olson had 15 kills and four aces, and junior Macee LeSueur led the team with eight digs and seven aces to go with 11 kills as Hargrove enjoyed the brief indulgence of emptying her bench.

“They’re disciplined, they’re well-trained [and] they work out a lot,” Creighton said. ”Someday, we’re going to take them down.”

That is what Gilbert Christian, in the next round, came three points and a tiebreaker away from doing. 

“In our last time out, [the staff] told them, ‘We’ve played this game 1,000 times before in practice,’” Knights head coach Jenna Haagsma said. “Unfortunately, we came up short. But we love this type of competition.”

The first set of the quarterfinal was stress-free enough for Hargrove, who rode, to a 25-18 win, bump-set-spike kills by LeSueur and Olson, via Rylee Wengert and seniors Maci Penrod and Ellie Lundberg.

Wengert, the starting junior libero for the Lobos, finished with 10 digs but also spread the wealth to Penrod, who added 12 and a team-leading 22 assists. Lundberg, who also had seven digs and 15 assists of her own, would ultimately give way to Penrod in most service situations in Game 4.

"All our opponents have tested us and shown us where our weaknesses are, as well as our strengths," said Haagsma, whose first-round sweep of West Region champ Yuma Catholic High School was the Knights' first postseason victory in nine years after finishing nine teams below playoff contention her first season. "We finished pretty low last season, so working through new systems and creating team unity has helped us fight through old habits and bring success to this team."  

So, by the end of Game 2, the tide began to turn as sophomore Daisy Midthun began racking up kills, finishing with 10 on the night. Lobos senior Marynda Caldwell managed to block another attempt by Midthun at game point to help Snowflake escape, 25-23.

“It was kind of a wake-up,” Haagsma said. “They got a little more crisp.”

Facing elimination, the Knights ensured there would be no more sweeps, thanks to junior Sierra Nielsen and sophomore Bri Tennison. Wolthuis began connecting regularly with Nielsen, who led the team with 15 assists, and Tennison, who added 11 assists and seven kills of her own.

“I always tell them, ‘We’ve been here before. We know how to do it,’” Haagsma said. “So it’s one of those quick little adjustments, and they’re good to go.”

Coming through late for the Lobos was senior middle blocker Anna Berger, with several key blocks of her team-leading 10 on the night. Still, Snowflake found itself down, 19-16, late in the fourth set.

“Great rallies,” Hargrove said. “They weren’t going away.”

It took a five-point run by the Lobos at the end of the fourth set to finally put away the Knights.

“We were really pushing through exhaustion,” Haagsma said. “We were tired and trying our hardest.”

Up 24-22, Penrod’s little sister, Kadee, a sophomore defensive specialist, was able to skip her only kill of the night just over the net and past diving libero Addisyn Mayfield. Mayfield would attempt her 19th dig and tie Wolthuis for the team lead but couldn’t quite lay out far enough.

“We’ve never gotten this far in the playoffs,” said Haagsma, whose Knights were one of two teams from the Metro to finish in the top seven of 3A. “I’m so proud of this team.”