Ben Pokorny is an ASU/Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover the AIA 6A girls volleyball playoffs for AZPreps365.com.

 

PHOENIX— Home-court advantage was in full effect for the Desert Vista Thunder as blue-and-gold clad fans lined the hard plastic bench seating of the Storm Center Tuesday night. In a win-or-go-home play-in matchup with the 21st-seeded Chandler Wolves, the Thunder did not just survive and advance. They dominated: 25-13, 25-11, 25-11.

The two south Valley foes, who met in invitational play during the regular season, traded kills at the start of the match before a 15-2 run from Desert Vista set the tone for what would transpire over the following two sets of play.

 A Chandler timeout did lead to a late first set fight from the Wolves when seniors Lauren Grunewald and Shyann Shell each chalked up multiple kills for Chandler. That brought the visitors to within 24-13, but Desert Vista’s Amiyah White and Sabrina Galassi combined for a thunderous block to end the first set in decisive fashion for Desert Vista, 25-13. 

The second set of action started with a newly found spirit from Chandler, who were fired up during the brief intermission by coach Nathan Saunders. The set was deadlocked at seven apiece when Desert Vista emulated their first set run and rattled off 11 unanswered points to give themselves some more than ample breathing room.

The highlight of the second set was setter Gabbi LeBlanc’s creative net-front play for Desert Vista. The junior caught the Chandler defense by surprise with three second-ball tips over the net that electrified both the home crowd and Desert Vista bench. 

The exuberant play on the floor for the Thunder translated into a team full of smiles and laughs throughout the entire match.“The girls need to feel good to play good, and if they enjoy their teammates and they have good vibes, that is where it comes together,” said Desert Vista coach Audra Slemmer. 

Coach Slemmer and the Thunder meeting during a runaway third set for Desert Vista (Ben Pokorny/AZPreps365)

Slemmer, an alumna of Desert Vista’s archrival Mountain Pointe, where she played, led the Thunder to a 10-7 regular-season record. Now the first-year head coach of the Thunder has led her team to a round-of-16 playoff bid. 

The third and final set of play was the spitting image of the first two as Desert Vista once again jumped out to a double-digit advantage and never looked back. At the end of the set, Chandler scraped together a four-point rally to make it 24-11 and push the Wolves over the double-digit point mark. Desert Vista’s Neyah Davison put the finishing touch on the sweep with a laser beam attack to earn herself a kill and the Thunder a postseason win 25-11. 

With the win, Desert Vista will face one of the top eight seeds in the state: either Chaparral, Liberty, Corona del Sol, Hamilton, Perry, Valley Vista, Sandra Day O’Connor or Xavier Prep. That matchup will occur Thursday night on the road for the Thunder, wherever that may end up being.