Zora Carrier is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Mesquite High School for AZPreps365.com

Striving for a state championship title this year, the Mesquite beach volleyball team reflects on their title win back in 2019 to help themselves take it all the way.

With the help of head coach Carlos Flys and two assistant coaches Daniyah Jehangir and Annika Wallace, the Wildcats are confident in their ability to not only make a state appearance but take the title home. 

The Mesquite beach program won the title in 2019. Both assistant coaches Jehangir and Wallace were a part of that winning team and now offer advice for the girls that they learned throughout their experiences.

What was once only a dream, winning a state title has now become an expectation for the Wildcats. With expectation comes pressure but that is nothing the coaching staff nor the girls are worried about. 

“I think the girls who have been playing beach longer understand the pressure and what it is like to go into a match. I think the younger girls are still learning how to play through that [pressure],” Jehangir said. 

Also leading the team with experience are two seniors Hailey Hanna and Kristell Murrieta. These seniors were freshmen on the 2019 team and carry that title under their belt with them into their last season with the Wildcats. 

Hanna, who has made her way from the fives pair her freshman year to now being on the ones pair, gives credit to the 2019 season for her love of beach volleyball. 

Hoping to be the role models the seniors their freshman year were to them, Hanna and Murrieta aim to be examples for the younger girls and teach them things they learned along the way.

“We want to follow in the steps of the seniors our freshman year but also teach the girls what has helped us,” Hanna said.

Anyone who ever has or will play for Flys understands that culture is something he does not take lightly. Flys stresses culture in his programs from day one and because of it, he has successful outcomes. 

“We have a set culture in our program and it really sets the tone. Our chemistry is good within the whole program there is no drama and no cliques,” Murrieta said.

Wallace thinks back to the 2019 season and recalls the fight that team head. They believed in themselves and relied on the culture that was set up for them to achieve success. It is something she tries to implement for the girls every day.

“That year we weren't the biggest or the most skilled but we knew that we were going to do it, so I'm trying to help install that same culture here so that we can be unstoppable,” Wallace said.

This year's team has the culture Flys likes to have. The only thing they have left to accomplish is being on the same competitive level as one another.

“The culture is really good,” Flys said. “But that alignment and competitiveness, we just have some girls who don't know how to be competitive because now winning state is an expectation rather than just a dream.”

The season has only just started but the Wildcats have nothing to be scared of. State is in the Wildcats near future as they have a familial bond and share a mutual love and support for one another that will carry them far.