Emily Paulson is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Valley Vista High School for AZPreps365.com

The Valley Vista girls volleyball team was dominant on Thursday in their sweep against the Apollo Hawks at home, 25-12, 25-5, 25-12.

The Monsoon (11-7, 3-0) jumped out to an early 5-0 lead and never looked back. They continued to build on it, leading 10-1 before the Hawks (3-11, 0-3) called their first timeout of the match. 

“It was important to stay on top right away,” Valley Vista coach David Chavez said. “Who knows what will happen when you have a team that shouldn’t be in the game, and you let them in.”

Senior Brynn Golba led the Monsoon with seven aces, contributing to their impressive serving performance. The team had 18 aces, which made it hard for the Hawks to get any sort of rally going. Chavez harped on the fact they have been focusing on their serving skills in practice. 

“Just to be consistent, to always play hard and to not miss serves,” Chavez said. “We’re really working hard on that, to be accountable for keeping the serves in play because we have really good hitters and setters.”

The second and third sets were almost identical to the first, with the Monsoon jumping out to early leads of 4-0 and 5-0. Senior defensive specialist Julia Wilson said that gaining momentum early in the sets helped to relieve the game’s stress. 

“It eases our nerves,” Wilson said. “Whenever I go in, I get really nervous, but once we get a lead and everything cools down, we’re all not tense with each other.”

Stress was never an issue for the Monsoon, who went on a 9-0 run in the second set, leading them to their biggest margin of victory of the night,  25-5. Senior outside hitter Marielle Ramos played a big role in the game, contributing five kills and four aces. 

There is plenty of senior leadership for the Moonsoon as they have seven seniors and nine upperclassmen in total. Senior libero Ralynn De jesus shared how she tries to fulfill her leadership role on the team.

“I think volleyball is a fun sport,” De jesus said. “I think everyone needs to remember that it’s competitive, but we need to remember we’re here to make memories and create bonds.”

The Monsoon used their experience to their advantage over the young Apollo team. The Hawks could never catch up as they were plagued with errors throughout the match, leading to their downfall. 

Despite the tough night, Apollo coach Chris Biesbrouck was proud of his team’s effort.

“We didn’t play very well all the way around, but at least we didn’t quit,” Biesbrouck said. “The kids competed to the end, and they were still cheering on their teammates. That’s a good start for our program as we’re building right now.”

Valley Vista (11-17, 3-0) will host Shadow Ridge (9-10, 3-0) for a region match on Monday at 6 p.m. Apollo (3-11, 0-3) will host Tolleson Union (2-11, 0-3) for a region match on Tuesday at 6 p.m.