EDITOR'S NOTE: For a full 3A volleyball state championship bracket, click here.

The heartbreak of losing a state title match can stay with players and coaches for days, months, sometimes years. Especially when a club goes undefeated in power point play, makes it all the way to championship only to lose to a team you swept during the regular season.

That is the reality of Valley Christian’s 2023 campaign.

But, what could make it all go away? Or at least be easier to swallow? Follow it up with another championship appearance, but this time come out on top. The 2024 version of the Trojans have their sights set on doing just that.

After earning the No. 1 seed thanks to an 18-0 power point record, Valley Christian (24-12, 10-0 3A Central) opens the 3A Volleyball State Championships with No. 16-seeded Window Rock on Nov. 9.

Their pathway to the 11th state title in program history remains a mystery, with potential matchups against Safford or Parker in round two, a rematch with Snowflake in the semifinals and No. 2 Gilbert Christian or No. 3 Northwest Christian coming out of the other side of the bracket.

For now, Trojans coach Tyler Trathen is focused on preparing his team for a playoff run.

“We gained valuable insights from our loss in last year’s finals,” Trathen said. “This year, our focus is on cultivating mental toughness to excel in high-stakes games. We’ve strategically entered competitive tournaments and faced several teams ranked in the Top 50 nationally, challenging ourselves to perform at the highest level possible.”

Their 7-12 record in those tournaments proves that process, but also included important wins over Mountain View, Arizona College Prep, South Medford (Ore.) and Sacred Heart Prep (Calif.).

“Our team was able to go to San Diego this year and we got to spend our fall break there. We were able to take a team bonding day and explore La Jolla, and spend time near the seals and go through the tunnel to explore caves,” Trathen said. “It was a great time of bonding and brought our team closer.”

Trathen said their “pillars” this year are: “Win together, family first, and adjustments are essential.”

Those will come in handy if and when his club faces Snowflake, Northwest Christian or Gilbert Christian over the next week.

“I can definitely see [any of those clubs] making a run to the finals this year,” Trathen said.

Top players to watch for Valley Christian include senior captain Madi Brown-McAlpine, who notched her 3,000th career assist this year. Also, middle blocker Sadie Wahlin, who as a sophomore leads the entire state in hitting percentage at .561 and has 240 kills overall.

Valley Christian and Window Rock get underway at Millenium High School on Saturday, Nov. 9, 11 a.m. Game two of the day will be against either Safford or Parker at 5 p.m.

TEAM NOTES

No. 8 Parker went 32-6 this year, including a 7-1 mark in 3A West play to claim the region crown. The Broncs face No. 9 Safford, which features Payton Abalos, who leads all of 3A with 437 kills. … No. 7 Seton Catholic faces No. 10 Florence to open the 3A playoffs and will lean heavily on Rylan Keane, who had a Top 5 mark in kills this year with 352. … No. 6 Pusch Ridge, winners of the 3A South region, features top 3A assist leader Hannah Love, who has 709. They face No. 11 ALA-West Foothills. … No. 5 Snowflake enters the tournament as the defending 3A champs but have lost to both Gilbert Christian and Valley Christian this season. The Lobos will see if they can repeat in 2024 starting with a first-round matchup against No. 12 Odyssey Institute. … No. 4 Monument Valley went a perfect 10-0 in 3A North play this year but played in a region featuring teams that finished mostly in the bottom half of the power point rankings. They face No. 13 Benjamin Franklin. … No. 3 Northwest Christian made it to the semifinals last year and are tied with Thatcher and Xavier Prep for the second-most championships (13) in program history. Safford is tops with 21. The Crusaders open with No. 14 Tanque Verde. No. 2 Gilbert Christian won the 3A Metro region and were 16-2 in power point matches, but split with Northwest Christian this season and lost to Valley Christian. The Knights open with No. 15 Show Low.

Brian M. Bergner Jr. has covered professional, collegiate and high school sports for more than 20 years. Follow him on X at @AzPreps365Brian or on Facebook at @Five2MediaWorks. Have a story idea? Email Brian at bbergner@azpreps365.com.