Izabella Kubiak is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Apollo High School for AZPreps365

ANTHEM – Apollo fell in straight sets to Boulder Creek on Tuesday night, 25-10, 25-17, 25-13, but the Hawks left the floor encouraged by signs of growth despite struggling against a tough Jaguars offense. 

The Jaguars dominated the first set with the Hawks trailing closely, behind 8-2 before Boulder Creek jumped ahead 14-6. However, a significant rally was made in the second and third set despite the sweep. The Hawks cut the margin 20-17 in the second set and 12-8 in the third set before the Jaguars clawed to victory. 

Boulder Creek coach Dale Jones credited Apollo for making his team work hard in all three sets. 

“Sometimes it’s hard to keep playing at your best against a smaller team, but Apollo dug a lot of great balls and kept us in the game,” he said.

The Hawks had a young team on the court that was finding its stride. Freshman libero Tia Curtis stood out for Apollo, diving across the court to keep points alive, while setter Addy Matthies worked to steady the offense against the Jaguars’ quick tempo. 

Outside hitters Laila Ahmespahic and Nevaeh Peoples added flashes of offense for the Hawks, helping them rally in every set despite Boulder Creek's front line dominating the net.

Apollo coach Chris Biesbrouck said he was proud of how his players stepped up to the challenge. 

“I think Tia Curtis played really well. She’s a young libero coming along by leaps and bounds,” Biesbrouck said. “Our setter (Addy Matthies) worked hard all night, these girls never quit, and were courageous taking the court against a team with a lot of club experience.”

The Jaguars also had a young team. Boulder Creek, which graduated 14 seniors last year, leaned into senior outside hitter Halo Sinanovic to pounce on a home win. 

Sinanovic sparked huge runs in each set, with three aces and eight digs. She now has 106 kills on the season while contributing defensively in the back row. 

 “She’s powerful on the outside and plays all the way around,”  Jones said. “She’s getting most of the sets, but we’ve got help from the middle, too. This year we’re faster and more explosive, and it’s showing.”

Sinanovic had 18 kills in her previous outing, putting away an additional nine kills and leading her team to a three-game win streak heading into tournament play this weekend.

“I try to motivate the younger girls to stay in the moment and focus on the next point,” Sinanovic said. “We bond off the court, and that transfers to how we play.”

With the loss, Apollo dropped to 3-6 overall but already matched its win total from the  previous season when the Hawks finished 3-17. Briesbrouck said progress, not the scoreboard, will remain their measure of success. 

 “We’re not going to evaluate our season based on wins and losses,” he said. “We want to see progress in skills and effort. My kids don’t quit, and I’m proud of the young ladies.”

Apollo will play at  Camelback  on Tuesday  at 6 p.m.

Boulder Creek improved to a 8-8 overall. The Jaguars will compete in the Epic Tourneys Girls Volleyball Invite this weeend.