Issa Sanchez is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover McClintock High School for AZPreps365.com

TEMPE -- The McClintock girls volleyball team came out victorious in a high-pressure, four-set match Friday night against North High School, taking the match, 25-19, 25-11, 22-25, 25-15.

Setter Eleanor Zehring and middle hitter Niya Gamble were the key contributors and helped pave the way for the Chargers' win. 

“I did good, I stayed locked in, which really helped me to perform well,” said Zehring, who had seven aces and three kills. 

The first set was the beginning of a high-octane match. With McClintock leading 16-14, a yellow card was called on the Chargers for players standing on the court. Both teams continued to trade points before the Chargers finished the set, 25-19. Middle blocker Macey Willis had four kills in the set for McClintock. 

“We've been working a lot on serving, positive passes, and terminating balls,” Chargers coach Jacob Laikona said. 

The Chargers kept their momentum going into the second set as the Mustangs got the upper hand, setting the pace with a two-point lead right at the start. Outside hitter Kamora Still helped the Chargers regain the lead with four kills, and libero Lyla Molina assisted with two aces as McClintock took the second set, 25-11. 

The third set was a tight back-and-forth as the Mustangs pulled ahead with middle hitter Chanel Harris recording five aces in the set. They won the set, 25-22.

“We have a very young team this year," North coach Aviana Dominguez said. "I'm really proud that mentally they stayed in the game and stayed hungry- it's something we've been working on all season, to stay resilient.”

Tensions were rising for both teams as the fourth set began.. 

“We were trying to keep each other up. It lets everybody know not to get down on themselves, especially when we're making mistakes,” said Gamble, who finished with 10 kills and three aces.

It was an intense set with both coaches using all of their timeouts to talk to their teams.

During the timeouts, Laikona said, “It was more so about reassuring them. Not to get caught up in the heads and caught up in the way North is playing. Trying to get them to focus and implement the way I know we can play.” 

The Chargers secured the lead with Zehring recording three aces and Still contributing three kills as they took the fourth set, 25-15.

“Realistically, it could have gone better," Laikona said. "We weren't disciplined on our side of the ball, and the things we have been working on in our last three practices. I'm excited about the win, but I'm not satisfied.”

The Chargers (11-4) will visit Carl Hayden (6-6) on Oct. 14 at 6 p.m.

The Mustangs (4-8)  will host Metro Tech ( 6-7) on Oct. 14 at 6 p.m.