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

TEMPE -- Emotions were high for the McClintock Chargers on Tuesday night for their final match against the Catalina Foothills Falcons, losing three straight sets, 25-21, 25-17, 25-23, in a 5A tournament play-in game.

The loss marked a memorable season for McClintock, finishing 18-4. The team, led by a tight-knit group of seniors, showed how far they had come under the guidance of coach Jacob Laikona. Tuesday night's match was much more about team pride and effort than it was about the game. 

“Definitely not the outcome we wanted,” Laikona said. “All of it comes down to who shows up to play. And obviously it wasn't us.”

It started as an evenly paced first set with the Chargers and Falcons trading points. 

Things began to heat up as the Falcons, leading 17-15, managed a three-point rally with senior opposite hitter Sydney Hellbusch recording two straight kills, along with junior defensive specialist Rebecca Vasquez adding a kill of her own to close out the rally.

“We tried not to serve their libero, go after the outside hitter,” Catalina Foothills coach Brian Bowers said. “I think it was working. We kept their best attacker out of the system for most of the match.” 

The second set opened with a balanced back-and-forth, and the Falcons quickly secured the lead, 4-3. The Chargers stayed close as senior outside hitter Jordyn Mason and senior middle blocker Macey Willis both tallied kills.

However, the Falcons pulled off a seven-point run, ending the set 25-17. 

The energy and tension reached a peak for the Chargers in the third set as the Falcons held  a 22-19 lead. 

Ready to fight back, the Chargers responded with a four-point rally with Mason adding another kill, as well as junior middle blocker/hitter Niya Gamble recording a kill. 

Junior opposite hitter Rachel Reddie closed out the rally with back-to-back aces, putting the Chargers in the lead 23-22. 

“Rachel definitely balled out,” Laikona said. “She held us together. She kept us in, in a lot of those rallies.” 

“I liked that we stuck with the team. Didn't give up,” Reddie said. “We were pretty close all three sets.”

A timeout was called, giving both coaches a chance to regroup with their team. 

“[During the timeout] I was just reassuring them to apply the basics. Keep working on the things we've been working on all year and trying not to stray from it,” Laikona said. 

Catalina Foothills closed out the match on a three-point rally, finalizing their win, 25-23.

“Serving was key for us,” Bowers said.  “Melanie had a great serving run. Alivia was great on the outside, and Leah and Becca played great defense.” 

“Working to get it done and not being selfish and doing it as a team,” senior outside hitter Alivia Sutton said. “We’re seniors, and we really wanted to do it for each other. 

“We were getting ramped up as the game went on,” senior libero Leah Stoneking said. “I think we showed we really wanted to win. We were showing what we were willing to do.” 

Sutton tallied 12 kills, with Stoneking racking up 11 kills and one ace. 

Waves of emotions hit the Chargers as the final buzzer rang, marking the end of a hard-fought season. 

In the McClintock locker room, Laikona gave a heartfelt speech thanking the players, parents, and supporters. Laikona’s future at McClintock is up in the air as he has been approached with multiple offers to coach at a higher level. 

Laikona left the Chargers with this final thought. 

“Reach for your goals and do your best to accomplish them. Keep your head up, keep fighting in every opportunity that you have.”