Dmitri Kiriluk is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Phoenix Christian for AZPrep365.com

PHOENIX – With Senior Night just days away, Phoenix Christian volleyball is finding its rhythm at the right time.

The Cougars rolled to a straight-set sweep of Madison Highland Prep, winning 25-21, 25-16 and 25-14 on Tuesday night in their penultimate match of the season. The victory marked one of Phoenix Christian’s most complete performances of the year, highlighted by a dominant showing from senior Hannah Fisher, who tallied 16 kills.

“We also been working on our culture so hard. We've really been working on controlling and managing ourselves,” said Phoenix Christian head coach Terry Sutter. “Last couple years haven't necessarily been great that way, and we've had players quit by the end of the year, that sort of stuff.”

The Cougars (6-11) fell behind briefly in the opening set before mounting an 11-0 run to take control, turning a 6-6 tie into a 17-6 advantage. The Heat refused to back down, responding with a 13-4 run of their own to close the gap to 21-19.

Despite the push, Phoenix Christian held firm. Sophomore Macie Shores closed the first set with a kill to seal the 25-21 win, which would be the narrowest margin of the night.

In the second set, the Cougars again found themselves in a close contest early, leading 7-5, before pulling away with a 13-8 stretch. A Madison Highland Prep timeout at 20-13 failed to cool Phoenix Christian’s momentum, and a double block at the net secured the 25-16 win to take a commanding 2-0 lead.

The final set offered little resistance from the Heat. The Cougars built a 16-9 cushion and never looked back, finishing the match on a 5-0 run capped by a Madison attack error. The 25-14 clincher completed a match that became progressively more one-sided as it went on.

Phoenix Christian totaled 30 kills as a team, with Fisher responsible for more than half of them. 

“She's good at defense, and her hitting is just phenomenal,” said junior Leah Walker. “She's a senior, so I'm really sad to see her go. But oh my goodness, she's won us so many of our games, and I'm gonna miss it so much.”

Coach Sutter echoed that praise in what was one of her most statistically effective games this season.

“She's our leader. She's our captain. She's the most effective on the court,” said coach Sutter. “She makes a ton of kills tonight. May have been the most amount of kills she's made all season, especially early on. She had a ton of them in a row.”

Phoenix Christian will close the season on Thursday with a matchup against the Red Rock Scorpions. Fisher will be one of four seniors on the team recognized on Senior Night as Phoenix Christian looks to finish the season with a win.

Despite a season that’s been disappointing, the Cougars look for one more win to build confidence for next season.

“I've been playing volleyball for my whole entire career at Phoenix Christian. I've been here since sixth grade, and it was really amazing,” Fisher said. “It means a lot just to be playing for other people and playing with my best friends.”