Volleyball is a game of long rallies, big swings, giving up the body for a dig and the sting and satisfaction of aces.

It’s fueled by emotion and chaos.

All of those components can make for huge swings of momentum. If a team isn’t careful, it might end up on the wrong side of string of seven straight points, making it hard to recover within that set.

And that’s where Xavier girls volleyball seems to separate itself from other programs.

Yes, the Gators generally have one of the most talented rosters annually, but it is more than that and it was on display Wednesday when they swept Desert Vista, 26-24, 25-19 and 25-20 at the Thunder’s Storm Center in 6A Central Region action.

While most opponents tend have those moments where the chaos, emotion and momentum create those lulls and negativity to force timeouts, Xavier seemingly has a slow heartbeat and feels like it will prevail and put an end to bad run.

“When you are dealing with 14- to 18-year-old girls, I can’t create chaos; I have to create calm,” Xavier coach Lamar-Renee Bryant said of your demanor in those wobbly moments. “We have a gameplan and we have to stick with it. We are disciplined. We work really, really hard in practice so no matter what it is going on we have to trust our training and keep our composure.

“You’re only as good as your composure. These girls are used to high-pressure situations so we just have to reset and go after it.”

Each match is different, but Bryant is generally judicious with her time outs. She only called a total of two against the Thunder (27-7, 3-1) with one of those coming in the early going when Desert Vista took a 16-14 lead in the first set, one of the few times the Gators (11-5, 3-0) trailed by more than one point or wasn't in the lead.

When Bryant lets it play out instead of immediately calling a timeout when momentum is owned by the team on the other side of the net, it gives Gators confidence knowing their coach believes in them.

“It starts with our preparation in practice because we all have belief in our abilities,” junior captain and middle blocker Annabelle Ross said. “We all know what we are capable of and holding each other accountable.”

Xavier rallied in the first set to take a 19-18 lead and never let the Thunder gain advantage again.

It can be hard to keep the team playing under control when the opposition is Xavier when considering the accolades of the program and the prominence of their players.

“I think maybe we got to much in our heads thinking about what the other team is doing, who they have and how they are swinging,” Desert Vista first-year coach Kris Maglunog said. “It took us out of our game and we never really recovered. We were competitive, and there was some good things that happened, but we didn't do enough to beat a team like Xavier.”

The Thunder have been playing well in the transition year under Maglunog, who led Horizon Honors to a 2A state tile in 2016. The program has a storied history but is coming off three straight losing seasons.

Winning 27 of the first 34 games has helped restore the level of success usually expected from the Thunder as they head into the annual Nike tournament.

"When I met with them the first time I could tell they were a tight-knit group," Maglunog said. "It's a great place to start because they have that unity and then at the first practice you could see there was talent there as well. Success isn't always measured with victories alone, but we've been able to play at a high level so far. We've have some things we need work on, but we're off to a pretty good start."

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