The Flagstaff Eagles remained undefeated in the Grand Canyon Region after sweeping the Bradshaw Mountain Bears on Wednesday, Sept. 30. The final scores of the night were 25-19, 25-21 and 25-14.

Seniors McKenlee Lund and Ivy Clevenger led the Eagles with 10 kills each as Flagstaff improved to 4-0 in region play. The two seniors have taken on larger leadership roles since captain Harleigh Moseng went down with a season-ending injury earlier in the season.

“When Harleigh went down, I knew that would impact our team a lot,” Clevenger said. “I feel like all the seniors together are working hard to lead our team with Harleigh being out this season.”

Flagstaff controlled the match from the beginning and never trailed throughout the three sets. Lund and Clevenger made an early impact in the first set. Lund recorded four kills and an ace, while Clevenger added three kills and a block as the Eagles took the opening set 25-19. Their strong start helped the Eagles take control early and maintain the lead throughout the set.

The Eagles head coach Beth Haglin said their ball control and serve receive helped separate them from the Bears.

“I feel like our ball control and serve receive did a great job,” Haglin said. “I feel like the ball control was the biggest difference between us and them.”

The teams had a back and forth battle in the second set, but the Eagles maintained their lead. Lund had three kills and an ace as the Eagles held off the Bears for a 25-21 win and a 2-0 advantage in the match. Lund gave credit to the team's recent work on building connections between the hitters and setters for helping the offense. 

“I think the last two days we definitely started working together more and working with the setters and connecting with them,” Lund said. “It definitely helps when we all work as one instead of individuals.”

After two close sets in the beginning, the Eagles pulled away from the Bears in the third set with a 25-14 win to complete the sweep. Clevenger led the set with four kills and three blocks. She finished the match with six blocks and ten kills.

Haglin said blocking was a big focus in their practice as the Eagles continue to improve defensively.

“We’ve been practicing a lot on the block and quickening the offense,” Haglin said. “I feel like the defense was very scrappy.”

The performances from Lund and Clevenger showed the growth of the two seniors who have taken on a bigger responsibility this season.

“Kenlee struggled in her younger years in being up and down a lot, and I feel like she’s starting to really mature and be consistent in her play,” Haglin said. “She can bang the heck out of the ball and get a lot of kills and make some mistakes but still get right back into it without beating herself up mentally.”

Haglin also mentioned Clevenger and how she has stepped up and has gotten more solid as the season has gone on. 

“Ivy is just getting more and more solid for us,” Haglin said. “Her hitting, her blocking and her leadership on the court, her communication with her teammates, she’s really just stepping it up as well and leading her team to a lot of success.”

As the Eagles moved to 4-0 in Grand Canyon Region play, Haglin said the Eagles cannot become complacent when they play region opponents again.

“Once you finish the first round of region and you’re playing everyone for the second time, I feel like it’s really easy once you beat them to get complacent and expect the same result without having to work for it,” Haglin said. “They need to understand every team is practicing and we have a target on our back.”

The Eagles will turn their focus to next week, where they’ll face the Verrado Vipers on Oct. 13.