Joseph Sciarrino is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Seton Catholic Preparatory High School for AZPreps365.com

CHANDLER – Spider-Man, Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman all filled the stands during a superhero-themed night on Oct. 7 at Chandler Preparatory Academy.

Yet none of the fans in attendance asked those classic heroes for a picture or an autograph.

Instead, the crowd cheered for a different team of Avengers that swept Thatcher High School (9-2 3A Conference, 2-0 3A South) by scores of 25-14, 25-22 and 25-19. 

That team was Seton Catholic varsity volleyball (8-4 3A Conference, 3-1 3A Metro Mountain).

“We love the support,” Sentinels varsity volleyball head coach Breanna Cannon said. “I think the girls get really excited about the themes and the support.”

Following the conclusion of the Nike Tournament of Champions, Cannon’s squad embarked on its first of six final regular-season games, which were all against higher-ranked opponents as of Oct. 6. The matchup occurred at Seton Catholic’s temporary home in Chandler, where senior Sentinels outside hitter Rylan Keane’s 15 kills, according to MaxPreps, along with her teammates’ efforts on digs, helped save the day in front of their home crowd.

Coming into the matchup, Keane led Seton Catholic with 182 total kills, according to MaxPreps.

In the second set against the Eagles, that number exploded upward.

Keane jumps into the air, preparing for a kill opportunity. (Joseph Sciarrino photo/AZPreps365)Keane tallied more than eight kills in that set alone, with the most crucial one occurring when Seton Catholic trailed 11-8.

After the Eagles scored two points in a row, freshman Sentinels setter Olivia Krumbach fluttered a pass toward Keane on the left side of the court.

As the ball descended, the senior ascended into the air and delivered a powerful strike.

However, Keane’s hit didn’t clear the net entirely.

But that didn’t matter.

With the help of her 6-foot frame, the ball zipped into Eagle territory, resulting in a point for the Sentinels.

After that kill, Seton Catholic then racked up three straight points and battled its way to a set victory.

While Keane is known for her Hulk-smashing kills, it’s not the only superpower in her back pocket.

“She’s become a much smarter player,” Cannon said. “[She’s] mixing it up, knowing when to really throw them off, and it clearly works for her extremely well.”

Earlier in the season, Cannon said Keane was “a little reliant” on her strength to get kills.

But recently, she’s incorporated teardrop attacks that have proved effective.

In the opening set, the senior took more than seven steps back, then ran forward to deliver a hit.

As the Eagles’ defense watched Keane approach, it prepared for a lightning-fast strike into its zone.

But that didn’t happen.

Instead, Keane lightly tapped the ball over two jumping Eagles defenders.

In response, senior Eagles middle blocker Matti Gallett desperately attempted to keep the ball in the air with an off-balance swing.

But her effort failed, resulting in Keane’s first of 15 kills in the match.

“We just did not come out ready at all,” Eagles varsity volleyball head coach Marcie Lopeman said. “We would get something going, and then we’d miss a serve or get a couple calls that were questionable, but it is what it is. At the end of the day, my girls just did not show up and play the way [that] they usually play.”

Although Lopeman said her squad’s missed serves were costly, the Sentinels’ defensive digs and discipline against the Eagles’ out-of-bounds hits proved more detrimental to the Eagles.

The Sentinels battle in a back-and-forth rally agasint the Eagles. (Joseph Sciarrino photo/AZPreps365)“We did a really good job of reading the ball,” Krumbach said. “Overall, [our] defense was just amazing.”

With the Sentinels being just two points away from clinching the first set, Thatcher used every trick it had to attempt a comeback.

During a rally, junior Eagles outside hitter Jocelyn Lunt dispatched a hit right into the middle of the Sentinels’ defense, forcing it to find a way to keep the play alive.

As the ball slowly approached the ground, Krumbach jolted forward and put her body on the line in an attempt to record a dig. 

Her effort paid off. 

The Sentinels then concluded the back-and-forth battle with a point, inching them closer to the first-set victory.

Despite Krumbach’s highlight-reel-worthy play, Cannon’s squad understood that being good at the simple things was just as impressive.

With the Sentinels leading 11-6 in the opening set, the Eagles fired a hit just over senior Sentinels libero Alyssandra Cabalatungan's head.

At first glance, the ball appeared to have a chance of staying in bounds, but Cabalatungan trusted her instinct and didn’t budge, resulting in a point for her team.

Although Cabalatungan stayed firm in her spot on the play, Seton Catholic’s confidence after the win skyrocketed to new heights.

In their past five matches, the Sentinels have secured four wins in sweeping fashion.

Although Cannon’s roster still needs to play against three top-five 3A Conference teams as of Oct. 12 to close out the season, a win over Thatcher showed that the Sentinels are trending in the right direction.

“It really solidifies the work in progress we’ve been doing,” Cannon said. “We struggled a lot more at the beginning of the season, but the team is really honed in and has bought into what the coaches have been teaching, and the team dynamic and culture is finally coming together.”