Joachim Jessen is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Carl Hayden for AZPreps365.com

PHOENIX – After overcoming an early deficit in the opening set, surviving a Maryvale surge in the second and staging a late rally in the third, Carl Hayden's girls volleyball team completed a 3-0 sweep of the Panthers on Tuesday night.

The Falcons' victory at Carl Hayden Community High School marked their second consecutive win after snapping an eight-match losing streak against Camelback. The result also avenged a Sept. 24 defeat to Maryvale, which had swept Carl Hayden in three sets, giving the Falcons much to play for. 

The Falcons improved to 4-11, showing signs of improvement after a difficult stretch of the season.

"Our hustle and our serve were fantastic," Carl Hayden head coach Francisco Villa said. "They communicated well. Today's probably one of the better days they've had."

Despite the final result, Carl Hayden faced adversity from the opening serve.

Maryvale jumped to a 5-1 lead in the first set before junior right-side hitter Isis Bandin helped spark a Falcons comeback. Senior outside hitter Sarahi Alonso followed with a powerful spike, cutting the deficit to 7-6.

The teams continued trading points until sophomore libero Alexa Robles delivered a service ace to give Carl Hayden a 15-14 advantage.

Carl Hayden took complete control down the stretch, scoring seven unanswered points to close the set. Senior outside hitter Aymar Penuelas sealed the 25-17 set victory with a service ace.

The Falcons carried that momentum straight into the second set, with Alonso opening the scoring through another ace as Carl Hayden continued to dominate the serves. 

Carl Hayden established an early 5-1 advantage before extending its lead to 13-4, putting it in firm control.

However, Maryvale responded with a 9-1 run, cutting the Falcons' lead to 14-13 and threatening to turn the set around in their favor.

Carl Hayden regrouped, with Robles contributing important plays before a Maryvale attack landed out of bounds to secure the second set.

Robles credited the team's ability to lift each other up when mistakes threatened their momentum.

"Whenever we see somebody make a mistake, we try to lift them up as much as we can," Robles said. "If we make a mistake, get the next point, get the next."

The third set followed a familiar pattern, with Maryvale taking an early 4-1 lead before Carl Hayden fought back to tie the score at 10.

Penuelas continued troubling the Panthers with powerful attacks, but Maryvale regained control and established a 20-17 advantage late in the set.

With a 3-0 revenge sweep in sight, the Falcons responded with another comeback, tying the score at 21 before pulling ahead 24-21.

A final Maryvale attack sailed out of bounds, securing a 25-22 third-set victory and completing the sweep.

Penuelas, speaking in Spanish through Robles' translation, said she felt she had performed well and that "the whole team was very energized," which helped her performance.

For Villa, the difference between September's defeat and Tuesday's victory came down to the team's development and determination.

"We're not very big, but we outhustle everybody," Villa said. "That's kind of what our whole thing is. They showed it today."