Gabriella Yates is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Ironwood for AZPreps365.com

The Ironwood Eagles swept the Willow Canyon Wildcats at home Wednesday night, with Bella White delivering the final point in all three sets to help secure the win on senior night.

Ironwood won 25-19, 25-18 and 25-16, extending its winning streak to six games. White led the Eagles with 11 kills, two aces and three blocks, while Malaya Gibbs added 10 kills, three aces and one block.

“They did a good job of staying aggressive, working hard in every play, working through those long rallies and keeping their defense on their feet,” Ironwood coach Dani Wiley said. “I saw them making changes, which is really what you want to see as a coach.”

Ironwood established control early in the first set with a seven-point run, building a 23-12 lead. Willow Canyon responded with five consecutive points to narrow the gap, but White ended a lengthy rally with a kill to give the Eagles a 25-19 win.

The Eagles carried that early momentum into the second set, opening with a six-point run. Willow Canyon stayed within reach, trailing 22-17. White closed out the set with an ace to win 25-18.

Willow Canyon opened the third set with a kill and took an early 7-3 lead, recording four kills and two aces during the opening stretch. Ironwood responded with a nine-point run and maintained control, leading 21-13 when Willow Canyon called a timeout.

“I think the effort from our team was there,” Willow Canyon coach Matt Overfelt said. “They were going for the ball on every single play. We just didn’t execute quite as well as we wanted to.”

Willow Canyon captains Shia Chancellor and Aspen Edwards helped lead the Wildcats offensively in the third set. Chancellor recorded four kills, while Edwards added three. Chancellor finished with nine kills and Edwards recorded eight.

White, a junior middle blocker, recorded five kills in the set, while Gibbs added four to help the Eagles close out the match. White finished the sweep with a kill, completing her trio of set-ending points.

“I feel really honored that I got to execute on game point,” White said. “It’s senior night, so I wanted to play not just for myself, but for the seniors because it was their last home game.”

Overfelt said the Wildcats will use the loss as motivation to improve in practice.

“We’ll make sure that anytime we’re in practice, we’re pushing ourselves to be better every single day and putting pressure on ourselves so that we can rise to the occasion,” Overfelt said.

Wiley said the team’s energy and ability to motivate one another helped the Eagles respond when they needed a spark.

“We need a little bit more communication, slowing things down on our side and focusing on the things that we can control,” Wiley said.

White said the team’s celebrations throughout the match reflected its collective effort.

“We had so much energy,” White said. “We were playing for each other. Even when we did something good, we celebrated everything, not just the celebrations we got ourselves.”

The Eagles, who are ranked fifth in 5A, will be on the road for the next two games, closing out their regular season before playoffs.

“Before those two games, I just want to focus on all the things I can control,” White said. “My discipline, my communication and making sure that my team and I are all on the same page so we can get those wins for the next two games and then hopefully have a good postseason.”

Ironwood (15-8, 6-0) will travel to Raymond S. Kellis (4-10, 0-6) to take on the Cougars next Monday at 6 p.m.

Willow Canyon (12-5, 4-2) will host Centennial (7-11, 1-5) next Monday at 6 p.m.