Horizon Honors CiCi Collins (9 in white) celebrates a point during win over Valley Christian (AzPreps365 photo)

 

Two of the top programs in 2A (Horizon Honors) and 3A (Valley Christian) matched up for the second time this season Thrusday afternoon in a power-point match. Their campuses are roughly three miles apart so why not even though they compete in different conferences.

The teams engaged in a tight match again and again in was Horizon Honors coming away the victor with better play down the stretch in the sets it  won in a 20-25, 25-16, 25-18, 25-22 triumph at Horizon Honors. Horizon Honors won a five-set marathon last month at Valley Christian by taking the final two sets.

Horizon Honors (22-3 overall, 9-3 power-ranking matches and No. 5 in the 2A rankings) was led by a trio of players on the attack -- Valley Christian transfer Cici Collins with 12 kills, middle hitter Olivia Moran and outside hiitter Erica Kendree with 10 kills each. That kind of balance has been a staple for the Eagles this season according to coach Kris Maglunog. Speading the wealth defensively was also critcal with libero Gabby Castronova collecting 17 digs, Collins 15 and Kendree 13. 

Every set was tied or a one-point difference at the 15-point mark, but it was Horizon Honors focused more keenly when push came to shove.

"I thought our defense really picked up at the end of each game," Maglunog said. "We were keeping balls in and they were hitting balls out. I think at times it frustrated them."

"We've had our good days and bad days this year, but I think we'll be right there at the end of the season."

Valley Christian (18-9, 9-4 prm and No. 9 in 3A rankings) won the first set with a 6-1 run to the finish. The Trojans were finding the floor on the attack in that set with Makenzi Kerkhoff (two kills) and Autianna Land and Audrey Brown one each in that span.

The second set concluded with a 9-0 burst by Horizon Honors. Moran contributed a block (one of her five for the match) and two kills. VC helped with three hitting errors. Same story in the third set. VC had five hitting errors during a 10-4 closing run by Horizon Honors.

The final-set finish was more of what HH did than what VC didn't do. Kendree, Moran and Collins were good on the attack with Collins' final kill finishing the match.

Unofficial attack leaders for Valley Christian were Courtney Dyer and Makenzi Kerkhoff with 13 kills each.