It's been ten years since Patagonia qualified for the state playoffs. That's a decade of frustration that will certainly end next week but The Gregory School made sure the Lobos would have to wait a bit longer to celebrate after beating Patagonia 3-2 (23-25, 26-24, 12-25, 25-22, 18-16) Monday night.
Down 11-6 in the third and final set to archrival Sahuaro, the Lancers went on a 9-2 run to close out another win and another tournament championship over the Cougars, 23-25, 25-15 and 15-13.
The Lions Den Invitational proved to be a mixture of some of the best talent Southern Arizona has to offer regardless of school size. Besides the usual "Big School" powers such as Salpointe, Sahuaro, Tucson and Cienega, Marana Mountain View was able to attract Division IV and V powers Pima, Thatcher and St. David.
23 teams will be taking part in the Marana Mountain View Lions Den Invitational this Friday and Saturday. The teams participating include returning Division IV state champion Thatcher and 2013 Division V state champion St. David.
The annual Nike Tournament of Champions features girls volleyball teams from 12 states, including six nationally ranked programs, to create one of the top tournaments in the country.