Top-ranked Monument Valley reaches Division III state volleyball finals By Quentin Jodie Navajo Times PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. – The current members of the Monument Valley volleyball team accomplished another milestone on Saturday afternoon by registering a come-from-behind win over Chandler Seton Catholic. The top-ranked Mustangs prevailed with a five-set win in the semifinal of the Arizona Division III state volleyball playoffs at the Prescott Valley Event Center. MV will play No. 2 seed Glendale Cactus in the championship game, which is slated for 8 p.m. on Saturday night in Prescott Valley, Ariz. After overcoming a slow start, the Mustangs outlasted the Sentinels 16-25, 25-22, 26-28, 15-16, 15-5. “That was the real test and the girls handled it real well,” Monument Valley coach Rennell Gilmore said. In addition to the slow start, the Mustangs had to overcome some adversity as lead hitter Ohiyah Shirley was hampered by a slight ankle injury she suffered during their quarterfinal match with Coconino. “Obviously we had to make some adjustments,” Gilmore said. “We had to figure out other ways to scores but at the end of the day it all worked out.” Despite being limited, Shirley led the Mustangs with 22 kills. “It’s her senior year and she wanted to play,” Gilmore said of her middle hitter, who was regulated to playing front row for much of the match. For the game, the Mustangs finished with 52 winners with seniors Kaitlyn Wayne, Taylor Worker and Tiara John combining for 27 kills. Wayne and Worker had 13 kills each while John had a career day with 11 kills. “We had some great individual performances,” Gilmore said. “But overall everybody did their jobs offensively and defensively, especially at crunch time.” With some crisp passing in the fourth and fifth set, the Mustangs were a force at the net as most of their hits went uncontested. “I think when we were able to transition better the girls started to put their hits down,” Gilmore said. “ As for getting back to the finals, Gilmore said it was a long time coming, especially after last year’s debacle when they conceded a 2-0 lead against Cactus in the quarterfinals. “It’s different as a player,” Gilmore said. “When I was a junior in high school we won it but to finally make it as a coach speaks volume.” Other than what they saw on the Arizona Interscholastic Association webcast, Gilmore said she doesn’t know a whole lot about Cactus. Nonetheless, she is going to remind them of what happened last year. “We were up 2-0 and we lost to them,” she said. “We don’t want to repeat that.”
Posted on: Sat, 08 Nov 2014 23:37:49 +0000
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