Goodyear Estrella Foothills tops 4A volleyball again

By Richard Smith
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PHOENIX - Tucson Mica Mountain had an opening, leading the opening set of its first state volleyball final appearance 19-16. Then title game veterans Estrella Foothills slammed the door.

Senior Abby Stenz scored on a block to give the Wolves a 24-23 lead, then senior defensive specialist Ally Caton hit a clever over that the Thunderbolts could not handle for the 25-23 win. From there Mica Mountain  largely collapsed until a last-ditch rally.

That would not be enough against a program that is becoming 4A's masters of Veteran's Memorial Coliseum. Estrella Foothills won its second state title in three years 25-23, 25-15, 25-20 on Nov. 16 in the Phoenix arena, motivated by the 4A final loss in between.

“Last year we won the first set. After our first set win here I reminded them that it’s not over by any means. Last year we kind of made the other team mad and they came out even hungrier, You could see it in (Mica Mountain's) eyes a bit. I think they were a bit stunned,” Estrella F.oothills coach Jennifer Gonzales said.

The program tucked into the upscale community 10 minutes south of the rest of Goodyear was an upstart curiosity when it reached its first 4A final in 2019 after only one previous playoff win in the conference.

Now Estrella Foothills (34-1) is the mountaintop. It's current seniors were part of a 2021 semifinals, the 2023 runners up and the 2022 and 2024 4A champs and are used to playing on this unique stage, a solo big arena court.

“It’s never like this where it’s just you. It’s always multiple games,” junior outside hitter Sadie Snyder said. “This is the time that the focus is on us. It’s a game changer. Everything is so much bigger, and your confidence level goes with it. Once you walk in this gym you feel taller, you jump higher, you swing higher. Everything is 10 steps above.”

At first, the Thunderbolts made themselves at home, leading the first set 7-3, then 13-7.

Then Snyder took over. She finished the first set with seven kills and two aces.

“She loves the game. She loves to compete. And she’s got another year,” Gonzales said.

The second set was tied at nine then, very quickly, it was 19-12 Wolves.

If Gonzales' team could keep the Thunderbolts scrambling and out of their system, they would not be able to set senior middle blocker Soso Okpara up.

Okpara did hit five kills in the second set, but there was a noticable drop off when she had to rotate out. More importantly, Mica Mountain did not record a block in the entire set.

“They were putting up a pretty big block so I was hitting a pretty hard angle. With Toto, I would tell her to run a three but really inside, so kind of like a high 3.5. I love the high set, as a middle I don’t want a really fast ball. That’s what we changed and it really worked,” Stenz said.

The 2024 Estrella Foothills team poses with the state title banner and trophy Nov. 16 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix. (Richard Smith/West Valley Preps)

Along with Snyder, senior Toto Carter stood out for the eventual champs. The Tennessee State-bound setter finished with 37 assists.

Snyder and Carter are the only players that were in the 11-girl rotation for Estrella Foothills' 2022 champions. Now it was their show.

“This one is ten times better. Two years ago I was a sophomore and only got some playing time. This year we play a solid seven or eight,” Carter said. “I loved it.”

Snyder led all players with 15 kills Saturday and five aces, while junior outside hitter Kaylee O'Conner added 11 kills.

In the third set, Mica Mountain dug its way out of a 19-9 deficit and grabbed momentum, cutting the gap to 23=20. Snyder's fourth ace ended the rally for 24-20 and took pressure off her and the team.

“This year I really pushed myself to step up so my teammates could lean on me. Last year I had other people who lifted me up,” Snyder said.

Senior libero Emma Curry let a typically stout Wolves back row defense, finishing with a match high 25 digs. Going to the season, the biggst question was the front row.

Four-year starting middle blocker Aubrey Goodere now plays for Grand Canyon, and fellow middle blocker Emma Sanchez played regular rotations for the last two years.

“To lose one middle is hard, but to lose both your middles, Aubrey and Emma Sanchez, it was one of those things where we knew we had some big shoes to fill,” Gonzales said. “I tell you what, Abby and Caydence and Naomi stepped in big time.”

Stenz and junior Caydence Kirkpatrick did not put up huge block statistics Saturday. But they limited the Thunderbolts to a .095 attacking percentage.

“I was a right side last year because the middle was full. But I’ve always been a middle so I went back to my original position. I play middle in club,” Stenz said. “And I think the fact that we were here last year and lost, and we have seven seniors meant we all wanted this so much.” 

It was the first time Stenz started, and she enjoyed the year playing next to Carter, one of her closest friends for a long time and this year they got their one chance to play together.

In a sport where top players travel more with club teammates then high school teammates, the Wolves are almost all in one - one school team, one club team, one community.

“We all knew it was our last time we’re going to play with each other. We wanted it bad. So that’s all it took,” Carter said. “We all play together on club. It’s so special. It’s our own little community. We play club together and hang out with each other all the time on and off the court. We’re just a little family.”

Richard Smith
Senior News Editor | Glendale & West Valley Preps

rsmith@iniusa.org

Richard Smith has been with Independent Newsmedia since 2016, and worked at a Sun City-based news outfit covering the Northwest Valley for 22 consecutive years.

An NAU alum and lifelong Arizona resident, Richard began as a copy editor and page designer at Surprise Today and the Daily News-Sun, then rekindled his love of sports writing by taking the reins on West Valley Preps in 2008.

For most of the mid-2010s he was the Surprise editor and West Valley Preps reporter. Now he’s the West Valley Preps Editor and Surprise Associate Editor.

As COVID restrictions slowly lift, Richard is cautiously optimistic he will visit book stores, football fields and gyms again this fall.