West Valley Preps' Goodyear/Surprise girls volleyball preview

The high school girls volleyball season began Aug. 27 at schools across the state. West Valley Preps, the Litchfield Park/Goodyear Independent and the Surprise Independent asked local high school coaches about their teams. Here are their responses:

Estrella Foothills Wolves

Coach: Michael Matteson (first season as head coach)
2024 Record: 34-1 overall, 10-0 region (4A state champions)
Region: 4A West Valley
Who are your top returning players?: We return most of our roster from last year: Senior outside hitter Sadie Snyder, senior outside hitter Kaylee O'Conner, senior middle Cadynce Kirkpatrick, senior opposite/setter Miranda Monninger was brought up to varsity towards the end of our last season, junior middle Naomi Silva, junior libero/DS Giselle Wochner, sophomore setter Lily Merefield and sophomore opposite Olivia Salsbury.
Who are some of the newcomers that may have an impact this year? Our new additions this season are: Senior opposite Sadie Howell, junior opposite Liliana Grosiak, sophomore DS/Librero Addison Burwell, sophomore Outside Hitter Deziree Ulibarri ad sophomore Setter Gabriela Coronado. Gabby Coronado is especially going to have an impact on our season as she is taking on the other half of the setting responsibility in our 6-2 with Lily Merefield.
What is your team’s best attribute entering this season? This season I think our team's greatest attribute is the way the girls support each other. Everyone has high expectations of themselves, each other, and how we are going to do this season; but even with these expectations the team is really good at supporting each other and making each other better.
Which teams on this season’s schedule are you most looking forward to and will be the toughest? We are looking forward to our match at Flagstaff on Sept. 3. They are always competitive, and they were our only loss last year. We know they are going to be tough, but we are looking forward to the quality of volleyball that we always play against them.
What are the primary goals for this year’s team? Our goals this season are to continue the legacy our program has established. We have personal goals of setting school records in specific statistic categories. We have team goals of continuing our winning streak, of making playoffs, and of making it far into playoffs again.

Millennium Tigers

Coach: Julie Vastine (12th season)
2024 Record: 21-18 overall, 3-5 region (6A quarterfinals)
Region: 6A Central
Who are your top returning players?: Senior libero Marianne Garcia, junior setter Cassidy Armstrong and junior defensive specialist Aubrey Burns.
Who are some of the newcomers that may have an impact this year? Junior middle blocker Riian Warner and sophomore outside hitter JJ Tauala.
What is your team’s best attribute entering this season? We do a good job defensively and making opportunities for our offense.
Which teams on this season’s schedule are you most looking forward to and will be the toughest? We look forward to all of them. We play in one of the toughest regions in the conference and state. Every team we play will require us to compete and that’s what it’s all about.
What are the primary goals for this year’s team? Compete at our highest level each time we play, and that we elevate our game as a team as the season progresses.

Paradise Honors Panthers

Coach: Megan Domingo (fourth season of second stint at head coach)
2024 Record: 28-13 overall, 7-3 region (4A play-in)
Region: 4A Skyline

Who are your top returning players?: We’re lucky to have a strong group of five seniors leading the way this season – Ashlyn Persha (S), Kaitlyn Hyppa (OH), Alyssa Davis (MB/OPP), Rachel Trevillian (DS) and Brooklyn DuBrey (OH/OPP). It’s a great group of girls who already have a strong bond and play together cohesively. Their experience and chemistry on the court set a solid foundation for our team this year.
Who are some of the newcomers that may have an impact this year? We’re excited about all of our juniors that have joined our team this season. We had shoes to fill with our star libero graduating last year. But Junior, Isabella Staudinger-Hughes has shown real grit and we’re looking forward to seeing what the season holds for her.
What is your team’s best attribute entering this season? Definitely our chemistry and connection as a team. The girls genuinely support each other, communicate well, and play for each other every time they step on the court. That kind of unity makes a huge difference.
Which teams on this season’s schedule are you most looking forward to and will be the toughest? Thunderbird is always a team we circle on the calendar. They push us to be better in every way and bring out the best in our girls. It’s always a competitive matchup, and we get to see some really high-level volleyball.
What are the primary goals for this year’s team? Our main goal is to go further than we ever have before and win the region title for the first time in school history. This group is motivated, focused, and ready to put in the work to make that happen.

Shadow Ridge Stallions

Coach: Troy Sherman (second season)
2024 Record: 22-16 overall, 6-2 region (6A play in)
Region: 6A West Valley
Who are your top returning players?: Junior outside hitter Haley Cashatt, senior middle hitter Brooklynn Morgan, senior setter Rigley Garrison and sophomore defensive specialist Averi Prieto.
Who are some of the newcomers that may have an impact this year? Junior middle Bella DeLeon, sophomore libero Aliyah Watts (returners but not significant playtime last year.
What is your team’s best attribute entering this season? They play tenacious defense and have some fun ball control. Allows us to play fast.
Which teams on this season’s schedule are you most looking forward to and will be the toughest? Hamilton, Mesa, and Pinnacle are the teams that will be the greatest challenge.
What are the primary goals for this year’s team? We will be aiming for a region championship and a much higher seeding in 6A conference.

Willow Canyon Wildcats

Coach: Matt Overfelt (ninth season)
2024 Record: 23-16 overall, 5-5 region (5A first round)
Region: 5A Northwest
Who are your top returning players?: We return most of our starting lineup, including junior Shia Chancellor (OH), senior Jada Adams (OPP), sophomore Aspen Edwards (OH), junior Keely Blady (S), senior Caya Johnson (MB), sophomore Emylia Coffman (MB) and junior Emory Scogin (L).
Who are some of the newcomers that may have an impact this year? Mariah Abeyta is a freshman opposite hitter that should have an impact in our lineup.
What is your team’s best attribute entering this season? Unity. This is a tight knit group that loves each other.
Which teams on this season’s schedule are you most looking forward to and will be the toughest? We look forward to region matchups against Centennial, Ironwood, and Sunrise Mountain.
What are the primary goals for this year’s team? Going further in the playoffs than our 2024 team.