Wolves grab 1st beach volleyball title for Estrella

By Jason W. Brooks
Mail | X: @JasonWBrooks2

​QUEEN CREEK — Christian Millhiser felt his undefeated Estrella Foothills beach volleyball team should have been seeded higher than No. 8 in this year’s Division II team tournament.

“We were undefeated,” Millhiser said after his Wolves rallied to beat Arcadia to win EFHS’s first team state title in the sport. “That just said to us that we have to prove we’re the best.”

The Wolves’ 3-2 win over No. 3 seed Arcadia at Casteel High School on April 30 capped a 16-0 season. That included state-tourney wins over Division II No. 1 Gilbert Christian and No. 4 seed Flagstaff.

The win over Arcadia was as memorable as any other. The championship was tied, 2-2, with the Wolves’ No. 2 team of senior Emma Curry and junior Sadie Snyder and No. 3 team of junior Kaitley Petersen and senior Ally Caton getting wins.

The last two duos out on the sand were the No. 1 teams, with the title hinging on the performance of EFHS senior Abby Stenz and junior Autumn Hill and their Arcadia opponents.

Stenz and Hill rallied after dropping the first set 21-11. They won 21-15 and 15-5 to start the on-court celebration.

“Abby and Autumn have been clutch for us all year,” Millhiser said. “They aren’t fazed by the pressure. Three times, we’ve needed them to win, and they’ve come through each time.”

Caton said a key for any volleyball player is to stay mentally in each set until the last point.

“Staying with it to the end is what got us here,” she said.

Curry said having the confidence of teammates makes a difference in beach volleyball. So does a strong performance in indoor “floor” volleyball; Estrella won a 4A state title with many of its beach players last fall.

“It’s really the same group of girls, so that’s a great memory for us and people know who we are now,” Curry said.

Wednesday, April 30

DIVISION II ARIZONA TEAM BEACH VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Finals — at Casteel H.S., Queen Creek

ESTRELLA FOOTHILLS 3, ARCADIA 2

No. 1: Abby Stenz / Autumn Hill, EF, def. Chloe Herwig / Alexa Helms, 11-21, 21-15, 15-5; No. 2: Emma Curry / Sadie Snyder, EF, def. Brenna Satran / Priya Jain, 21-16, 21-11; No. 3: Kaitley Petersen / Ally Caton, EF, def. Isabella Scaramella / Kinsey Hunkins, 21-4, 21-7; No. 4: Alitza Turley / Jade Smith, A, def. Giselle Wochner / Iliana Brown, 21-17, 21-12; No. 5: Emma Lindenmeyer / Tessa Dwyer-Kim, A, def. Addison Burwell / Dayley Wray, 21-19, 21-13.

Jason W. Brooks
News Editor | Chandler Independent

Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.

Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.

Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.

Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.

Community: He supports animal shelters.