Red Mountain finishes play-in win in Surprise with fun

By Richard Smith
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It was almost as if Shadow Ridge’s four-point rally to win the third set 26-24 was immediately erased.

Instead of seizing that momentum from grabbing a 2-1 lead in sets, the Stallions played tentative volleyball. Meanwhile, Mesa Red Mountain was having the time of its life breaking a historic barrier.

The visiting #21 seed controlled the final two sets to win the Nov. 4 play-in match 25-18, 20-25, 24-26, 25-14, 15-6.

“Our conversation after the third set was not about mechanics or strategy. It was a quick reminder that volleyball is a game that is supposed to be fun. My only request was that they bring some joy to the court. They stepped on the court like they couldn’t wait to touch the ball,” Red Mountain Coach Tracie Garrad said.

One of two 6A teams — along with Gilbert Higley — to win a road play-in match Tuesday, the Mountain Lions move up to the #16 seed for the first round. That gives these underdogs the ultimate challenge, defending champion and #1 seed Phoenix Xavier Prep (31-2), now ranked #4 nationally by MaxPreps.

But Red Mountain (25-15) gets to play without any expectations after a milestone win. It is the first appearance in the main 6A bracket since 2016 for the Mountain Lions.

“This is a year that started off with inexplicable heartache and difficulty. These girls came together and kept fighting,” Garrard said. “I’d have to look to see when it happened. But this is the first time in my memory that we’ve made it out of the play-in.”

The visitors quickly showed they were a very different team than the one the Stallions swept in three sets Sept. 9 in Surprise.

Red Mountain finished the first set on an 11-4 run. Then the Mountain Lions erased a 15-6 first set lead, going on a 12-2 run to briefly inch ahead 18-17, before Shadow Ridge (24-10-5) snapped out of it and answered.

“We beat Red Mountain 3-0 early in the season. And I think the way they came out and challenged us shocked us a little bit. We’ve got to get to the point where we step in and compete and not get shocked,” Shadow Ridge Coach Troy Sherman said.

The second-year coach said he trusts what players are doing in the offseason to get better. And the Stallions played their best since 2022 this year, finishing 15-2 in the regular season and winning the West Valley Region.

Sherman said he thought a couple of rotations were a hard puzzle to figure out Tuesday night, but the team played very well in four rotations.

“We can play at a high level and have fun. That’s what we emphasize and that becomes a delicate balance,” Sherman said. “That’s ultimately what we’ve been trying to do, is to hold a higher level of expectation. We do have the athletes here and we can perform at this level. At the same time, if you’re not having fun, something’s wrong.”

The third set was fun, particularly down 24-22 and facing two set points. Junior Hailey Cashatt hit a kill, and sophomore libero Aliyah Watts served two aces for the win.

Red Mountain spent most of the night dictating the terms of the match with its serve.

The visitors served 12 aces, led by senior outside hitter Lily Sullivan with six.

“Lilly had an exceptional serving night. We changed serving all year intentionally. It’s really fun to watch when individual players has amazing serving runs,” Garrard said.

Stallions seniors Rigley Garrison. Lila Ford, Danica Lindermann, Anesa Jacobo and Brooklyn Morgan helped elevate the program back into the mid tier of 6A.

The hope is returning players continue the momentum, spurred on by the memory of Tuesday night’s last two sets.

“I hope we can take the legacy that the seniors have established. We don’t just live out that legacy. But we improve on it,” Sherman said. “I was only with them one year, but the seniors last year did a great job. These seniors built off of that.”

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.