By Richard Smith
Mail |
Twitter: @rsmithYWV

Sunrise Mountain boys volleyball headed a few miles south with a lineup full of club players and the #3 ranking in 5A.

The Mustangs controlled the first set and breezed to a 22-13 lead in the second. Centennial did not care. The Coyotes went down 2-0 but came all the way back and was the first team to serve with a match point April 7.

Sunrise Mountain fended off that fifth set match point and one more and earned its own. Centennial's serve receive flew back over the net and junior middle hitter Zach Northey put it away to secure the 25-16, 25-20, 21-25, 20-25, 17-15 win.

"In the last couple week's we've really played at a high level and then we drop. I keep trying to tell the boys that against better opponents we're not going to get away with that," Sunrise Mountain coach Tony Gale said. "That's a team that's very scrappy and vey good. They give you problems. It's never easy to beat them. In the first two sets we did a very good job of playing at a high level."

The Zs were key in the Coyotes' comeback. Sunrise Mountain (20-3 overall, 10-1 regular season) built a 20-18 third set lead and looked poised for the sweep.

Then junior middle blocker Zeke Pottle took over, pounding home kills on four of the next five points to give the home team a 22-21 lead and start a 7-1 Centennial closing run.

The Mustangs appeared to have regained control up 8-3 in the fourth. Then it was Zach Norman's turn.

Centennial's senior outside hitter delivered his team's next four kills. He tied the set with an ace and hit three more kills to tie the match.

"Zach's hitting percentage is really high," Bauer said. "Honestly, in those first two sets, we had to have some conversations about selfishness and not being together on the team. We were in our own way. Their serving, especially in the first set, was dominant.  We had a chance to steal it. But it's definitely one of those losses that there's lessons from."

Neither team could pull away in the fifth. Centennial briefly led 3-1 but after that the rivals could not go up two until the final point.

Senior outside hitter Blake Hammond had three key kills and a block down the stretch before Northey's finish. He led the Mustangs with 18 kills Thursday.

Senior setter Kyle Berger said when the team was in trouble, his goal was to get it to Hammond.

"They started coming back in the second set. Then in the third set, we came out and missed that first serve," Berger said. "There was a little tension there for sure.  It's stressful but when you do pull off that win it's super rewarding."

Gale said this team came together more quickly than he expected, following heavy graduation losses from the 2021 team that fell to Gilbert Williams Field in a close quarterfinal loss.

The Kyles, Berger and junior libero Kyle Andersen, were known quantites but who would finish remained a question early in the spring. Gale said he used a 6-2 formation early because the hitters were not earning side outs at the rate the coach wanted.

"It helps when you've got a libero and a setter to build things around. Those are really important pieces," Gale said. "Last year when we had a couple injuries Brock filled in well. He's really stepped up into that play making role.  We've been really good with our middle attack. Dalton Graham has been good. And then Caelan Koth is really starting to step up on the outside."

Since reaching the 5A semifinals in 2018, Sunrise Mountain has been the top boys volleyball program in the Peoria Unified School District. Prior to that Ironwood lead the way, and for the first few years after PUSD started the sport in 2012, Centennial was top dog.

It has been a long road back. The Coyotes last won a playoff game in 2017 and were the #14 seed last year.

Norman is the clear attacking leader. But he has more help from Pottle, who is more of a regular volleyball player. And the other senior outside hitter, Owen Palumbo, tried volleyball as a junior after playing in the Coyotes' baseball program.

"I knew we had players that were playing year round at a higher level, but I didn't know that the non-volleyball club players were going to play up as well. We have some definite inexperience on the court and they have done an awesome job," Centennial coach Cari Bauer said.

She still was not sure after Gilbert dominated them March 22. Centennial (10-5, 6-4) had its big week the next week, was stealing a win at Gilbert Higley, pushing Williams Field to five sets and beating Gilbert Campo Verde to go 2-1.

This is the first season these programs - which know each other well - are in the top 10 of 5A at the same time. Centennial remains #7 and its coach enjoyed a night of good, competitive volleyball that did not have any nasty moments.

"There was some flexing on certain plays but at the end of the day there's a mutual respect," Bauer said. "And now we're competing. We're not going to lay down."

Richard Smith
Associate Editor | Surprise & West Valley Preps
@rsmithYWV

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.