PHOENIX - No matter which sport, there’s always a different feeling for playoff games. The
energy is higher, each moment is more intense, and both teams put everything on the line.

Sunnyslope and Liberty girls volleyball were a perfect example Nov. 12 when the #4 Sunnyslope Vikings defeated the #5 Liberty Lions in four sets.

The Vikings took the first two sets with ease, but the last two sets showed why
both teams deserved to have made it this far. However, the Lions could only steal one set, as the Vikings didn’t let Liberty gain enough momentum to push the game to a fifth set.

Sunnyslope won the 6A quarterfinal 25-21, 25-20, 22-25, and 25-22.

“I just want our girls to have a good mindset, a good mentality, and to believe in themselves,” said Sunnyslope head coach, Amber Geer. “I really want them to know that they can do it, and play like they can do it. It’s awesome, and I think some of them are really fired up and motivated and so it’s exciting.”

It is the Vikings' first 6A semifinal berth since 2020. Sunnyslope looks ahead to their trip Thursday to Xavier College Preparatory.

Sunnyslope, who has lost to Xavier twice this season already, looks to get their revenge and advance to their first "big school" championship game in school history.

Liberty came out strong in every set, but they struggled to keep that level of play as Sunnyslope stayed cool, calm, and collected and stuck to their style of play. Captains Zoe Haan and Kaia Pixler were major reasons why the Vikings were able to maintain their stability throughout the game, while junior Josie Portela came through with massive kills every set.

Pixler said she realized how important it was for the Vikings to stick to their game and stay persistent, as she continually provided assists for her teammates.

“I think just giving it our all,” said an exhausted Pixler Nov. 12. “Hustling, talking. There were a couple instances where we didn’t communicate well, but we cleaned it up after that, we definitely talked about that in our huddles. Even if we didn’t win a long rally, just onto the next point and trusting in our skills.”

On the other hand, senior Tristen Raymond and sophomore Lauren Forelli were the shining stars for Liberty. It seemed like Raymond had some sort of impact on every single play for the Lions, and the duo was able to keep Sunnyslope from gaining too much momentum.

Liberty head coach Chris Brown took smart time outs to stop the Vikings from taking over, but
that couldn’t stop Sunnyslope in the first set as they went on a 9-2 run to finish out the set.
Sunnyslope also went on an 11-1 run in the second set, and they never looked back after that.

However, in the third set, the momentum started to shift in favor of Liberty. There were multiple long points where players of both teams put their bodies on the line diving for loose balls.

Liberty, however, was able to close out the third set on a 6-3 run led by Forelli and Makenna Kowren. Brown acknowledged the fact that the Lions defense was a focal point of why they won the third set.

“I mean, defensively, we started to pick it up quite a bit,” said Brown. “The end of that second
set, going into the third, it was moreso our ability to chase down certain balls that we weren’t
doing in the first set and a half. We played with a little more grit to even get that far.”

It was clear by the fourth set that both teams were exhausted, but nothing was going to stop these two squads from playing their hearts out. In a tight back-and-forth final set, Z. Haan and Laney

Wilson had a combined eight kills in the final 10 Sunnyslope points.
 his win for the Vikings means that they will be heading back to their first state semifinal game
in years.