It was a busy weekend for Xavier’s volleyball team, but the
Gators came out of the eight-team Gilbert Invitational at Gilbert High with six
wins in seven matches.
The only blemish was against Chandler Hamilton, which has
proven to be a thorn in the Gators’ side in recent times. Hamilton defeated
Xavier in last year’s Division I semifinals and again in a regular-season match
at Hamilton earlier this year.
The Gilbert tournament featured best-of-three matchups (due
to time constraints) instead of the usual best-of-five in a traditional match.
Xavier started out with a 23-25, 28-26, 15-9 victory over
Chandler Basha. Next was Phoenix Sunnyslope, and the Vikings took the match to
a third game before falling. The scores were 25-19, 22-25 and 19-17.
The Gators wrapped up Friday’s (Oct. 16) play with a 25-22,
25-20 win over Tempe Corona del Sol and a 25-20, 25-21 triumph over Phoenix
Horizon.
Host Gilbert served as the opponent when play began on
Saturday (Oct. 17). Xavier prevailed 25-23 and 25-19. Phoenix Mountain Pointe
took the court against the Gators and Xavier took the match 25-18 25-19.
Xavier just couldn’t get things going against Hamilton,
falling 21-25 and 16-25.
Gators coach Lamar-Renee Bryant was pleased with her team’s overall
effort.
“We had some great performances from Shannon Shields
(freshman), Makena Patterson (junior) and Kristen Largay (senior),’’ Bryant
said.
Bryant added that
Largay, the team’s libero, “provided stability in every match. Her defense and
passing were by far the best in the gym.’’
Xavier has two home matches this week, against Scottsdale
Desert Mountain on Tuesday (Oct. 20) and against Gilbert Highland on Thursday
(Oct. 22).
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