They were focused. They were more talented. They would not
let up.
Xavier Prep’s Gators dominated host Phoenix Desert Vista on
the volleyball court on Thursday night (Sept. 22) in a way that some people
might not have expected.
Except for the Gators themselves.
Xavier ran its record to 13-2 with a 25-16, 25-14, 25-23
sweep of two-time defending state champion Desert Vista, which had defeated the Gators in last
season’s title match and which Xavier had not beaten since 2014.
“Yes, we talked about all of that,’’ said Xavier coach
Lamar-Renee Bryant. “We remember the state tournament and we had not beaten
them since the 2014 Nike Tournament. We needed to come in here and take care of
business.’’
In a recent road match against Gilbert Perry, the Gators had
a 2-0 lead, only to see that evaporate and lose the match 3-2.
“That’s not going to happen anymore,’’ Bryant promised.
Senior middle blocker Makena Patterson had a dominant effort
on offense and defense. Bryant said sophomore setter Shannon Shields did a good
job setting Patterson up “time after time.’’
Xavier fell behind early in the first game 3-0, but later
went on a 6-0 run in the middle portion of the set to take control.
The Gators faced similar circumstances in the second game,
trailing 4-1 early and later going on a significant run to pull away.
Their backs against the wall, the Thunder did their best to
survive in the third game but couldn’t quite get it done. Desert Vista scored
two straight points to pull within 25-23, but the Gators finished it off on a
nice misdirection shot.
Xavier had strong service for most of the match, led by
Shields and sophomore libero Ashley Yeung. Senior Kristen Klein also had some
big hits up front.
The Gators have two matches next week, hosting Chandler
Basha on Tuesday (Sept. 27) and traveling to Chandler High on Wednesday (Sept.
28) before playing in the Nike Tournament in Phoenix next weekend.
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