Take Monday
(April 16), for instance.
It was the
final regular season match for Xavier Prep’s beach volleyball team. The opponent
was Tempe Corona del Sol, the Gators’ rivals on the sand and in traditional
indoor volleyball.
The result
was a 3-2 Corona del Sol victory, but if Xavier had to be saddled with a
setback, this was the time and not in the Division I state tournament that
begins April 24.
Losing to a
team with the caliber of Corona del Sol is something that might be beneficial
for the Gators, keep them on their toes, not allowing for complacency to set
in.
“I was
walking past Ben (Maxfield, Corona del Sol beach and indoor coach) between sets
and we said, “Another barn-burner,’ ’’ said Xavier coach Tim McHale.
Each team
split the first four matches, meaning that the deciding game would come down to
Xavier’s Trinity Cavanaugh and Taylor Lopez and Corona del Sol’s Brooke
Nuneviller and Maddy Noble.
The games
were about as close as one could get. Corona won both, 23-21 and 22-20. A
player such as Nuneviller is tough to stop. She was the azcentral.com Beach Player of the Year as a junior in 2017 and was
an outstanding indoor player, headed to the University of Oregon.
“We didn’t
have any major faults,’’ McHale said. “You could roll the ball out on the sand
10 times and get 10 different outcomes. Both teams are that close.’’
Now the
Gators (9-2) must wait to learn where they will be seeded. They have won the
state title in each of the six years the sport has been in existence in
Arizona.
As of
Tuesday morning (April 17), the Arizona Interscholastic Association listed
Xavier as the No. 5 team, one spot ahead of Corona del Sol but behind Goodyear
Millennium, Phoenix Sandra Day O’Connor, Tucson Salpointe Catholic and Gilbert
Perry. Xavier’s other loss was to Salpointe.
As one of
the top eight seeds, Xavier would host a first-round game and, if it wins, a
second-round game. Semifinals are May 1 and finals on May 3, both at Gilbert
Mesquite.
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