Beach volleyball, softball maintain their momentum

 In a busy start to the week on Monday (May 3), Xavier Prep’s beach volleyball and softball teams scored impressive victories.

Xavier, the top-seeded team in the Division I state beach volleyball tournament, opened play with a 5-0 shutout of No. 16 Gilbert Campo Verde at Xavier.

That earned the Gators a trip to the quarterfinals on Wednesday (May 5) at 4:30 p.m. against No. 8 Goodyear Millennium at Xavier. Xavier is now 13-0, Millennium  is 8-4.

The winner will advance to the semifinals on May 11 at Casteel High in Queen Creek (Power and Riggs). Start time is 7 p.m. The opponent would be No. 13 Oro Valley Ironwood Ridge or No. 5 Chandler Basha.

Softball

Xavier is wrapping up its regular season this week with three games.

The Gators accomplished their first objective on Monday night (May 3) with a 4-1 victory at Mesa Red Mountain.

Junior second baseman Meghan Schouten drove in all four XCP runs with a home run and a double.

Junior pitcher Riley Flynn had a solid game, giving up five hits (one home run) and striking out seven.

The Gators will play their final home game of the regular season on Tuesday night (May 4) against Phoenix Sandra Day O’Connor (12-5), with a 6:30 p.m. start for Senior Night. O’Connor suffered a tough 8-7 home loss to Chandler Hamilton on Monday.

The third and final game will be on Wednesday (May 5) at 3:45 p.m. against Phoenix Pinnacle. The Pioneers are coached by former Xavier field boss Bobby Pena.

On Thursday (May 6), the softball teams will learn where they fit in the Division I state tournament bracket when the Arizona Interscholastic Association announces its brackets. The tournament will begin on Saturday (May 8), with most games getting under way at 10 a.m.