Joshua Heron is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Veritas Prep Academy for AZPreps365.com

As the Veritas Prep senior girls took home court for the final time on Thursday night, the No. 11- ranked Falcons needed a victory over the fourth-seeded Mustangs to have any chance at avoiding a play-in berth with a top-8 bid and solidifying a bye heading into the postseason. 

However, after getting swept, 17-25, 20-25,16-25, by their 2A-Metro foes, the Falcons have to settle for a play-in seed and finish with a 12-16 regular season record. 

Veritas coach Brooks Dockter is cognizant of what his team needs to sharpen for the playoffs with the loss.

“We can’t give up runs like we did tonight,” Dockter said. “We competed really well in all the sets against a fantastic team, but there were moments at the end of the sets where we couldn’t sideout and get the ball back. In the postseason, it is of uttermost importance that we limit those runs to two or three points.” 

The Falcons started the first set on a 3-0 run of their own before fighting back from down 14-10 to take a 16-15 lead. The Mustangs remained on one accord, closing the set on a 10-1 run with senior Melania Mathieux executing two kills in the final three plays to help her team claim the set, 25-17. 

Mustangs coach Marissa Morah praised her girls for their unity without their best middle hitter, senior Skye Dubeau, and believes the victory only strengthens them for the playoffs.

“Since Dubeau went down two weeks ago, we have proven to ourselves that we can come together and fight with a key piece missing,” Morah said. “We did that tonight and got a win over a team that we always have close games with, which grants us mental stability as we are now rewarded a bye week for our effort.”

Veritas, indeed, kept it close. The Falcons found themselves tied 16-16 in the second set thanks to three kills from middle hitter Mary Hamann. However, copious Veritas errors contributed to a 9-4 Rancho run to close the set.  

Hamann was a bright side for the Falcons with her ferocious hits throughout the match. Dockter acknowledged the sophomore’s importance in elevating Veritas’ chances at a deep playoff run. 

“If Mary is scoring, then it opens things up for our outside hitters,” Dockter said. “That helps the offense because many teams naturally focus on our outside players since they score a majority of our points, so our middles getting involved in the playoffs is crucial.” 

Strong play from Hamann, however, and a valiant team effort was not enough for the Mustangs, who scored 14 of the final 19 points to take the last set 25-16.

Despite the bitter way to end their regular season, the senior Falcons appreciate the journey. For senior captain Alyssa Jenkins, her teammates' camaraderie will rest at the forefront of her mind when she reflects on the match and the year.

“These girls have an incomparable heart,” Jenkins said. “It’s crushing to not see the result of that in the matchup against Rancho, but people only see this as volleyball. It is so much more than that. My favorite moments with the girls aren’t merely on the court but the team-bonding experiences behind the scenes. I am definitely going to miss the community we built at Veritas.”

Jenkins and her teammates look to extend those moments together with a victory in their play-in matchup on Tuesday at 6 p.m. 

Dockter is ready for the clean slate.

“The playoffs are about to begin and it’s exciting,” Dockter said. “Everyone starts at 0-0 and is there to compete, therefore, we will bring our best game and leave the chips to fall in place.”

Rancho Solano’s (22-14, 3-2) quest for the title begins Saturday.