Sahuaro beat Ironwood Ridge 3-1 (25-18, 25-20, 22-25, 25-16) to improve to 4-0 in region play. Sahuaro (10-1, 4-0) came into the match ranked No. 3 in the 5A Conference while Ironwood Ridge (9-3, 2-2) was ranked No. 2.

The victory gives the Cougars an early lead in the Southern Region with a match at No. 5 Cienega (11-2, 3-1) scheduled for Thursday night, Oct. 6. The Cougars swept the Bobcats 3-0 on Sept. 22.

It was another rare loss at home for the Nighthawks. The Nighthawks lost to a team from Southern Arizona (at home) for only the second time since Oct 16, 2012. It was a 22-game win streak that was broken by Cienega last Tuesday, Sept. 27 when the Bobcats came in and beat Ironwood Ridge 3-2.

Down 11-10 in the first set, the Cougars went on an 8-0 run to take an 18-11 lead on the Nighthawks. Both teams played even from there with Sahuaro coming away with a 25-18 win. The scoring-run by Sahuaro was an early sign what was to come later in the match.

The second set was tied up at 16-16 but Sahuaro pulled away to take it 25-20 to go up 2-0. The Nighthawks came alive in the third set, using five aces to help fuel an 18-6 lead but junior hitter Madeleine Nash and senior standout Brielle Sterns combined for eight kills to pace the Cougars to a huge comeback to tie the set up 21-21.

Junior Morgan Gappmayer stopped the run with a kill of her own and the Nighthawks recovered to take the set 25-22.

The two teams battled back and forth in the fourth set but a couple of aces from senior setter Morgan Nash gave the Cougars a 14-12 lead. It was a lead the Cougars would never surrender and Sterns capped off the 13-4 run with a couple of kills to end the set and match 25-16.

Ironwood Ridge will have six days off before traveling to Sierra Vista to take on Buena (4-7, 1-3).