Lauren Chiangpradit
ASU Student Journalist

Marcos de Niza faces Seton Catholic in 4A regional matchup

October 2, 2017 by Lauren Chiangpradit, Arizona State University


To prepare for their match Monday against the Seton Catholic Sentinels, the Marcos de Niza Padres (11-14, 3-0) are going back to the basics.

“(This) will be a great opportunity for my girls to play one of the top teams in our section,” Marcos de Niza coach Melissa Yee said about the Class 4A Desert Sky Region match. “They are going to make us work for points.”

First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday at Marcos de Niza.

In past years, the Padres (11-14, 3-0) and Sentinels (15-7, 1-0) have gone back and forth on who took home the win. Last season, Seton Catholic beat Marcos de Niza in both of their region matchups, sweeping all six sets.

The Padres have done a good job this season at fighting to come back late in matches to seal the win. This was most recently shown in their match against the Higley Knights,  where they were down two sets and came back to win 3-2.

“We will have to make sure we stay competitive and focused from start to finish,” Seton coach Patti Schoenhardt said.

During practice the Padres have been working on switching up some of their hitter positions in hopes of getting an upper hand against the Sentinels.

When asked what was going to cause the Padres the most trouble, senior libero Justice Craig said, “(Seton’s) control and their ability to limit unforced errors might cause us some issues.”

Schoenhardt, a Marcos de Niza alumna, said going into the match she just wants the girls to play their game.

“We just have to play smarter and limit our errors,” Yee said. “ It's going to be a fun match either way. We're looking forward to it.”