The 5A Conference championship showdown is set.

No. 1 Sunnsyslope vs. No. 2 Millennium.

The veteran vs. the newcomer.

But a gutsy Horizon volleyball team almost forced a championship meeting rewrite. Never count out coach Valorie McKenzie and her Horizon Huskies, even when they are down 2-0.

Such was the case Monday in the state semifinals at Campo Verde High. The Huskies flipped the script on Sunnyslope by winning two games to force a deciding fifth game.

But Horizon ran out of rallies. Sunnyslope’s quick start in the final game propelled it to an 25-22, 25-16, 23-25, 13-25, 15-8 emotion-filled victory.

“We weren’t ourselves at all (during the first two games),” said McKenzie after her 39th season at Horizon came to a close. “We just talked about getting back on track, getting more consistent and play with heart. We’ve been doing it all year long, and they did and stepped up.”

Horizon regained its form in a third game punctuated by outstanding play on both sides of the court.

Horizon's play in the middle, spearheaded by junior Ashleigh Barto, picked up and so did the outside work of another junior, Jozlyn Byers.

Horizon’s blocking also emerged, slowing down Sunnyslope’s kill getters, Jazmyn Wheeler, Michelle Jung and Maddie Shepston. Wheeler and Shepston combined for 37 kills, and Jung chipped in with eight and also eight momentum shifting blocks.

“I think everybody was freaking out, because you just swept them (Horizon) two games in a row, and all of a sudden they come back,” Shepston said. “We weren’t prepared for it I don’t think. But once we got our heads in the game everything turned out alright.”

Shepston stands 5-foot-4, but her 33-inch vertical enables her to hit over the block.

Sunnyslope’s offense retook control in the final set, when it never trailed, behind its quarterback, setter Macy Wilke (36 assists).

On Wednesday at Arizona State, Sunnyslope will make its ninth state championship appearance in Amber LeTarte’s 13th season as coach. She is 8-1 in those title games so far.

Volleyball is a family affair for LaTarte at Sunnyslope, where her husband, Brandon, is one of her assistants. Her daughter Blayke (team-high 16 digs Monday) is a junior on the team, and LeTarte’s eldest, Brooke, is a freshman volleyball coach at Sunnyslope.

Laryngitis kept LeTarte from saying much after Monday’s match. Win Wednesday, and she’ll likely have plenty to say.

(Sunnyslope)

Millennium swept Campo Verde 25-16, 25-16, 27-25 Monday to advance to Wednesday's 5A Conference state volleyball championship match. Campo Verde had three set points in the final frame but couldn't close it out.  

Millennium coach Julie Vastine called a timeout trailing 23-21, but an errant pass from her team out of the timeout let to a kill and Campo Varde's first set point. 

“We’ve been working on the mental toughness all year and staying focused even through adversity”, Vastine said. “I think they proved that in the last points.”

Up 26-25 and serving, Millennium’s libero Nicole Hoff’s pancake dig off a partial block kept the rally alive.

Campo Verde then set the ball to the right player, power hitter Caitlin Dugan, but her cross court attempt landed outside, clinching the match and Millennium’s second ever state title appearance.

https://twitter.com/AZPreps365Jose/status/1059628217814810624

Millennium’s slow start and Campo Verde’s consistent play allowed Campo Verde to take its biggest lead in the match, 15-10, in set No. 3.

In the second set, the game was tied 11-11, but Millennium closed the set with a 14-5 run. Millennium, ranked in the top-10 my maxpreps, improved to 44-1 in its first season in 5A after moving form 6A. 

https://twitter.com/AZPreps365Jose/status/1059628217814810624

If you are planning to attend Wednesday's volleyball champioship matches at ASU, the parking and event entry details can be found here.