Will Riddell is a student journalist at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University assigned to cover North High School volleyball.

The North High School Lady Mustangs (4-0) are still undefeated after beating the South Mountain Jaguars 3-1 on the road Tuesday night in Phoenix.

South Mountain (1-3) looked at times like the more athletic team, but North was led by upperclassmen Lizbeth Juarez and Yessenia Rogelio.

“We showed maturity tonight, which I like,” North coach Mindy Williams said after the win. 

Ashley Arroyo opened up the game with an ace for North, and that pretty much set the tone for the first set. Leading 14-11 the Lady Mustangs went on a 7-0 run to take a commanding 21-11 lead. With North leading 24-15, a Jaguar serve found the net and the Lady Mustangs took set one, 25-15.

The Mustangs kept rolling in the second set, thanks to a pair of nice serves from junior Reagan Lee. After an ace from Rogelio, North was up 15-12 and looking strong. 

The Jaguars answered by putting together a 3-0 run and forced Williams to burn her first timeout of the game. The Mustangs responded with a little run of their own, going up 19-17 after a kill from Juarez. The junior, who came into the match second on the team in both kills and digs, had another standout performance.

“She’s always solid for us,” Williams said. "Back row, front row, serving — she’s definitely one of our most consistent players.”

North ended the second set with a 4-0 run that was finished off courtesy of an Arroyo ace. The Mustangs took the second set 25-21, and with it, a commanding 2-0 set lead.

North struggled a little in the third, with Williams electing to take another timeout when her squad was down 18-11. The Lady Mustangs responded, but Rogelio was blocked at the net to force a fourth set, with the Jaguars winning the third 25-18.

Rogelio did not let the blocked shot affect her.

“I am a senior, so this year counts a lot for me,” she said.

The senior captain came into the match leading her team in both kills and aces. After a couple of Rogelio kills, North started the fourth set up 5-1. 

Lee came out firing for the Lady Mustangs as well. She was a big part of North’s critical fourth set. The junior had an ace and a couple of kills in the deciding set.

“We needed energy. I just started swinging at it,” Lee said.

With the Jaguars down 12-8, it looked like South Mountain was ready to make a late push and attempt to force a fifth set. After a long rally that included senior Gladys Vargas diving on the floor to keep the ball alive, North took a 13-8 lead and had a little breathing room. The lead for North swelled to 17-10, but the Jaguars hung around. Even with the team leading 17-12, Williams called one more timeout.

“We needed to serve, and we needed to play defense,” she said.

The Lady Mustangs responded by giving up only three more points in the fourth set. An ace gave North a 25-15 fourth set victory, and a 3-1 win against the Jaguars.

“They play with heart, and you can’t teach that, so that’s what I’m most proud of,” Williams said.

The Lady Mustangs will look to continue their undefeated start Sept. 16th against Maryvale.