Connor Morman is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Chandler for AZPreps365.

Momentum is a funny thing.

Sports are fueled by momentum and its many shifts and twists and turns. On the final day of the Tournament of Champions, the Wolves experienced momentum's highs and lows.

Coming off an emotional 2-1 comeback win against Notre Dame Prep to start the day, the Wolves were unable to capitalize on that momentum against Centennial, falling in two sets, 25-20 and 25-15.

“It’s very strange how momentum just stops as soon as a match ends, regardless of win or loss,” head coach Bobby Robson said. “That’s just the nature of the sport.”

The Wolves kept up with the Coyotes for most of the first set, getting an early lead, but were unable to sustain their early success. The Coyotes made a comeback and took a competitive first set.

“They kept getting us out of our system to where we couldn’t hit and put balls away,” assistant coach Tracey Rodarte said.

The game plan for the Wolves was to consistently hit the ball to Coyotes senior opposite hitter Nyjha Marcelin, who played all six rotations for a majority of the match.

"We served her a lot and made her work hard because she’s their primary hitter,” Robson said. “We served at her to get her to move around and wear her out a bit and mentally frustrate her.”

By the time the second set began, the momentum was fully on Centennial’s side. The Wolves were unable to keep up in set two, ending their second and final day at the Tournament of Champions.

“They weren’t expecting Centennial to be as athletic and as good as they were,” Rodarte said. “It was a shock to them.”

“We made them work hard,” Robson said. “They’re a really athletic team. We gave them a good run in set 1. In set 2 we took our foot off the gas a bit early.

Even though the tournament came to a disappointing end, the experience gained is a positive going forward.  

"We haven’t seen anyone like that yet,” senior outside hitter Isabela Glass said. “It was a good learning experience, but something we weren’t ready for.”

The level of competition faced by the Wolves will also be important going into their next match against Mesa and beyond.

“It’s great competition,” Rodarte said. “We just have to rise to the challenge and to the competition, not just playing even keel every match.

Coach Robson hopes his team can build off their performance in the Tournament of Champions, mastering and executing game plans.

“We’re hoping to continue to play good ball,” Robson said. “We’re working hard and starting to get better in our system. Now it’s about us continuing to execute."