Alexis Cortez is a student journalist at the Walter Cronkite School at Arizona State University assigned to cover the Perry volleyball team.

The Perry Pumas swept the Queen Creek Bulldogs 3-0 on Tuesday, after coming off a tournament win. Perry placed first in the Westwood Tournament of Champions over the weekend and is currently 14-1 after Tuesday's win.

Tatum Stall and Makayla Long had the most kills for the team. Stall had 12 kills and, Long tacked on 11 more. Stall also had four aces to add on as well. Jenna Heller and Jordan Suan also had two aces apiece.

However, the Bulldogs put up a fight against the Pumas, taking the lead for a short while in the second set. Queen Creek scored six unanswered points and took the lead for the first time that night. Perry assistant coach Brian Wagner knew the girls had to regroup. “I think that any team can catch you off guard a little bit," he said. "I think we relaxed a little bit and had to re-engage and get focused and execute."

In the third set, Queen Creek went on another scoring spree to try to tie the game, scoring five unanswered points. However, Perry’s quick offense dominated the game in the end, with the team setting up Stall, Long and Ella Rud for kills. The defense also performed well, and the Pumas held the Bulldogs to a maximum of 19 points in one set.

Perry head coach Fred Mann thought the girls performed well Tuesday, especially coming off a busy weekend. “We came out of the tournamen,  and the girls are a little sore, but today, to come in and play them — and they played well against us. I felt like we did a good job because the girls are tired, but they managed to find a way to get it done,” he said.

Next up on the Pumas schedule is the Corona del Sol Aztecs, who defeated the Pumas in the semifinals of the playoffs last year. The girls and the coaches are excited to see what this matchup holds.

Wagner knows Corona is a difficult team, but he is thrilled to see the showdown between the two squads. “That Corona team is really good," he said. "We saw them on Saturday at that tournament, and it’s going to be a battle. Their gym is always tough to play in; I’m excited to see what we are capable of."

Heller, a junior on the Pumas, agrees that the team has a competitive spirit and is looking to give it their all against Corona. “It’s going to be a hard game," she said. "I know we played them this weekend too, and it's very competitive. Because of last year, there’s a little more fire in us and in them to win, but it’s going to be a good game.”

The rivalry matchup between the Perry Pumas and Corona del Sol Aztecs will get underway Sept. 19, 2019 at 6 p.m. at Corona del Sol High School in Tempe.