Deer Valley Falls To Third-Ranked Notre Dame Prep in Straight Sets
September 30, 2021 by Hayden Cilley, Arizona State University
Hayden Cilley is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Deer Valley High School for AZPreps365.com
GLENDALE-- Deer Valley High School (14-9), which had won eight of its previous nine matches, were swept at home Thursday night, 25-18, 25-21, 25-20 by third-ranked Notre Dame Prep (20-3). The Skyhawks were coming off a successful weekend at the Barry Goldwater Festival, where they had won four of five.
After the defeat, Skyhawk coach Jackie Wallace was buoyed by the camaraderie of her squad in the wake of defeat. “We’ve been playing together as a team since the festival last weekend,” Wallace said. “I know we can maintain this positive momentum heading into November.”
Notre Dame Prep won the first set, 25-18 in a back-and-forth contest. Junior outside hitter Sam Gloria shined for the Skyhawks, registering three kills. Both sides were diligent, not giving any leeway until the Saints scored four points in a row to close out the set.
The second set mirrored the first, both in terms of it being nip-and-tuck and in Notre Dame Prep prevailing. Skyhawk senior outside hitter Liz Rupp tried to ignite a comeback with a ferocious kill, assisted by senior libero Emme Fellens, but the spark did not fuel a fire. The Skyhawks would lose the set, 25-21.
Trailing 2-0, Deer Valley showed its determination in the third set. The Skyhawks took a 17-14 lead after a pair of Rupp and Gloria kills.
The Saints mounted a comeback, however, capitalizing on a few moments of miscommunication by Deer Valley. They'd win the set, 25-20, completing the 3-0 sweep.
Coach Wallace maintained optimism about the match despite the loss. “Games like these will prepare us for the competition in November,” Wallace said. “Every game we play is like we’re 0-0.”
A surprise here at Deer Valley High School. The Skyhawks got swept 3-0 by the Notre Dame Preparatory Saints. They lost 25-18, 25-20 and 25-21. Coach Jackie Wallace shows optimism saying “Games like these will help us prepare for November.” pic.twitter.com/HSfJt3OTWt
— Hayden Cilley (@HaydenCilley) October 1, 2021
Junior outside hitter Sam Gloria leads Deer Valley with 220 kills on the season. “It doesn’t matter which one of us played the best,'' Gloria said. “We all lost and have to play better.”
Coach Wallace stated that extensive preparation is incumbent upon her squad if the Skyhawks want to compete with the top teams across the state.
Deer Valley will take on Cactus High School next Tuesday in their third regional game.
