Shea Garrett is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Marcos de Niza High School for AZPreps365.com.

SCOTTSDALE-- Marcos de Niza High School lost its final volleyball match of season Wednesday, a flat ending to a tempestuous autumn, at Saguaro High School. The Sabercats dropped a close first set, 25-23, before winning the final three, each more emphatically than the other: 25-19, 25-15, and 25-12.

Last week the Padres elevated freshman coach Zach Underwood to varsity coach. In the three matches with Underwood at the helm, the Padres were winless. However, victories were not Underwood’s only objective. 

“When you’re in team environments when you’re in sports specifically, you need to be there for your teammates,” Underwood said after Wednesday's loss. “In life, you might have to coach yourself, you might not have a coach that you like so you need to find a reason to be there and that reason should be the people standing next to you on the court.”

During pre-match festivities, the Sabercats celebrated their seven seniors along with the Padres’ four seniors by presenting each girl with a yellow rose. Then the match began to bloom.

Celeste Rivas serves an ace (Shea Garrett/AZPreps365)

The first set escalated rapidly, with the Padres deploying their go-to play. MdN started with a bump, and then set the ball to 5'10" senior Emma Orndorf, who spiked the ball over the net for a point. Junior Zoey Arner also aided in the team’s points by serving three times consecutively, the Padres scoring each time. Arner's service allowed MdN to gain its first lead of the set, 23-22. The set's clinching points were achieved by the Orndorf play but with a twist.

Orndorf analyzed her opponent’s block when she jumped and wound up her spike. Rather than hitting her predictable strong spike, Orndorf chose a softer hit. This threw the Sabercats for a bit of a spiral, allowing the Padres to win 25-23.

Due to the tight first set, the Sabercats made quick changes to their plays. Saguaro focused on blocking Orndorf’s spikes, regardless of if they were strong or an attempted trick play. The Sabercats also began to aim spikes and serves to senior Champlevey Carr, who struggled to keep the ball in bounds during first contact. Junior Celeste Rivas combated this by blocking the Sabercas spikes in an attempt to keep the ball in motion for her team.

The Sabercats’ adjustments were enough for them to win the second set, 25-19.

Early into the third set,  the Padres found themselves in a scoring drought. The Sabercats pounced, taking a quick 12-4 lead. After minutes of not scoring, the Padres adjusted their stances in order to have better range when hitting the ball. 

The Padres lacked effective ball movement and communication within this set. The Sabercats’ skill sets helped them seal an easy win, 25-15.

Marcos emerged more energized and focused for the fourth set. Scoring first, the Padres fixed their mistakes and kept the ball in bounds. Rivas blocked spikes. The set win came down to which team was making the least amount of errors and that team was the Saguaro Sabercats.

Orndorf, along with her fellow seniors, began to cry on the sidelines as the match came to an end, with the realization this would be her last time stepping on a high school court. Overlooking the tears and the loss, the Padres overcame an ordeal this season with the coaching change but had the opportunity to take a life lesson from the cards they were dealt. 

“I learned we lose as a team and we win as a team,” Rivas said. “No matter what, the girls on your team always have your back.”

This was something Rivas claimed Underwood taught her in his short three games with the team, allowing Underwood to achieve one of his stated goals as a coach.