Centennial earns 3rd straight trip to semis

The two squads at Deer Valley Thursday night were mirror images of one another.

Both sides have four seniors and rely on a strong defense to create offensive opportunities. They both have big hitters who aren’t afraid to let their arms fly, and girls who play well above the net.

What sets Centennial apart from Deer Valley, however, is experience. Along with four seniors, the Coyote girls volleyball squad runs six juniors out on the court as opposed to the Skyhawks four.

And that’s what Deer Valley Head Coach Jackie Wallace clung to after her girls were swept 25-19, 25-22, 25-23 Thursday night in the 5A Division II state quarterfinal match up.

“This is definitely a learning experience,” Wallace said. “We were a young team this year and need to learn how to close out games. I told the girls after the game to pay attention to how you’re feeling right now and realize you don’t want that same feeling next season.”

And while the No. 3 seed Skyhawks couldn’t close out games one and two when they had leads, the No. 6-seed Coyotes were able to do just that in third game, despite squandering an 8-point lead that would have forced a fourth game.

Needing a lift after a long rally one serve before, Centennial used a kill by sophomore Brooke Pottle that went off Deer Valley blockers Sarrah Davis and Kaci Kinnett that fell under the net for and early 5-4 lead in the third game.

The Coyotes used that play to spur a 10-3 run and take command of the match, 16-8. The Skyhawks found themselves back on their heals, unable to defend an assortment of tips and big hits, meanwhile digging themselves deeper by consistently hitting long.

“Our three setters played real smart tonight, giving our outside hitters chances to go for the middle or work the outside lines,” said Centennial Head Coach Carly Bourland. “And then Brooke Pottle covered well on defense. We did great job spreading the ball around between the lines. Left or right, back or front, the girls really worked hard to put the ball in open spots.”

Just as the Coyotes appeared to advance, Deer Valley fought back. With Deer Valley junior Izzy Gaulia serving, Centennial senior Elise Harris took a set and knocked her kill out of bounds. Fellow Skyhawk junior Sarrah Davis played off Coyote senior Kristen Matheson’s save and spiked a set that split a pair of defenders to cut the lead to six.

Centennial senior Leah Bradley’s tip over Makayla Higgins broke Izzy Gaulia’s serve and kept Deer Valley at bay for a moment at 16-12. The touch tip seemed a favorite shot for Leah Bradley, and she used it consistently when the Skyhawks were coming down off a block.

“I thought I was having an off night, honestly,” said Leah Bradley. “I couldn’t push off to well since I rolled my ankle last week. But the shots were falling, and that’s what matters.”

Down 18-12 following a Brooke Pottle kill - one of her seven kills in the game - Sarrah Davis spiked a set of a pair of Centennial defenders who looked like they won the net battle, however, they were called for touching the net giving Deer Valley the point. From there the Skyhawks went on another run to climb to 20-18, giving hope to the team and the Deer Valley fans in the packed stands.

“I tried everything to get them to calm down and just play their game,” Wallace said. “They didn’t give up, though. What are you supposed to do? I guess we could have laid down and died but they wanted to fight. They wanted to win.”

After trading serves and points, Centennial found its large lead pared down to one after an exchange that found both sides chasing long saves and diving to keep the ball up for the setters. An extra hit that sent the ball into the bleachers made it a 22-21 game. But that was as close as the Skyhawks would get.

“I never doubted this team,” Bourland said. “They came back in those first two games, kept hitting the ball hard, playing good defense, which we had to because (Deer Valley) kept hitting the ball back hard forcing us to play harder.

“Deer Valley has become an unspoken rival since they are so close to us and are always right there at the end playing well. When we play them, I know it will be a defensive battle, just like it was tonight, and never an easy match.”

Centennial faced that grit in the first game as it took an early 10-6 lead, which capped a small 5-1 run. The Skyhawks, after a time out by Wallace, fought back with their own 4-0 run when the Coyotes either hit the ball long or wide, and then used a meager 3-0 run to put the Skyhawks up 17-14.

However, the lead was short lived as Centennial controlled the remainder of the first game with an 11-2 run, using well-placed touch-tips that often fell just out of reach of Deer Valley defenders.

If there was a game meant for the Skyhawks to take, it was the second game of the match. Deer Valley took a 14-11 lead on a Sarrah Davis spike that Centennial hit into the rafters on the dig but their next hit went into the net and they failed to get the ball over. That prompted a timeout by Wallace to calm her troops.

The Coyotes returned with two straight scores, one a Leah Bradley tip and the other off a kill block by Brooke Pottle.

A four-hit call followed by poor set two points later tied the game at 21. The teams wouldn’t give into one another as they traded tips, kills and blocks on the next two points, a pair of series that had more back and forth action than any other point of the game. In the end Centennial senior Emily Dold’s serve held and the Coyotes earned the victory.

“How will it help if we’re down on ourselves on the court?” said Sarrah Davis. “We kept our heads up tonight and didn’t stop fighting.”

And that never-say-die spirit could keep the program charging forward for next season.

“I hope we learned from tonight’s game,” said Sarrah Davis. “We’ll have experience next season, but we’re losing some good players this year (Alyssa Rodrigues, Alison Hasselbring, Jessica Alonge and Kaci Kinnett).”

Up next for Centennial is a date in the semifinals Saturday against No. 7 seed Rincon High School.

“Coach (Bourland) really got us through the tough games, like this one tonight, and kept telling us this was our year to win state,” said Leah Bradley. “She wants us to get that title. We want to get that title, especially for our four seniors.”

Wallace agreed that while the loss stings now, it could help her squad next season if it finds itself in a similar position in the state playoffs.

“(Centennial) played like winners tonight,” Wallace said. “They are a great team. It was one of those games where the team that makes the least mistakes will win. They played smarter and won. But you also can’t let good teams get back into games, and I think we did that in the first and second game tonight.”

The 5A Division II semifinal match will be at 11 a.m. at Hamilton High School, 3700 S. Arizona Ave., in Chandler. The championship match will be at 7 p.m. at the same school.