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Horizon wins 5A volleyball title

BY ZACH ALVIRA

Progress Sports Editor

Horizon head volleyball coach Valorie McKenzie was overcome with emotion as she posed with her team at the end of the 5A Conference title Saturday evening at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix. Her team, filled with players she said are not only talented but mentally tough, had just completed a sweep of Millennium to win the 5A championship. For McKenzie, who last won a title in 2009, it was a long time coming...

Especially after falling short last year with a team she truly believed would win it all.

“It’s amazing,” McKenzie said. “We strive for this and last year we went out early and we shouldn’t have. We keep making the state playoffs but just haven’t been able to get to the semis. I’ve had talented teams that just didn’t have that mental, emotional strength that could go all the way.

“This team isn’t all about talent. We worked really hard on our mental strength this year and it really made a difference for them.”

The loss to Cactus Shadows last year allowed Horizon to enter the 2021 season with a chip on its shoulder. That carried over all year as the Huskies were the top seed in the tournament and knocked off Cactus Shadows in the semifinals.

From there, they knew they could capitalize and continue their run to the trophy. They did just that, winning in convincing fashion, 25-14, 25-14 and 25-15 over the second-ranked Tigers.

“I thought we were going to win state last year,” McKenzie said. “But coming into this year, these kids, they felt like we were winners, and we were going to work hard.

Horizon fell short in the quarterfinals last season but played with a chip on its shoulder this year, winning the 5A title. (Zach Alvira/Progress Staff)

Notre Dame Prep fell short in last year’s 4A Conference volleyball title. This year, however, the Saints left no doubt as they dominated Canyon Del Oro in three sets. seeHORIZON page 29

Notre Dame Prep cruises to 4A title win

BY ZACH ALVIRA

Progress Sports Editor

Notre Dame Prep made it look easy.

A year after the Saints fell short of the 4A Conference title in the championship game, Notre Dame showed its athleticism and talent across the court Saturday afternoon at Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum. The top-ranked team once again, the Saints cruised to a 3-0 win over Canyon Del Oro to win the 4A title — 2510, 25-20, 25-12.

“Last year was heartbreaking so it’s been a long year,” Notre Dame coach Holly McLean said. “To wait one whole year to get redemption, it’s been hard. We’re so thankful we were able to stay healthy and stay together as a team.” The Saints dominated from start to finish in the first set, countering nearly every attempt from the Dorados to secure a point in the set. In a matter of minutes Notre Dame had a double-digit lead in the set thanks to strong play from sophomore Evan Hendrix and seniors McKenna Douglas, Sophia Garrow Ross and Keira Ryan, who had the final point for the Saints.

Lexi Yoza, a junior setter for the Saints, routinely assisted her teammates for kills. Hendrix was on the receiving end of most as she would seemingly float through the air toward the net for the kill.

Even when Canyon Del Oro responded in the second set, Notre Dame never wavered. The Saints were calm, cool and col-

And they did.”

Horizon was in command from the start of the title match. The Huskies, older and with more size at key positions than Millennium, immediately made its presence felt.

Senior Taylor Johnson played one of the best matches of her high school career, according to McKenzie, as she was dominant both on defense and offense, accounting for most of her team’s kills. Junior outside hitter Kendal Murphy was also key for the Huskies, while senior outside hitter Eden Driescher and senior libero Kaden Young accounted for several digs to limit Millennium.

It was an overall team effort for Horizon, and one Johnson said they had aimed for since last year’s heartbreak.

“It’s just so exciting, we’ve been trying to do this for four years,” Johnson said. “We were just all on. There’s nothing else to say except we all showed up and we all played our game. I always play better when I’m having fun and tonight was a lot of fun.”

The Huskies became the second Scottsdale high school to win a title on Saturday, with Notre Dame winning the match before in similar dominant fashion.

But even as the team posed for pictures, McKenzie said it still hadn’t set in. While it may take time for that to happen, it’s one she will cherish for a while.

“It’s been a long time and I really believed we could do it this year and it finally happened,” McKenzie said. “I had a special feeling for this year. It overwhelmed me emotionally more than it has in the past.

“It really hasn’t sunk in yet. It’s hard to believe. My kids played so well tonight. It was unbelievable to me.”

NOTREDAME ���� page 28

lected throughout the match and in long volleys, often winning them by tiring out their opponent.

“We took it one point at a time,” Hendrix said. “I think we really did well focusing on what’s going on in the moment … our energy was really good and I think our serving really helped us in the beginning. I really had no doubts.”

McLean said she was impressed with the way her team responded to the small bouts with adversity. Canyon Del Oro went on a small run in the final two sets but never gained enough momentum to make a difference.

She said her team’s determination stemmed from the leadership from the senior class.

“We’ve been kind of growing up together. I took the job three years ago,” McLean said. “We’ve been growing together, me as a coach and them as players building this program. They’re going to leave behind a huge hole in our hearts but we’ll remember them always.”

Garrow Ross, one of six seniors on the Notre Dame Prep roster, was all smiles after the victory. Last season, Notre Dame fell short in the final to Salpointe Catholic, another foe from Tucson.

The heartbreak the team suffered in last year’s final as the No. 1 seed motivated them throughout the club season and into AIA play this year.

They wanted the title. And on Saturday, they took it with ease.

“I waited four years for this,” Garrow Ross said. “We worked so hard for this all year, every year. This is a great way to end the season and a great way to end my high school career. We’re just so happy to pull out a win.”

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