Coronado looks to cap dominant season with 5A boys volleyball title
Coronado boys volleyball coach Jazlynn Mau said she expected the Cougars to have a dominant season.
While she would have preferred Coronado’s 37-2 record to have “a goose egg at the end” of it, Mau said the blemishes have the Cougars focused and confident to finish their season with a state title.
“Since then, we’ve been on a straight and narrow road to success. … We just have one more goal left in our season,” Mau said.
Coronado, the Mountain League champion, will get its chance to achieve that goal when the Cougars face Palo Verde, the No. 2 seed from the Mountain League, for the Class 5A state championship at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Sunrise Mountain.
Sunrise Mountain will host all three state title games Tuesday. Boulder City and Virgin Valley will begin the tripleheader at 3 p.m. for the 3A title. Mojave and Basic will play for the 4A crown at 5.
Coronado has been on the doorstep of winning the 5A title the past two seasons as a No. 1 seed, but came up short. The Cougars lost in the 2023 state semifinals to Shadow Ridge. Last year, Coronado was swept in three sets by Palo Verde for the title.
Mau is in her first season leading Coronado. She said it was easier to transition into her new role with the Cougars having several returners from last year’s team and the extra motivation to win a title.
“They’ve talked about their frustrations of the past years of not quite making their end goal,” Mau said. “That’s really been extremely motivating for them and for me to get where they need to be.”
Palo Verde (19-8) has a reason to be confident. The Panthers are one of two teams to defeat Coronado, in a tournament March 1. Coronado defeated Palo Verde in the team’s two regular-season meetings in league play.
“We played each other during the season, so we’re able to adapt pretty well to different things they’re running on offense and how to adjust our defense,” Mau said. “It’s about being consistent in those changes and read their game quickly and capitalize on it.”
Coronado has won 21 straight matches. A 38th win Tuesday would be tied for the second-most wins by a team in a season in state history.
“We’re very excited and prepared and determined to get it done this year,” Mau said. “It’s always exciting and a blessing to be able to be in this position year after year, and hopefully this year we can close the deal.”
In 4A, Basic, the Sky League champion, is going for its second straight state title after surviving a five-set thriller over Sky Pointe in the semifinals Friday. The Wolves (27-10) have most of their core back from last year’s title-winning team, led by Porter Hughes, last season’s 4A state player of the year.
Mojave, the No. 2 seed from the Desert League, swept Mountain League champion Del Sol in the semifinals. AJ Tuitele leads the Rattlers (19-13) with 211 kills. He led the Rattlers to the 4A state football title in November and is committed to play college football at USC.
Boulder City (30-8) is seeking its fourth straight 3A title. The Eagles have lost one match to 3A opponents this season and swept Virgin Valley (27-9) in three sets April 10.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.