Nevada high school girls volleyball: Bishop Gorman, Coronado lead 5A

Bishop Gorman and Coronado’s girls volleyball teams have had to wait until the postseason to face off the past few seasons.

That won’t be the case this season.

Realignment reduced the number of teams in the 5A Southern Region and shifted teams around both divisions.

That placed Gorman and Coronado in the Desert League, and the state’s top two programs will face off twice in the regular season before possible third and fourth dates in the postseason.

The girls volleyball season begins Thursday. Most of the teams will wait until the following week to begin, but several teams will start play this week, including Gorman, which plays in a tournament in Hawaii on Thursday.

The Gaels have won the last two 5A state titles and five of the last six in the top classification. Coach Gregg Nunley said there hasn’t been any complacency that’s settled in with his team.

“These kids are very self-motivated. … One of my goals is to build a program that is nationally recognized,” Nunley said. “That isn’t necessarily what our athletes are concerned with, they’re mostly concerned with winning state titles.”

Gorman and Coronado are two of the favorites to get to the state tournament and likely face off for the championship. Since 2013, the two programs have combined to win 10 of the 11 titles in the top classification.

The Gaels will have a strong chance to do that with seniors Ayanna Watson, an outside hitter, and Trinity Thompson, a setter, who are both committed to Pittsburgh. Watson, who is currently playing in Indonesia with USA Volleyball at the FIVB Women’s U21 World Championship, is 389 kills away from setting a new state record for kills in a career.

“I’m proud of what they’re turning themselves into, it’s almost as if I’ve got two college athletes on the court at all times right now because of their leadership,” Nunley said of Watson and Thompson. “Their knowledge of the game has just increased dramatically, so it’s nice to be able to talk X’s and O’s with them.”

Nunley added that Chloe Lopez (libero), Boyana Pesic (outside hitter) and Aliana Breitling (outside hitter) have all stepped up into key roles in Gorman’s lineup.

‘Hungry and eager’

Coronado brings back an experienced group, led by a quartet of Division I commits — Julie Beckman (UNLV), Gentry Oblad (Grand Canyon), Rachel Purser (Hawaii) and Hannah Wayment (Missouri-Kansas City). The group has helped Coronado reach the title games the last two seasons, where the Cougars lost to Gorman.

“It just makes them even more hungry and eager,” Coronado coach Jazlynn Mau said. “A lot of kids maybe who don’t have that experience would be a little scared or shy, intimidated, but it’s really motivated them these past few years.”

Mau is in her first season leading the girls team after she took over during the last school year and helped the boys team win the state title. Mau said it’s been an “easy transition” with her familiarity with many of the players from the club scene. She added that Coronado is looking forward to getting a couple of looks at Gorman in the regular season.

“It’s a great opportunity to get a view of each other a couple of times this season to really dial in on what we need to work on or maximize on,” Mau said. “I’m excited to play them twice and hopefully again in the playoffs.”

‘Tough’ Mountain League

The 5A Mountain League could be a little more wide open. Arbor View will contend for the league title, but there are plenty of quality teams behind it with Shadow Ridge, Palo Verde, Faith Lutheran and Centennial.

Arbor View coach Joshua Baugus said with six returning seniors — led by Tamara Unga, Cameron Reese and Madison Jameson — that the Aggies should be a contender. He said the team is viewing anything short of reaching state as a “disappointment.”

“The makeup of our league is really good with Shadow Ridge and Centennial and Faith Lutheran coming over,” Baugus said. “Shadow Ridge is that rivalry that kind of got lost over the years. … The league is going to be really tough.”

The shrinkage in 5A has increased 4A into a 32-team classification with five leagues. Legacy, which lost to Durango in the last two 4A title games, should be a contender in 4A along with Doral Academy and Rancho. Durango has moved up to 5A.

In 3A, The Meadows has won the last two state titles and should be in contention to win a third.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.