Sierra Vista bests Silverado for 4A volleyball state title — PHOTOS
Sierra Vista’s girls volleyball team — which features six underclassmen on its 16-player roster — clawed it way to a Class 4A state title Saturday with a 3-1 victory over Silverado.
The Mountain Lions relied on a mix of youth and senior leadership to get through the championship round, winning in four sets (15-25, 25-21, 25-23, 25-21) at Sunrise Mountain. After the Skyhawks claimed the first set, Sierra Vista rallied when coach Raymond Maika made some defensive adjustments to counter Silverado’s attack.
“I’m just ecstatic for them,” Maika said. “We played a great Silverado team, and they just dug deep.”
After that first set, both teams played pretty evenly with back-and-forth games. Mountain Lion seniors such as middle blocker Sienna Rhein provided the spark, while freshmen such as outside hitter Averie Gidge did the damage.
Rhein led Sierra Vista (23-12) with 15 kills, and Gidge finished with 11. Gidge also notched nine digs and three aces. Libero Halen Manibusan, a sophomore, had a team-high 14 digs in the victory, along with three aces.
Rhein said that the talented underclassmen motivated the seniors to take their game to the next level this season. After the Mountain Lions swept through Rancho and Mojave in the first two rounds of the playoffs, Green Valley pushed Sierra Vista to five games in the semifinal.
Rhein felt that last victory prepared the team for a competitive championship matchup with Silverado.
“My team has worked so hard this season to get here,” Rhein said. “I feel extremely accomplished, and I feel so happy for my team. … When you have those (freshmen) who work really hard, it pushes the seniors to work harder.”
The Mountain Lions kept pace with the Skyhawks (17-13) early in the first set, but Silverado closed the opener with eight unanswered points to secure the victory.
In the second set, Sierra Vista took control after the Skyhawks tied it at eight, scoring eight consecutive points and keeping Silverado at arm’s length to even it up with a 25-21 win.
From there on, the Mountain Lions controlled the pace, but the Skyhawks didn’t make it easy. Sierra Vista claimed a close 25-23 win in the third set to take the lead, then broke away from Silverado late in the fourth set to clinch the state championship with a 25-21 victory.
Penina Fakatoumafi led the Skyhawks with 14 kills while also totaling six digs. Xalia King finished with a team-best 27 digs.
Class 3A
* No. 1S The Meadows 3, No. 2S Moapa Valley 0: At Fernley High, the Mustangs, the Southern Region champions, rolled to a 25-19, 25-19, 25-22 sweep of the Pirates to win their third consecutive Class 3A state championship.
It’s the 11th state title for The Meadows (23-9). The Mustangs have won five straight state titles, which include 2A titles in 2021 and 2022. Moapa Valley, the South’s No. 2 seed, finishes 13-22.
Class 2A
* No. 1S GV Christian 3, No. 2S White Pine 0: At Sunrise Mountain, the Guardians (31-5), the Southern Region champions, rolled to a 25-19, 25-18, 25-14 sweep of the Bobcats (28-7), the South’s No. 2 seed, to win their second straight Class 2A state championship. It’s the third state title for GV Christian, which also won the 2022 2A title.
Class 1A
* No. 1S Pahranagat Valley 3, No. 1W Coleville 0: At Fernley High, the Panthers (21-6), the Southern Region champions, defeated the Wolves 25-21, 25-13, 25-23 to win the Class 1A state championship.
It’s the 22nd state championship for Pahranagat Valley, which is the most in state history. Coleville, the West League champion, finished 19-6.
