Coronado’s girls volleyball team wasn’t pleased with its energy level in its Sunrise Region semifinal sweep of Green Valley on Thursday.
The Cougars made sure they didn’t have the same issue Friday.
Girls Volleyball
Whittnee Nihipali is only a sophomore.
But the Shadow Ridge outside hitter played like a veteran Friday.
Faith Lutheran setter Megan Kronschnabel already had been a part of two Division I-A Southern Region title-winning teams prior to Friday’s matchup with Sierra Vista.
The third one she got against the Mountain Lions meant more than the first two.
Shadow Ridge’s Karissa Guthrie doesn’t need to coach during volleyball matches. For her, coaching is taken care of during practices, where she goes over rotations, tendencies and discipline on the court.
There wasn’t much Foothill girls volleyball coach Chris Sisson could say as his players sat on the bench waiting for one final pep talk Thursday. His squad had just blown all of a two-set lead and had no momentum whatsoever.
Sierra Vista’s girls volleyball team came up short of its ultimate goal last season, losing to Faith Lutheran in the Division I-A state final.
The Mountain Lions earned another trip to state on Thursday night with a 22-25, 28-26, 25-18, 25-15 victory over Virgin Valley in the Southern Region semifinals at Faith Lutheran.
Coronado senior setter Cali Thompson was named to the Under Armour Girls High School All-America third team by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
Foothill’s girls volleyball team had swept Liberty the last six times the teams met prior to Tuesday’s region quarterfinal.
The outcome for match No. 7 was no different, but the Falcons weren’t able to cruise this time around.
The underdog role fit Palo Verde perfectly in the Sunset Region quarterfinals on Tuesday as the Panthers rallied from an early deficit to down host Centennial, 15-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-18.
Faith Gray-Williams dished out 22 assists, and Bridgette Levi provided 10 kills and four aces on Tuesday to help host Sierra Vista’s girls volleyball team down Moapa Valley, 25-16, 25-13, 25-19 in a Division I-A Southern Region quarterfinal.
After missing out on the playoffs for the first time in her career last season, longtime Green Valley girls volleyball coach Erin Hill took a step back and attempted to find the source of her team’s abnormal drop off.
Coronado’s girls volleyball team finished second Saturday in the Redondo Power Classic in Redondo Beach, Calif.
Whittnee Nihipali had 15 kills, 13 digs and two aces Thursday to help Shadow Ridge’s girls volleyball team clinch its second consecutive Southwest League title with a 28-26, 26-24, 25-23 sweep of visiting Bishop Gorman.
Hannah Goddard had 22 kills and five aces Wednesday to help Arbor View’s girls volleyball team clinch its second consecutive Northwest League title with a 25-17, 25-14, 25-10 sweep of host Bonanza.
Cali Thompson had 39 assists, six aces, two kills and seven digs, and Carolyn Andrulis added 11 kills and nine digs Tuesday to help Coronado’s girls volleyball team win the Southeast League title with a 25-13, 25-13, 25-14 win over visiting Foothill.