Dau delivers, sends Coronado to state volleyball

Coronado boys volleyball coach Matt Johnson took a timeout late in the second set Thursday to let his team know it wasn't meeting its potential and someone needed to step up after Las Vegas took a lead.

At least, that's how outside hitter Brandon Dau remembered it.

And he took it personally.

Dau put down six of his match-high 13 kills in the second set to help the Cougars come back, and Coronado downed the Wildcats 25-15, 26-24, 25-22 in a Sunrise Region semifinal at Legacy.

"(Johnson) really came at us," Dau recalled. "He said, 'You guys have got to push it through. There's no reason why you guys can't take this; this is our match. Just keep it together.' "

Consecutive kills by Levi Mackelprang and Garrett Jones helped the Wildcats (18-2) to a 22-18 lead in the second set, and Johnson used his final timeout to send his team a message.

Dau put down back-to-back kills, and the Cougars forced three Las Vegas errors during a 6-1 run to retake a lead and hold off the Wildcats.

With the win, Coronado (16-4) clinched a berth in its fifth straight Class 4A state tournament. The Cougars will play Silverado (18-2) in the Sunrise Region championship at 7 p.m. today, with both teams heading to state next week at Chaparral.

"I've just been so fortunate with my team," said Dau, a senior team captain. "Every year, we get a great squad, and I'm so lucky to have the guys around me. Especially this year, it's something really special.

"Being a senior and being a captain, it made me feel like I had to lead the team and take over at crucial times. But we all work together, and we all get it done when it needs to happen."

Coronado breezed to a first-set win behind four kills from Austin Moiseyev and three aces from setter Connor Stephenson.

But the Wildcats came back strong, using a 5-1 run sparked by Jones to take a 17-14 lead midway through the second set before Dau's critical heroics.

Moiseyev totaled 12 kills for Coronado, and Stephenson had 36 assists and three aces.

"(Moiseyev is) our most athletic guy," Johnson said. "He's a basketball player by nature, but he goes out there and hits the ball and has a good time. It definitely helps to have another go-to guy."

Tyler Cucullu added six kills and three blocks for the Cougars.

Jones led Las Vegas with 11 kills, and Jace Turner added 10 kills and two blocks. Mackelprang had eight kills and Evany Diaz 30 assists for the Wildcats.

■ Silverado 3, Green Valley 1 - Curtis Hadland had for 22 kills and three blocks as the Skyhawks ousted the Gators.

Kyle Divicino added 17 kills and two blocks for Silverado, which got 45 assists from Dakota Relle and eight kills from Hunter Witt.

Donovan Santos had 33 assists for Green Valley (12-8). Jake Johnson supplied nine kills and three blocks, and James Byrne had nine kills and three aces for the Gators.

Dimitri Santos and Wesley Reed each had seven kills and two aces for Green Valley.

SUNSET REGION

After Cimarron-Memorial had tied the match at one set apiece, Palo Verde's Trent Gneiting knew there was one specific area where the Panthers could regain an advantage.

The service line.

Gneiting served four aces to go along with his 15 kills as the Panthers downed the upstart Spartans 25-9, 21-25, 25-16, 25-20 in a Sunset Region semifinal at Legacy.

Palo Verde (15-3) advanced to the region title match against Shadow Ridge (20-0).

"In the second set, we missed five serves. I told my team going into the third that we needed to be aggressive on our service," Gneiting said. "We couldn't miss anymore. I knew I had to do my part. So I just went up there and tried to rip it as hard as I could, and it paid off."

The Panthers faced little opposition in breezing to the first-set victory, but Cimarron's Kyle Henriksen willed his team back in the second, when he had four kills and three blocks.

Henriksen roared as he put down a thunderous kill that set up set point in the second set, as the Spartans (13-7) went up 24-20.

But Gneiting knew it was anything but over.

The senior captain served five straight points as the Panthers opened the third set on a 8-2 run and never looked back.

"I think we realized they were here to play," Gneiting said. "This is the playoffs, and it's win or go home. They were really defiant and trying not to drop off after that loss."

Jordyn Martin had 16 kills, four blocks and seven digs - including three kills, a block and an ace in the pivotal third set - for Palo Verde.

"After that (second set), there wasn't much we had to say," Palo Verde coach Phil Clarke said. "Cimarron stepped it up, and we got a little complacent."

Andrew Weston had 36 assists and Vince Hipwell eight kills for Palo Verde.

Henriksen finished with nine kills and four blocks. Teammate Braydon Egbert had 10 kills and 11 digs, and Salvador Garcia added seven kills and six blocks.

Taylor Larsen had 22 assists and three aces for the Spartans.

■ Shadow Ridge 3, Centennial 1 - At Legacy, Tanner Maxwell spiked nine of his 20 kills in a pivotal third set to lift the Mustangs by the Bulldogs 25-21, 23-25, 25-14, 25-21 and into the Sunset title match.

Brandon Fisher added 15 kills for Shadow Ridge, including a team-high five in the first set.

Braden Taylor had 25 assists, two kills and two aces, and Jalen Makaiwi supplied 11 assists for the Mustangs. Teammate Cody Tesoro notched 18 digs and five assists.

Dustin Buell had 11 kills and five blocks for Centennial (11-8), which got 11 kills from Dane Hunsicker and 31 assists from Chet Durkin.

Tanner Bonds had six kills and four blocks for the Bulldogs.

Contact reporter Sean Walker at swalker@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0430.