Foothill back on track in win over Palo Verde
Kendell Andrews doesn’t look back at his Foothill boys volleyball team’s loss to Coronado in the Sunrise Region title game last weekend as a negative.
The senior sees it as just another opportunity.
“That loss really helped us,” the outside hitter said. “It gave us our one mulligan in this tournament.”
In the Division I boys state volleyball semifinal, Andrews and the Falcons made every moment count.
Andrews powered 17 kills and four aces, and Taeg Williams distributed 36 assists to guide the Falcons to a commanding 25-23, 25-15, 25-20 sweep of Palo Verde at Chaparral.
The Falcons (31-11) will aim for the program’s first state championship when they face Coronado (25-4) in the title game today at 7 p.m. at Chaparral.
“The nice thing about last week is that it took us awhile to find a groove,” Foothill coach Chris Sisson said. “It took us an entire set. But then we were able to hang with them ... building off that experience. We know what they have.”
The Falcons, playing without star Chansten Chow because of a concussion, cruised to a 13-9 lead in the first set with a lively 8-2 run. The Panthers closed the gap to one at 23-22, but the Falcons’ solid front row held Palo Verde’s rally at bay.
“You can kind of tell that Palo Verde came out with a little bit of nerves at first,” Sisson said. “With us, I wasn’t sure how we would be with a different lineup because we obviously lost one of our better players.”
Foothill’s front row stepped up.
Andrews and Caleb Hutchinson, who had eight kills and four blocks, took advantage of their height and athleticism to overpower the Panthers.
Andrews had six kills in the second set, and the Falcons pulled away with the help of a 7-3 spurt. Cory Fisher’s blistering kill down center court capped the victory. The sophomore contributed 10 kills and two blocks.
“It means so much to make the title game, especially after all the work we’ve put in this year,” Andrews said. “For the past three years, this has been our absolute goal to get here — but not just to get here, to win it.”
E.J. Vanderstelt had five kills and Rich Ryerson added four kills and three blocks for Palo Verde, which finished 19-4.
In the other semifinal, Matt Pettit contributed 11 kills and Tyler Cucullu had nine kills as Coronado held off Centennial, 25-21, 25-22, 25-22.
The Cougars, last season’s state champions, trailed 21-20 in the first set, but closed with five straight points to grab the victory.
Coronado overcame a five-point deficit in the second set by using a 10-2 run, highlighted by two key blocks from Connor Stephenson, to take control. Stephenson finished with 30 assists.
Chet Durkin paced the Bulldogs (17-4) with 20 assists, and Blake Frischknecht added 10 kills.
DIVISION I-A
Tyler Gardenhire had 16 kills and two blocks as Tech swept Clark 25-21, 25-19, 25-18 to move into the Division I-A state championship match.
The Roadrunners (17-1) will compete for the program’s first state title against Mojave today at 5 p.m. at Chaparral.
Despite missing key players because of suspension, Tech benefited from seven Gardenhire kills in the second set to control the momentum.
A 5-0 run midway through the third set helped the Roadrunners create some space at 12-8, before a 9-2 spurt capped the match.
Miguel Garcia distributed 25 assists for Tech, and teammate Bryan Catenza added six kills.
Walt Benda paced the Chargers (5-12) with eight kills.
In the other semifinal, the Rattlers overcame a resilient comeback win from Chaparral in the third set to take the match, 25-11, 25-8, 27-29, 25-16.
Christian Limtiaco supplied 16 kills and four digs, and teammate Jovan Carrazco dished out 36 assists for Mojave (16-7), which will play for the program’s first state championship.
The Rattlers pulled away early in the fourth set, opening with a key 8-3 run to put the Cowboys away. Limtiaco had four kills in the set.
Dominic Carr had nine kills and seven blocks for Chaparral, which finished 9-4.
Contact reporter John W. Scafetta at jscafetta@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0430.
