AIA playoffs: MV Mustangs fall in five sets to Benjamin Franklin
Special to the Times | Reginald Chee
Monument Valley Mustang Juliet Mitchell (1) jumps to spike the ball over the net toward the Benjamin Franklin Chargers side at Millennium High School on Saturday, Nov. 9.
WINDOW ROCK – The fourth-seeded Monument Valley Mustangs went the distance with Benjamin Franklin in the opening round of the Arizona 3A state volleyball playoffs.
MV trailed 2-1 and forced a fifth set, but the Mustangs fell into an early deficit in that final set as Benjamin Franklin prevailed with a 25-17, 19-25, 25-11, 18-25 and 15-8 win at Millennium High School in Goodyear, Arizona on Saturday.
“In the fifth set we struggled with serve-receive pretty early,” longtime MV coach Rennell Gilmore said. “I think that is where we lost the momentum. That’s the hardest part because that’s the first ball you’re going to get to start the game.”
In other 3A action, No. 16 seed Window Rock Lady Scouts was swept by top-seeded Chandler Valley Christian. The set scores were 25-8, 25-12 and 25-11.
Including all regular season tournament games, Window Rock finished the season at 25-13-1 overall, as the Scouts finished second in the 3A North behind Monument Valley.
The Mustangs, meanwhile, posted a 29-10 mark following its loss to Benjamin Franklin, a team that MV beat during last season’s state quarterfinals.
“Postseason is what we talked about since the beginning of the season and this is not where we would have liked to finish,” Gilmore said of their first-round exit. “We were hoping to go deep into the playoffs, but as the postseason came around the dynamic of our team changed.”
The Mustangs had to revamp its lineup for the playoffs as MV used two alternates in the setter’s position.
“We would have liked a little more time to prepare, but we did the best we could with what we had,” the MV coach said. “They tried all they could, and that’s all I can ask for.”
Next season, the Mustangs will be without four big pieces as libero Adriana Dominguez, setter Kaleigh Manygoats and hitters Aubrey Sheppard and Juliet Mitchell are set to graduate next spring.
Of those players, Dominguez, Manygoats and Sheppard were varsity players since their freshmen season. Sheppard, however, sat out last year due to an ACL injury.
As for Mitchell, she joined the varsity team her sophomore season.
“They have been well-rounded leaders,” Gilmore said of her seniors. “They have been good role models for the past two seasons. They’ve done well and they’re a great group of girls.
“Not only did they succeed on the court, they also succeeded academically, so they’re going to go pretty far in life,” she added.
Despite losing some quality players, Gilmore remains optimistic about next season as the Mustangs will lean on veteran players like Tehya Yazzie, Tahnee Yazzie, Cheyenne Kescoli
“We’re still going to be a threat,” Gilmore said. “Some of these girls have been on the varsity season the past two seasons, so we have a lot of girls who are well-rounded individuals. They’re going to help us next season.”
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