Joseph City Invitational: Rock Point netters fall short in title game

JOSEPH CITY, Ariz.

The Rock Point volleyball team had to stave off three elimination games to reach the title game of the Joseph City Invitational on Saturday.

The Lady Cougars defeated St. Michael, Joseph City and Williams for the right to play the Kingman Academy Lady Tigers in a rematch of last year’s finals.

Rock Point played nine early sets for its showdown with the 2A school from Kingman as they came up short in the best of three match. The set scores were 25-17 and 25-22.

“I’m really proud of my team,” second-year Rock Point coach Kyle Arthur said. “I mean, I wouldn’t coach no other team out there; not even Kingman Academy, even though they have a full roster and all of them are like seven-feet tall.

“I’m proud of my girls,” he added. “They’ve put in a lot of work, and it shows. We got a few more weeks until the final dance and I think we’re ready.”

Arthur said the seven teams assembled in the championship bracket looked similar to what they’ll see in the state playoffs.

“We really appreciate the competition,” he said. “I mean, this will make us better as we’re preparing ourselves for the final dance. I enjoyed it and the girls had a lot of fun.”

In the title game, the Cougars shined on the defensive end as they kept some rallies going against Kingman Academy. The team’s back row players didn’t let the Tigers find any rhythm at the net.

“We really push them in practice, and we have that notion that nothing touches the floor,” Arthur said. “I usually hit to them in practice, so they’re no stranger to that.

“They’re all confident with where they’re at, and they’re ready for anything,” he added. “You know, they have that chemistry and that trust, and that’s making a huge difference. It’s making our defense that strong.”

Arthur did say his club needs some work with its serve-receive.

“Once we get a better handle on that, we can kill the momentum the other team is trying to build,” he said.

Offensively, the Cougars used a 1-2 hitting attack with senior Arianne Begay and junior Taylyn Woody taking most of the swings.

“I think she’s understanding her role,” Arthur said of Woody, who finished with six kills in the championship game. “Like I mentioned before, as long as she gets confident with her new role, we’re going to be OK.

“Over the past few weeks, she’s been building that confidence and right now you can see it,” he added. “Like she’s not scared of no blocks, she’s not scared of messing up and she wants to put that ball down. She’s a big player up front.”

As for Begay, the Rock Point coach said his pupil has a strong overall game as the senior pounded eight kills and had one stuff block.

“Last year, she was a real pivotal player up front,” he said. “Now, she’s playing at all areas on the court. She’s a good passer, and she’s a good digger, which makes her an all-around player.”

With the regular season winding down, Rock Point will resume 1A North Region play, starting with Red Mesa on Friday and St. Michael on Saturday.

Those matches will be doubleheaders with Rock Point hosting.

“I’m glad that we played back-to-back games today because the girls know what it looks like and what it feels like,” Arthur said. “I mean, right now we’re more mentally prepared for those four games coming up.

“We know how Red Mesa plays, and we know how St. Michael plays,” he added, “so we kind established what needs to be done.”

As of last Friday, the Cougars were holding down the No. 4 spot in the Arizona Interscholastic Association statewide polls. The new ranking was released on Tuesday, which are updated daily from Tuesday to Friday.

“Honestly, after we played today, I think we should be No. 1 or 2,” the Rock Point coach said. “Williams was ranked No. 2 and we took them out. I think a 1 or 2 seed would be nice, but we’re going to still play with whatever seed we get.”

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