Lady Mustangs fall in state volleyball semis

WINSLOW, Ariz. – The energy level favored the Monument Valley Lady Mustangs on Tuesday night with its fan base.

But the tempo of the game benefited second seed Snowflake as the much taller Lady Lobos advanced to its third consecutive 3A state title game.

Snowflake swept MV in straight sets at Winslow High School. The set scores were 25-18, 25-22 and 25-16.

“Playing in the final four brings a lot of competition no matter what side of the bracket you’re on,” MV coach Rennell Gilmore said. “This is the first time we’ve been this far in years, so this experience is gonna do us big for the next few years.”

In its quarterfinal win over Queen Creek Benjamin Franklin on Saturday night, the MV coach praised her team for staying poised in the tough competitive moments. But on Tuesday night, Snowflake played with steely confidence to give the Mustangs its only conference loss this season.

“The mental toughness got the best of us,” Gilmore said. “We were able to handle it in the first and second set.”

In all three sets, Snowflake was able to reach the 20-point plateau first. And though MV rallied, the Lobos were able to snuff out the win in those sets.

“We did get leads here and there, which was awesome,” Gilmore said. “We just lost our grip as it got closer to 25.

“It went back and forth for a while,” the MV coach said of the rallies. “They had theirs and we had ours. At the end, they finished out the sets.”

Snowflake coach Jamie Robinson felt that her team stayed composed during those crucial point swings.

“That was big because we know how good Monument Valley is,” Robinson said. “I mean, they’re scrappy, they swing hard and when they get the momentum, we have to work hard to put a stop to it because when they get one, it’s hard to stop.

“They’re a great team,” she added. “We had to calm our girls down so that we could get that pass, and getting the ball back was huge for us.”

In the opening set, MV erased a three-point deficit and opened a 10-8 lead following an ace from senior Naomi Benally.

The Mustangs, however, tossed in three consecutive hitting errors. Snowflake took advantage of that as they pushed its lead to 18-13 on a kill by junior outside hitter Chelsea Caskey.

MV got as close as 20-17 but the Lobos ended the set on a 5-1 run.

Snowflake carried that momentum into the next set by taking a 7-1 lead that prompted Gilmore to burn a timeout. The Mustangs responded in a big way as MV put down six kills and served over two aces. Coupled with seven Snowflake errors, MV led 15-11.

“We knew that Snowflake was going to come out strong, so we had to come back stronger,” said Benally, who had three kills in that run.

But the Robinson-coached team rallied with a 4-0 run to tie the game at 15-all. The two teams then traded side outs with Snowflake holding a slight 21-20 edge. The Lobos then put away three kills to end the set.

“We wanted to make sure we weren’t giving up so many points in a row,” Robinson said. “We wanted to put a quick stop to it because we wanted to get the momentum on our side.”

Snowflake got off to another fast start, leading 7-1 in the third. The Mustangs got as close a 9-8 on a nicely placed dink by senior middle hitter Kaleilanamaria Maiava but the frontline hitters from Snowflake put away nine kills to end Monument Valley’s season.

“When our girls work together as a team, we’re unstoppable,” Robinson said. “They really are and when they’re gelling, they are fun to watch.”

The Snowflake coach credited senior setter Braxton Jones for directing the offense, setting up her hitters from all angles on the court.

“Our setter is phenomenal in that way,” Robinson said. “She knows how to work the court; she knows where to go with our hitters. She knows when to dump and so she’s just a phenomenal player for us.”

Six-foot outside hitter Livi Schneider led Snowflake with a dozen kills and three blocks. Caskey added eight kills and senior middle hitter Macey Gardner had six.

For Monument Valley, Benally finished with a team-best nine kills. Maiava and senior middle hitter Melanie Kescoli added six and five kills.

“Snowflake has some tall blockers, so we had to adjust and play smart and place the ball better,” Kescoli said. “They also play good defense, so in general they’re a good team.”

With it being her senior season, Kescoli was elated that this year’s squad reached the final four.

“This was a good experience,” she said. “We’ve always made state, but we’ve always lost in the first round. This year was different, but the bond and sisterhood we had got us this far.”

And although she graduates eight seniors, Gilmore said they will have the cupboard filled.

“My seniors were phenomenal,” the MV coach said. “If you think about it, they never had a freshman year because of Covid. They missed a year, but they stuck it out and look where it got them.”

As for her returnees, Gilmore expects her team to make another deep playoff run.

“I had three seniors that started, so we got to see who can fill those spots and keep this going,” she said.