Monument Valley netters win 9th state title
Monument Valley's Ohiyah Shirley (8) hits the ball past Cactus' Paige Worden (9) and Tara Melton (15) Saturday night during the Arizona Division III State Championship game at the Prescott Valley Events Center in Prescott Valley, Ariz. Monument Valley beat Cactus in four games to win their ninth state title. (Special to the Times - Matt Hinshaw/Hinshaw Photography)
PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz.
After a three-year hiatus, the Monument Valley Lady Mustangs added another state title to their dynasty.
On Saturday night, the Mustangs captured their ninth state volleyball crown by outlasting the Glendale Cactus Cobras 25-20, 26-24, 23-25, 25-14 in the Division III title tilt.
“I’m still lost in the moment right now,” MV outside hitter Taylor Worker said afterward. “Throughout the whole tournament we stayed humble. We didn’t want to get too cocky because we didn’t want to get too comfortable and let them back in.”
That was the lesson learned from last season as the Mustangs surrendered a 2-0 lead in sets against Cactus in the state quarterfinals.
“It left a bitter taste but we learned from that,” Worker said.
Fellow senior Ohiyah Shirley agreed and added that there was no better way to end her prep career.
“Words can’t explain what I am feeling now,” Shirley said. “It’s amazing feeling knowing that I ended my senior year with a state championship.”
Shirley finished the match with 19 kills while Worker added 11.
The red-hot Mustangs also had seniors Tiara John and Kaitlyn Wayne finish with seven and six kills, respectively.
The difference of the match, however, was the way the Mustangs handled themselves defensively as they seem to frustrate the hard-hitting Cactus team.
“I have a young team but they played confident,” Cactus coach Anthony Puglisi said. “Monument Valley is a great team and there are no excuses. When we did hit balls they got them up.
“They were very dominating when it comes to defense,” he added.
Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow