The Joseph City Lady Wildcats went into the Division V State Volleyball Tournament on the heels of a doubleheader sweep over St. Michael during the final week of the regular season.
The Lady Cats won the first match in four games, 25-17, 25-23, 15-25 and 25-22, then outlasted St. Michael in five games in the second match, 21-25, 25-22, 25-22, 19-25 and 15-11. Those two wins moved them up in the overall state power point rankings, placing them as the 12th seed when the tournament began early Friday morning.
Playing at 8 a.m. on Friday the Lady Wildcats met up with fifth seeded Pima and fell to the Lady Roughriders, bringing their season to an end with an overall non-tournament record of 13-6.
Joseph City came out strong, winning the first game 25-23, but couldn’t maintain that momentum in the games that followed.
“Pima’s coach, Jerry Hekekia, has been a mentor of mine, so winning that first set was great,” said Joseph City Coach Darrel Mosier.
In the second game, the Lady Cats went on top early, 5-2, but fell behind 13-7. “We brought Laura Parra, Shannon Mosier and Britney Smith off the bench, and they all helped us get back to within three points at 19-22,” said Mosier. Even so, Pima went on to win game two 25-20.
In the third game the Lady Wildcats again started quickly, building a 5-0 lead, but once again they gave way to Pima. Senior Harlie Blosser kept Joseph City close with good serving, but in the end Pima put together a run to win the game 25-22.
In the fourth game Joseph City trailed early, but fought back behind Heidi Hunsaker, who played well off the bench to help her team to a 19-18 lead. Joseph City then missed back-to-back serves, allowing Pima to close out the Lady Wildcats’ season with a 25-23 win in game four.
“We had to play more aggressive, which forced more errors on our part. I was glad the girls stepped up during the fourth game. I was afraid they were going to let Pima blow us out. Torie Baird really fought hard during the last set. She had three nice kills to help get us back into the game. Also Kristin Baldwin and Lexi Edwards were a force at the net for us with several blocks. There were times where our feet seem glued to the floor, allowing too many balls to hit the ground, and we missed 10 serves, a couple of them back-to-back. You just can’t do that at the state level,” said the coach.
Freshman Krista Edwards played well under the pressure of her first state playoff match. She went eight for 10 with her serving, including an ace, and added a couple of tough blocks. Blosser finished with 11 kills and two aces. Baird and Baldwin each had nine kills. Sierra Johnstun had one of her best matches with five kills. Sara Solomon led the charge on defense from the Libero position with nearly 25 digs. Lexi Edwards also played well as the Wildcat setter.
Veritas Prep went on to defeat top seeded Mogollon in the state championship match to win its second consecutive title.
