Athlete of the week

Nicole Devlin: The Scottsdale Coronado senior outside hitter had six fifth-set kills to fuel a 3-2 comeback win over Gilbert Williams Field. She had a match-high 19 kills and 16 digs on the Dons’ senior night to secure the team’s 11th regular-season win.

Week in review

In Livia Peace, Phoenix Horizon Honors didn’t have a coach-in-training; it had a coach that was the trainer. Peace was the Eagles’ athletic trainer prior to taking over as coach last season. The team won just four times, but this year’s squad is among the best in 2A. It opened the season with a win over perennial power and defending state champion Phoenix Northwest Christian. “I never wanted to coach high school volleyball,” said Peace, who played in high school and college. The program has had little history of volleyball success, and Peace thought, “I can’t do any worse.” She added, “I knew the girls, and I didn’t think it would be that difficult to step in.” Now, she loves every second of it. Horizon Honors finished the regular season 14-3, losing a rematch to Northwest Christian. It was swept by another 2A power in Chandler Valley Christian, but the Eagles are mentioned in the same breath with the other two when it comes to state tournament favorites. “I’ve been totally blessed to be working with these girls,” Peace said. “As I tell them all the time, they make me look good.”

Heating up: Chandler Hamilton has picked the right time to play its best volleyball. Starting the regular season 1-5, the Huskies have won eight straight, propelling them to a No. 11 5A-I power rating. Along the way, they beat No. 8 Mesa Westwood, got a pair of wins over No. 9 Gilbert Mesquite and positioned themselves ahead of current No. 15 Mesa with a victory. “We knew what we were up against,” said coach Sharon Vanis of her team’s tough early schedule and the introduction of a new offense. “You can either lose confidence or start playing at a high level.” The Huskies decided to start playing well.

Looking ahead

No. 17 Phoenix Pinnacle plays host to No. 19 Tempe Marcos de Niza on Tuesday. Both clubs are trying to leapfrog teams in the power rankings as time runs out in a tight race to qualify for the 5A-II state tournament.

Contact writer: (480) 898-5904 (Ext. 1) or tribvball@yahoo.com