Mountain Pointe’s boys volleyball program knows a thing or two (or nine) about big matches.

SLIDESHOW: 5A-I State Championship Volleyball

The Pride have played in nine state championship matches under coach Fred Mann, and have won seven.

No. 7 came Saturday afternoon at Glendale Ironwood High School, as Mountain Pointe downed Gilbert High 25-21, 25-27, 25-23, 25-23.

“This feels great, the best feeling ever,” Mountain Pointe senior Jared Morrison said.

Like the scores show, each game was close. The biggest lead in the match by either team was just four points. No. 1 seed Mountain Pointe was just a little bit better in its defense and in its passing to hold off the No. 6-seeded Tigers.

“Sometimes we start coasting a little bit just trading point for point,” Morrison said. “We had to play some really good defense and get some good blocks and some digs down the stretch.”

It was Morrison’s ability to set up his teammates as a setter and attack from the outside that was a big key in the Pride’s victory. He set up many of outside hitter Nathan Fuller’s 19 kills and Morrison himself added 17 kills.

“He’s actually had better matches in the state tournament,” Mann said. “He’s been unbelievable all year.”

The Pride also got key points out of middle blocker Craig Felton, who added five kills.

“He managed to get a kill every time we set for him,” Mann said.

Gilbert went into Saturday’s match knowing it could beat Mountain Pointe. The Tigers were just one of two teams to do it all season, having downed the Pride in an early-season tournament.

“We had some mistakes against them early and that made it tough,” Gilbert coach Jeff Grover said. “I can’t fault the boys for their effort. They played hard.”

Fuller had six kills to lead the Pride to a victory in the first game. Behind the hitting of Kyle Webb and the blocking of Chris Henny, Gilbert came right back to win the second game. Mountain Pointe fought off two game points before going down.

Webb had 10 kills for Gilbert, as did Francisco Ahumada. Henny added seven.

Big kills late in the third game by Fuller and Alex Hamill gave Mountain Pointe the narrow victory as neither team had more than a two-point lead for most of the game.

In the fourth and final game, with Micah Steiner serving, Mountain Pointe scored three straight to take a 19-15 lead. The Pride still led 24-20 and three championship points before putting it away.