By Don Ketchum

If this was a tune-up for state-tournament play, then Phoenix Sunnyslope’s volleyball engine appears to be humming along just fine.

The Vikings, two-time defending state champions in Class 4A Division I, took care of defending Class 5A Division I champ Phoenix Xavier Prep with an impressive display to win the Goldwater Volleyball Festival on Saturday night (Oct. 9) at Phoenix Goldwater High.

Sunnyslope rallied from a 29-27 loss in the opening game to roll to a 25-10 win in the second game and earned a 15-8 triumph in the decisive third game.

Entering the 2010 season, Sunnyslope was an overwhelming favorite to win its third straight title. Then it fell to a relatively unknown Prescott team and lost to Xavier in the final of a tournament at Mesa Westwood.

“That game (against Prescott) was a reality check for us,’’ said Sunnyslope coach Amber LeTarte, whose team is now 25-2. “That shows that we are beatable, that we have to continue to work hard to maintain the level where we want to be.’’

The team has matured and regained its focus, she said, as evidenced by its play throughout the Goldwater tournament.

“We’ve had a great tournament,’’ LeTarte said. “We are playing to where we are playing our game.’’

In some of the team’s past matches, it would build early leads and then watched as the opponent rallied.

The same appeared to be true against Xavier on Saturday, as Sunnyslope built a 14-8 lead and then allowed Xavier to chip away at the deficit.

The difference this time, according to LeTarte, “was that we didn’t give up. We fought at the end. We kept our intensity and it carried over to the next game.’’

Did it ever.

Sunnyslope was on top of its game from the start, with senior outside hitter Madison Kingdon smashing shots that seldom were returned. Her teammates, meanwhile, helped set her up with good passes and played good defense.

“When we play Xavier, it’s always intense volleyball,’’ LeTarte said. “There’s always a rivalry. These girls all know each other. They play club volleyball with and against each other, so they want to win every time they play.’’