Payne Moses is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Gilbert Christian High School for AZPreps365.com

GILBERT - Gilbert Christian’s girls volleyball team muscled past Benjamin Franklin in four sets at home on Tuesday, thanks to a dominant offensive attack led by sophomore Sienna Cathey’s 16 kills. 

The first two sets saw 14 ties and produced a 1-1 split before the Knights only trailed for two points in the remainder of the match and cruised to a 25-21, 20-25, 25-17, 25-15 victory. 

Gilbert Christian (8-1, 4-0) extended its win streak to seven – five of those being 3-0 sweeps – and took the season series with the Benjamin Franklin Chargers, 2-0. Payson (6-1, 1-0) and Northwest Christian (7-1, 2-0) are the only other 3A Metro East schools who remain undefeated in regional play.

“(Benjamin Franklin) is a really scrappy, tough team,” Gilbert Christian coach Andrew Rasmussen said. “So we knew we were going to have a fight coming into it.”

The Knights feasted with 29 kills in the final two sets and sprinkled in five aces, two apiece from junior Alexia Heyn and freshman Kendall Moore. The duo of senior Kaedra Lloyd and sophomore Ashley Gast stood firm to reject an oncoming ball and win the longest rally of the match for a 10-4 edge in a fourth set that went to Gilbert Christian, 25-15.

The Chargers (3-5, 2-2) held at least a share of the lead through the match’s first 18 points but conceded four unanswered points to give the Knights a 19-16 lead. Still retaining a three-point cushion, senior Kaila Aston clinched the set with a kill that split a trio of defenders. She also sealed Gilbert Christian’s go-ahead third set with a kill and finished with six.

Aston said Benjamin Franklin had previously set up a single defender at the net to block her when the schools matched up on Sept. 9. This time around, the Chargers positioned three in her path and Aston said that was one of the few adjustments she had to make.

“Everybody started trusting each other to do their jobs, and when everyone did what they needed to, we came together,” Aston said.

That trust level was tested in the second set as the Chargers broke away from a 9-9 tie with a 12-4 scoring run and outlasted the Knights 25-21 to pull even at one set apiece. 

Senior Bentley Forsgren, one of Benjamin Franklin’s team captains, played an instrumental role with two cross-court kills for the 23rd and 24th points in the Chargers’ lone set victory. She recorded a team-high 10 kills and displayed consistency with at least two kills in each set. 

Benjamin Franklin coach Jane Vailahi said Forsgren was fresh off an ankle injury and she was proud of her effort under the adverse circumstances.

“I think (Forsgren) does a phenomenal job of being a utility player,” Vailahi said. “I am able to move her from outside hitter, to a right side, to wherever I need her. She is willing to do so.”

Though Vailahi said she thought her team kept the Knights’ setters in check, it did not control the little things like keeping passes on target and minimizing service errors.

Gilbert Christian’s Cathey and Heyn capitalized on the Benjamin Franklin lackluster execution with 16 and 15 kills, respectively. Cathey particularly caught fire with 11 kills in the third and fourth sets and Heyn became the only player on either team with back-to-back aces in the final set.

“(Heyn) is probably one of the most competitive people on our team, so it’s really fun to be out there with her,” Aston said. “You know that she’s going to go for every ball and swing hard and be smart about it.”

Rasmussen said the Knights are excited to be at the top of the region and in a position to qualify for the state playoffs with half the schedule now in the past. 

“We might consider the end game, (and) we ought to,” Rasmussen said. “But for the team, and for my part, too, just one day at a time. Let’s just keep everyone moving forward intentionally.”

Gilbert Christian (8-1, 4-0) will travel to Northwest Christian (7-1, 2-0) for more regional action on Thursday at 6 p.m. Benjamin Franklin (3-5, 2-2) will travel to regional foe San Tan Foothills (2-4, 0-1) on Thursday at 6 p.m.