Alexander Martinez is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Washington High School for AZPreps365.com

Washington Rams senior Jazmyn Stevenson had 19 kills to help Washington win 3-1 (25-16, 25-8, 22-25, 25-12) on senior night against the Glendale Cardinals.

Washington (7-10, their best record in three seasons) started off hot and won the first two sets with ease. Glendale’s bench went from being very loud to almost completely silent. It was looking as if the Rams were going to just run off with the match.

However in the third set, Glendale (0-16, 0-8) pushed back and took the momentum. Their bench roared the Cardinals took their first set point in over 14 matches.

Nevertheless in the fourth set, it was the always reliable Stevenson who took over for the Rams. Stevenson had seven kills in the final set, extending her kill count to a season-high 19.

“My mindset coming into tonight’s game was to just be aggressive,” said Stevenson. “I wanted to swing at every single ball. It was the last time that I would be playing in this gym and so I might as well just take advantage of this opportunity.”

It wasn’t a normal match for Washington as it was an emotional one, celebrating its two seniors Caiden Garcia and Stevenson.

Garcia is a second-year varsity member for Washington. She has played in 32 sets this year and has 30 digs.

Stevenson is a fourth-year varsity member who's a captain since her sophomore year, and has been dominant in her time with the Rams. She has 179 kills this year and is averaging 3.5 per set. In the last two years, Stevenson has also accumulated 358 kills in the past two years. Not only is she amazing on the court, but Stevenson is also an amazing leader.

“They respect her [Stevenson] a lot,” said Washington head coach Taylor Dunn. “Off the court, they are all friends. They all hang out together and get excited to see each other. I think they respect her, but not just because of her game but because of who she is as a person.”

The Rams will finish their season next week at Glendale and La Joya Community (9-6, 6-2). If they win one of those matches, they will have their best record since 2017.