Lindsey Dean is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Cactus High School for AZPreps365.com.  

GLENDALE — It was an all-senior starting lineup for the first time this season as Cactus took on 4A opponent Westview Monday night.

Cactus seniors dominated the stat sheet with 23 kills, eight blocks and nine aces, setting the tone from the first serve to the final point in their 3-0 sweep on Senior Night. Senior outside hitter Delaney Heady started the game off with a kill to establish the pace.

However, none of the sets came easy as Westview fought to stay competitive, leading most of the sets to start, but finishing with scores of 25-19, 25-22 and 25-17.

“There are some of our seniors that aren’t starters,” Cactus senior captain Sapphire Solano said. “And they came out and they knew that they had to get their job done. Even though they’re not used to it, they had to come out and play a part tonight. I think we all made sure to keep each other up all night.”

Senior middle blocker Makayla Price was one of the nine seniors who played a key role in the team’s success with an impressive offensive showing of only one error on 21 attempts. She finished the night with 11 kills and three blocks.

Price led the team in the first set with back-to-back kills and a block to broaden the Cobras’ lead to 14-10 and shift momentum back to Cactus. Her consistency and leadership pushed Cactus forward as they fought to win the first set, 25-19.

“You want to see them have a really good Senior Night,” coach Jana Henige said.”But (Price) has been really consistent all season and she did amazing tonight.”

The second set proved to be a struggle for Cactus as they trailed the Knights 12-6 to start. Westview’s energy could be felt throughout the gymnasium all night, with the team’s cheers overpowering the gym no matter the score. 

“I’ve told the girls at the beginning of the season,” Westview coach Malerie Mech said. “Energy is what can help a match. It can make or break a match. Obviously tonight it didn’t help us, but I definitely think it helps to have a culture that every girl in the program is one. It is not just JV or varsity, it is Westview.”

This team culture pushed the Knights to keep fighting throughout the second set as senior middle hitter Jordyn Jackson dominated the court offensively with eight kills. 

However, Cactus freshman Ziara Pauli sparked an 8-0 run after her kill from the outside to get the come-from-behind win to finish the second set, 25-22.

“As a team we definitely struggle to finish,” Mech said. “It is our biggest weakness. We have a lot of key players, but we struggle to put it together.”

After squeaking out the win in the second set, the Cobras brought the intensity in the third set with Solano leading the way. She had three blocks in the final set to limit the Knights’ offensive opportunities.

“Tonight was all about holding each other accountable,” Solano said. “I think it is really just telling each other like ‘It is all in the next ball. I got to move on to the next play and forget about that and do my best in what I know how to do.’”

The Cobras dominated at the net with four blocks and eight kills to finish the third set, 25-17. Price had two crucial kills coming out of a Westview timeout to help close out her special night.

“We just had the energy and a really great team dynamic tonight,” Price said. “We were killing it today. We were able to shift our energy when we needed to and we just came right back up.”

Cactus (11-6, 7-2) looks to keep their playoff hopes alive as they travel to Estrella Foothills (16-1, 9-0) Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Westview (8-8, 3-6) will host rival Peoria (3-12, 1-7) on Wednesday at 6 p.m. for their own Senior Night.