Samuel Sandoval is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication student assigned to cover Apollo High School for AZPreps365.com.

 

During a timeout, Apollo's coach, Chris Biesbrouck, rested his knee on the court, looking desperate as he waved his hand energetically, trying to motivate his team.

Despite his efforts, Apollo lost the match 3-0.

The Apollo High School girls volleyball team extended its losing streak to four games on October 19, placing it at the bottom of the West Valley 6A division.

Apollo and Tolleson looked for their first regional win of the season, entering the game tied for last place in the 6A West Valley division with an identical record of 0-3.

“We were not emotionally or physically prepared to play, and we failed to give our best effort," Apollo coach Chris Biesbrouck said after the game.

Despite the home-court advantage, Apollo lost the match 3-0, only managing to take the lead twice throughout the entire game.

Things started out challenging for Apollo. Tolleson quickly established a 9-1 lead, prompting Coach Biesbrouck to call the first timeout after a failed play by senior Belen Morales.

Five-foot-10 Tolleson junior Alek Ajak led her team with her blocking and killing skills.

Ajak did not see action in the second set, making the match more competitive.

Apollo appeared to be lost and unmotivated in the first set, so Coach Biesbrouck started the second set by shouting encouraging words to his team.

“Hey, you got to try different things,” Biesbrouck said after the game.

Apollo came out with more energy in the second set. When the score was 12-13 in favor of Tolleson, Apollo’s bad serve changed the course of the second set.

Apollo fell behind as Tolleson surged with a 10-2 run and could not recover. Tolleson won the second set with a score of 25-16.

"When they lost a couple of points, they returned to bad habits," Biesbrouck said.

At the beginning of the third set, Apollo took a 1-0 lead, the first time they had been ahead on the scoreboard.

Apollo junior outside hitter Miranda Montoya made the kill to take a 2-1 Apollo lead.

“I think I played well, but I don't think I hit the right shots in the game,” Montoya said.

That was the last time Apollo led on the scoreboard. With the return of player Ajak, Tolleson finished the set with a score of 25-14, securing its first regional win of the season.

Apollo’s assistant coach, Isabella Rohrbacher, said the her team gave up once they fell behind on the scoreboard.

"They became careless on the court; they stopped moving and stopped communicating," Rohrbacher said.

As soon as the game ended, Coach Biesbrouck called the team to the gym for a post- game talk. Twenty minutes later, players left the gym in silence.

“He said that every time that we let it get to us, it gets us down,” Montoya said.

Coach Biesbrouk, clearly frustrated, was the last one to leave the gym.

“They did not give their best effort. This is the only thing I asked them to do, and it wasn't there tonight,” he said.