Corona del Sol advanced to the 6A semifinals for the fourth consecutive year Tuesday night with a 25-15, 23-13, 28-26 victory over visiting Millennium.

The third seeded Aztecs (36-6) took care of the first two games in a methodical manner before No. 6 Millennium gave them everything they could handle in game three.

Corona del Sol senior Alyssa Aguayo led the Aztecs with 13 kills, giving her 1,502 for her career, which is 19th all-time in Arizona. Family members presented Aguayo with a large sign celebrating the milestone afterwards.
But for Aguayo and her Aztec teammates, the most important matter at hand is a Thursday night semifinal showdown with Hamilton, which upset defending state champion O'Connor Tuesday night in five sets. That means Corona gets another home match and avoids the long drive to North Phoenix.

The Aztecs won the 2022 6A title before falling in last year's semifinal round in five sets to Perry, and they'd love nothing more than to get back to the championship match for their second title in four years. 

"The job's not done yet," Aguayo said after that match. "We still have so much to work for, and we have tomorrow to prepare and practice, and we just need to give it our all on our game on Thursday."

Junior Hayden Conner added nine kills for Corona, including the final point of the match. Game 3 required 28 points as Millennium nearly avoided the sweep.

"It was a great win and a team effort," Aguayo added. We were ready for a fight and we knew we had to focus."
Aguayo and libero Erin Clark combined for 43 digs.

Millennium seniors Sa'mya Dorsey (18 kills) and Gabbi Kucinski (11 kills) put forth valiant efforts, especially in the third game.

"Our girls didn't want this season to end," Tigers coach Julie Vastine said.

Millennium (21-18) was moved up to 6A this season after six consecutive trips to the 5A state title game, winnning championships in 2018 and 2020. The Tigers also competed in the Central division--considered 6A's most difficult--along Corona del Sol. Tuesday's loss was emotional for the Tigers, but Vastine was happy with what she saw. 

"I'm proud of what these girls did and how hard they played tonight, and especially this season," Vastine said. Moving up to 6A into this region was tough, but we made the final eight and I think it's something to be proud of."

Marianne Garcia led Millennium with 24 digs.

"I wasn't surprised (Millennium) almost took game three," Corona del Sol Ben Maxfield said. "They beat us in our last region meeting, and I know they were feeling the urgency. They pushed us but luckily we were able to win it in three.