Hayley Brown is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Chandler High School for AZPreps365.com 

CHANDLER -- The Hamilton Huskies swept the Chandler Wolves, 25-17, 25-7, 25-7, in a region matchup Tuesday, extending their winning streak to five matches and continuing a strong midseason push.

Hamilton relied on a balanced attack with four different players recording at least five kills, emphasizing the depth of Hamilton’s roster. A commanding defensive effort from sophomore libero Kira Strawberry, who leads the team in digs this season, also helped Hamilton control the pace from the opening serve.

“We realized that we don’t really have that one dominant player,” senior middle blocker Maris Mauzey said. “We definitely had to play as a team and find out different ways that we can score.”

The Huskies pulled away late in the opening set after Chandler challenged early. With Hamilton holding a slim 18-17 lead, the Huskies closed on a 7-0 run. Junior outside hitter Ella Loges’ five kills out of her six total for the game gave Hamilton the edge to win the set, 25-17. 

Junior opposite hitter Jaelyn Sasik and sophomore middle blocker Leala Pittsley had three kills apiece to keep Chandler competitive in the first set.

“Chandler was playing hard, but I felt like if we could just control the little parts of the game and be more disciplined, you could see the difference in sets two and three,” Hamilton coach Sharon Vanis said.

The second set was all Hamilton, starting with a 10-0 run led by senior outside hitter Mikayla Haner’s three kills. Chandler gained back two straight points but Hamilton responded with another 7-0 run where Mauzey recorded a block and a kill. Haner finished the set with five kills and Mauzey had four kills and one block. 

Sasik provided Chandler’s lone bright spot in the second set, picking up a kill and a block, but the Wolves were overwhelmed in the 25-7 loss.

“We started off strong going into the game knowing Hamilton is highly ranked,” Chandler senior setter Brooke Mehlberg said. “We’ve been an underdog team this season but we didn’t play how we’ve been practicing.”

A pair of 6-0 runs and a 5-0 run, sparked by Hamilton junior setter Hailey Johnston’s three aces, lifted the Huskies to victory in the third set. Haner recorded six kills and one ace while Mauzey totaled four kills. The Huskies finished on a 6-0 run to close the match, 25-7. 

Junior setter Hailey Johnston’s six aces highlighted Hamilton’s versatility.

Chandler entered the contest on a two-match win streak, with victories over West Point and Mesa, but the Wolves could not carry that momentum against sixth-ranked Hamilton.

“The first set we played really well, then after that we just kind of lost focus,” Chandler coach Tracey Rodarte said. “I think we were more enthusiastic in the first set, then we started losing focus. We need to focus on consistency and make better decisions.” 

Chandler (3-15, 0-1) plays their next match Wednesday on the road against Red Mountain (18-13, 2-0) at 6 p.m. 

Hamilton (16-7, 1-0) will host Perry (19-13, 1-0) next Tuesday at 6 p.m.