Hunter Garcia is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Cortez High School for AZPreps365.com

 

Hunter Garcia is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Cortez High School for AZPreps365.com

PHOENIX – Short-handed and adjusting to a new rotation, the Cortez Colts struggled to communicate and handle aggressive serving, inevitably leading to a 3-0 sweep by the Desert Sunrise Golden Hawks on Wednesday. 

Riding their momentum from Monday’s win against Dysart, the Golden Hawks surged in all three sets, 25-22, 25-13 and 25-15.

The Colts came into the Cortez gymnasium ready for a challenge and showed promising momentum by starting the first set with a 5-0 run, setting the tone for a moment. They continued to widen the deficit, taking a 12-2 lead, but errors began to pile up, and shifted the momentum. 

The Golden Hawks quickly found their footing by exploiting the disorganized Colts and bounced back with the help of senior right-side hitter Jaelyn Pati who racked up four consecutive aces, putting Desert Sunrise ahead 13-12. 

Despite fighting from behind, the Colts kept the first set close, trading points before falling 25-22. The Golden Hawks managed to stay consistent on coverage and capitalized on the Colts’ scattered defense to close out the set. 

“We had two players that had to play in different positions in our regular rotation since some of our starters were not able to be here,” Cortez coach Alberto Ramos said. “It’s not an excuse, but it did clearly affect our play.” 

The second set was a reflection of Ramos’ concern of his players struggling to work in an unpracticed rotation. The Golden Hawks took advantage quickly, taking a 13-7 lead. 

Desert Sunrise senior middle blocker Jasell Holbert contributed three kills and one ace during a 11-2 run, putting them in a comfortable 22-9 lead before finishing the set on a Cortez error, 25-13. 

“Today I actually think I didn’t do that well, however it was my team that was able to keep the mood positive even if we made a mistake,” Holbert said. “We feed off of each other’s energy pretty well, so if one person is down then everyone is, so we try to stay happy even about mistakes.” 

The Colts continued to struggle to find consistency in their communication and passing, putting the Golden Hawks in an early 7-1 lead in the third set. 

However, Cortez senior outside hitter Mikaela Blanchette managed to bring some life back into the Colts with three kills and two digs, inching back 19-10. 

“We just come out and play our game,” Desert Sunrise coach Morgan Peters said. “I always like to say, don’t get comfortable with any team regardless of the score because there is always a chance to come back.” 

Desert Sunrise quickly shut down that short-lived momentum Cortez built up and closed the set 25-15. 

The Colts fought hard given their unfavorable circumstances, and it resulted in a game of who had more consistent coverage and communication, which was clearly reflected by the Golden Hawks sealing the sweep. 

“I am still very proud of them,” Ramos said. “There are still a few lumps in our rotations, but we are working through them.” 

Cortez will travel to Dysart on Friday at 6 p.m.