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

PHOENIX --  Riding high on the energy and emotion of Senior Night, the Cortez Colts came into Wednesday’s match determined to continue their win streak against Dysart, but were ultimately outpaced in a 3-0 sweep. 

Each set was highly competitive, but the Demons came out on top, 25-15, 26-24, and 25-23. 

Cortez opened strong in the first set with a 4-0 run as senior Mikaela Blanchette set the tone with an ace and a kill. That early momentum pushed the Colts into a 6-2 lead. 

“We are scrappy in the best way,” Dysart coach McKayla Cantrell said. “We have such a strength of covering every inch of that court and do not let the ball drop no matter what.”

Looking like a rough set for the Demons, they managed to scrap some points 8-6 but quickly regrouped and went on a 9-0 run putting them in the lead 16-8. 

The catalyst of that surge was senior Sarah Martinez Lopez, who delivered three straight aces and six overall. 

“Getting those back-to-back aces was super exciting,” Lopez said. “We were kind of losing, so when I got those aces it made the entire team excited and motivated to come back in the first set.” 

The Demons capitalized on Lopez’s energy and motivation through the rest of the set, winning 25-15. 

Much like the first set, Blanchetta again started the Colts off with three consecutive aces for a 5-0 lead. What followed was chaotic and back-and-forth, with Dysart responding with a 5-0 run of their own. 

Cortez answered again with a 5-3 run to edge ahead 12-10, and neither side led by more than three points from then on until the finish, but Dysart closed it out, 26-24. 

“We really get tense in some situations,” Cantrell said. “I like to remind them to stay calm and we shake out those nerves literally, and that’s our routine.” 

The energy stayed high going into the third set. Much like the second, it was a competitive back-and-forth where each side refused to let up.

The Colts held a 15-8 lead before Dysart responded with a 6-0 run to make it 15-14 and flipped the momentum in their favor. 

“I think when we’re louder, when we have more energy, we trust each other more,” Dysart junior Noelani Springer said. “We talk to each other more and it creates more passion on the court and allows all of us to play better together.” 

Miscommunication and defensive gaps later hurt the Colts, allowing the Demons to finish the sweep 25-23. 

The Colts never gave up and fought to the end, but in a game ultimately decided by inches and momentum swings, Dysart came away with the win. 

“It’s really fun playing them because you really have to work for every point,” Cantrell said. “Having a hyped crowd makes every point feel that much more dramatic, and that much more essential, really pushed both teams to play at their highest potential, which was amazing to watch.”