4A VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP AT VETERANS MEMORIAL COLISEUM

No. 1 Salpointe (31-8) vs. No. 3 ALA-Queen Creek (26-8), 2:30 p.m.

 

The championship match of the 4A Conference is all set with No. 1 Salpointe taking on No. 3 ALA-Queen Creek Saturday at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum with the first serve scheduled to be put up at 2:30 p.m. as part of a full slate of championship matches with the 2A match set for 10 a.m., the 3A match set for 12:15 p.m., the 5A match set for 4:45 p.m. and the 6A match set for 7 p.m. The 1A championship was decided last Saturday with No. 1 Cicero Prep beating No. 6 Great Hearts Anthem 3-1.

Salpointe (31-8 overall and 27-1 against teams from Arizona) beat No. 5 Mica Mountain (20-10, 18-6) in straight sets at home to advance to the championship final and No. 3 ALA-Queen Creek (26-8) beat No. 2 Ironwood Ridge (24-16, 17-3) 3-2 in the other semifinal match.

Salpointe beat Mica Mountain three times this year with the first two Kino Region victories stretched out to the maximum five sets but the semifinal victory went in three, but in dramatic fashion. The Lancers led the first set by a slim 9-8 margin but the team ended on a 16-3 run to take it 25-11. It looked like the Lancers were on an easy path to victory in the second set but a 17-11 lead vanished with the Thunderbolts taking a 20-18 lead down the stretch, but Salpointe responded with 7-1 run to take it 25-21 to go up 2-0.

Mica Mountain took an 18-10 lead in the third set but four kills from senior Mia Bartfalvi, a couple more from fellow senior Ivy Allen and two aces from Kiki Muehlebach put the Lancers on top 19-18. Mica Mountain junior Aubrey Necas kept the Bolts alive with three kills to tie the set at 22-22 senior Natalia Solomon put Salpointe up 23-22 and then senior Caitlin Hurley fed senior Natalie Mobley and then Solomon again for the 25-22 victory.

Mica Mountain is on an incredible run after starting out with a full varsity schedule in 2021. The Bolts lost to Salpointe in the quarterfinal round in 2022, made it to the semifinal round in 2023 and then the championship match last year to go along with another semifinal finish this year, which is a testament to head coach Amy Johnson, who leads Southern Arizona with 826 career victories combined.

Salpointe comes in with three state championships under former head coach Heather Moore-Martin (2016, 2017 and 2020) and this will be the first time on the championship stage under Keith Rubio. Rubio retired from New Mexico State in 2021 and he led the Lancers to a semifinal finish last year. Salpointe will compete in the 5A Conference next year.

Ironwood Ridge head coach Bill Lang is next on the coaching list with 809 victories and he led the Nighthawks to runner-up finishes in 2004 and 2014. Salpointe, Ironwood Ridge and Mica Mountain are all part of the Kino Region and the Nighthawks were the only team from Arizona to beat Salpointe this year. This will be the first championship final for ALA-Queen Creek and head coach Jodi Proctor has them ready after losing in the first round last year to Mica Mountain and to Salpointe in the first round in 2023.

Unofficially, sophomore Callen Hutchens had 21 assists for Salpointe, senior Caitlin Hurley added 13 assists, senior Kate Mobley had nine kills, Solomona added eight, Natalie Mobley had seven, Bartfalvi had seven and Allen added six. For Mica Mountain, sophomore Mia Parker had 18 assists, sophomore Cassidy Dickherber added nine assists, Necas had 15 kills, senior Hannah Schade had eight kills and Amaris Biancuzzo had six kills.