By Don Ketchum

The girls volleyball team from Glendale Mountain Ridge returned the favor against Peoria Centennial on Thursday night (Sept. 27).

After suffering a 3-0 setback at home to Centennial on Sept. 6, the Lady Mountain Lions roared back with focus and purpose, knocking off Division I’s top seed on its home floor, 25-15, 22-25, 25-22, 25-22. Mountain Ridge, the No. 4 seed, also had a two-set victory over Centennial in the (Mesa) Westwood Tournament of Champions on Sept. 8.

“We have to try to maintain this consistent level of play,’’ said Mountain Ridge coach Jen McGauley, whose team is now 15-2.

One of the reasons for the team’s success on Thursday night was its quick pace.

“We were very fast with our offense, with our sets and with our defense,’’ McGauley said. “All of our girls are so athletic.’’

From the opening serve of the first set, Mountain Ridge seemed to have Centennial (14-3) playing on its heels. Centennial recovered in the second set, using a 7-0 run midway through that frame to take control.

In the third set, it was back to the aggressive style for Mountain Ridge. Libero Mary Claire Tuohy brought energy to the Mountain Lions, working the back row to dig out numerous kill attempts by Centennial’s 6-1 junior, Maddy Mertz, and setting up teammates with good passes to keep Centennial off balance.

Mountain Ridge trailed 20-18 but rallied with a 7-2 finishing kick.

Centennial did all it could to come back and force a fifth set. The Coyotes had an early 10-4 lead in the fourth, but Mountain Ridge was able to hang around and pushed through in the closing stages.

“We did a good job of keeping our composure, because playing in a gym that is full like this was tonight can be a little intimidating,’’ McGauley said.

The coach said Tuohy “is phenomenal. She is amazing. She is very consistent, helps us keep the pace and the momentum.’’

McKenna Witt also played well on the outside, while Kayley Siekmann and Rachel Parsons also provided key sets throughout.