Campo Verde Responds After Opening Set to Defeat Maricopa in Four

Campo Verde overcame an opening-set loss and responded with three consecutive victories Tuesday night, defeating Maricopa 3-1 in a girls varsity volleyball matchup at Maricopa High School.

Maricopa opened the match with its strongest set of the night. The Rams established the early advantage and closed out the first set 25-17, putting Campo Verde in an immediate one-set hole.

The momentum changed dramatically in the second.

Campo Verde answered Maricopa's opening-set victory with a dominant performance, taking control of the set and allowing the Rams just nine points. The Coyotes rolled to a 25-9 victory to even the match at one set apiece and completely reset the contest.

With the match tied, Campo Verde carried that momentum into the third set. Maricopa improved from its difficult second set, but the Coyotes remained in control and secured a 25-18 victory. The result gave Campo Verde a 2-1 match advantage and put the Coyotes one set away from completing the comeback.

Maricopa refused to go quietly.

The fourth set became the closest battle since the opening frame as the Rams fought to extend the match to a deciding fifth set. Campo Verde, however, held off Maricopa's push down the stretch.

With only two points separating the teams at the finish, Campo Verde closed out the fourth set 25-23 to secure the match.

The 3-1 victory was built on Campo Verde's response after dropping the opener. After being held to 17 points in the first set, the Coyotes came back to win 25-9, 25-18 and 25-23, finishing the night with three straight set victories.

For Maricopa, the opening-set win showed the Rams were capable of controlling stretches of the matchup, while their late push in the fourth nearly forced the match to continue. Campo Verde ultimately had the stronger response, recovering from its early deficit and finishing the night with a four-set victory.