Maricopa Earns First Win of Season With 2-1 Victory Over North

Maricopa earned its first victory of the season Monday night, rallying from an opening-set loss to defeat North 2-1 in girls varsity volleyball at Maricopa High School.

Playing their fifth match of the season, the Rams found themselves in an early battle. North edged Maricopa 26-24 in a tightly contested first set to take a 1-0 advantage.

Maricopa responded in the second set. The Rams held North to 18 points while reaching 25 to even the match at one set apiece and force a deciding third set.

With their first victory of the season within reach, Maricopa closed the match with another strong performance. The Rams defeated North 25-21 in the third set, completing the comeback and securing the 2-1 victory.

Head coach Tia Kannapel highlighted her team's work at the net and the contributions she saw throughout the lineup.

“We were able to pull out our first win, which was huge,” Kannapel said. “I think we had some really good moments on the net, blocking and swinging.”

Kannapel specifically pointed to Riley and Asia Saxon, along with June's ability to put the ball away. She also praised freshman Phoebe for taking big swings from the right side.

“It was really nice to see them catch some of that flow this evening,” Kannapel said.

After dropping their first four matches, the Rams broke through in game five, overcoming the opening-set loss and winning consecutive sets to secure their first victory of the season.