Millennium Sweeps Canyon View to Open Season Strong

Millennium opened its girls varsity volleyball season with a straight-set victory over Canyon View on August 26, defeating the Jaguars 3-0 in a rivalry matchup.

The Tigers were tested immediately in the opening set. Canyon View stayed with Millennium throughout the frame and pushed the Tigers beyond the standard 25-point finish. Millennium ultimately prevailed in the tightest set of the night, 28-26, to take an early 1-0 advantage in the match.

Before the match, Millennium senior Jada Hunt, No. 13, who plays middle blocker and opposite, spoke with Lucky Monster Magazine about the mentality she was bringing into the rivalry matchup.

“I think knowing that it’s our rival, I definitely want to get out there and dominate and use my competitiveness to win,” Hunt said.

Hunt also described Millennium’s overall identity as one built around competitiveness.

“I would describe our energy overall as just a competitive team,” Hunt said. “I feel like we always want to win, so we use that for our strengths.”

That competitive approach was tested in the opening set, but Millennium responded by finishing the close frame and carrying the lead into the rest of the match.

After the 28-26 opening-set battle, Millennium began creating more separation in the second. Canyon View continued to challenge the Tigers, but Millennium secured a 25-20 victory to move within one set of completing the sweep.

The Tigers then delivered their most decisive result of the match in Set 3. Millennium held Canyon View to 13 points while reaching 25, closing the match with a 25-13 victory and completing the 3-0 sweep.

Millennium head coach Nicole Hoff also spoke with Lucky Monster Magazine before the match and said the Tigers entered their season opener confident following a productive week of preparation.

“We feel really good,” Hoff said. “We had a great week of practice, fine-tuning some things, and it’s gonna be a good challenge for us tonight to start our season off strong, but we’re coming in feeling good and confident.”

For Hoff, a successful night included earning the victory, but she also wanted to see Millennium bring energy and excitement throughout the match.

“Coming out with a win,” Hoff said when asked what success would look like. “We want to start our season strong and head into our next couple of matches with a win. But honestly, if our whole team can bring the energy and excitement into the game, I take that as a success as well.”

Millennium delivered on both goals. The Tigers earned the win while becoming more decisive as the match progressed. After winning the opening set by two points, Millennium took Set 2 by five before controlling the third by 12.

The 28-26, 25-20, 25-13 victory gave Millennium a 3-0 sweep over its rival and the strong opening-night result the Tigers were looking for.