At the beginning of the 2016 volleyball season, head coach Peter McGloin said he could see a state championship in his team’s future, but only if the girls stayed focused and maintained a level of play that he refers to as “Falcon volleyball.” Over the weekend, the local ladies lived up to their coach’s expectations, fighting through the brackets in order to come home with their very own Division III state title.

Opening

The Falcons hit the state tournament ready to play, bringing fierce competition to their opening opponents, the team from Benjamin Franklin High School. The Falcons were especially hungry this outing, handily besting their opponents in three straight matches by scores of 25-12, 25-13, 25-19.

“That first game went really, really well,” McGloin said. “I just watched the video last night and we played great volleyball. We had played them in the semi-finals of the Chandler Prep invitational, where we came out with so much fury and just smashed them. So we expected a lot more out of them this time and they really did play well. I was impressed with how hard they were playing.”

McGloin said that while Benjamin Franklin played much better volleyball in this second meeting, the Falcons had similarly upped their own game, resulting in a big first win for the tournament.

Quarterfinals

There was a long break between the opening and quarterfinal round of the state tournament, but the Falcons managed to maintain their momentum into their showdown against Sabino.

Once again, the Falcons bested their opponents in three straight matches, going 25-19, 25-16, 25-15.

“Sabino upset Monument Valley in the round before with a five-round battle, and I was impressed with them,” McGloin said. “But when it came down to it, we were in charge the whole time and knew where the ball was going to go. We were deeper, had higher power and played great volleyball again.”

Semifinals

Into day two on the tournament, McGloin said the semifinal match was the kind of match you typically expect out of the finals, with the Falcons going toe-to-toe with Valley Christian.

He said that both teams took some time to find their groove this outing, resulting in some less-than-stellar performances early on.

“It was an epic battle with a roller coaster of emotions,” McGloin said. “I thought we’d come out ready to go and we were playing with a little fear.”

The Falcons actually lost a big first round to their opponents, 25-14. They managed to fight back and claim a second game victory at 25-18, though, as well as a clutch game three at 26-24.

Valley Christian wasn’t done fighting yet, though, earning a 25-19 win over the Falcons in game four to tie things up.

After a quick chat with the team, though, McGloin said the local ladies hit the floor ready to earn their win and did so in tremendous fashion, winning the final game 15-4.

“The season was on the line and our backs were against the wall,” McGloin added. “Win or lose, we were going to go out playing together and nothing was going to hold us back…We refused to lose, and that final set was beautiful.”

Finals

Into the state finals and the Falcons took little time getting a grip on the match and refusing to let go.

The first game was a close one, with the local ladies besting Northwest Christian by a score of 26-24. This seemed to charge the Falcons up, though, spurring them on to a 25-13 victory in game two and a 25-19 victory in game three to earn their title.

Northwest Christian has won 13 state titles and Valley Christian has won nine, so McGloin said it was an added bonus that the Lady Falcons were able to knock out both rivals to earn a championship of their own.

“We had to dig deep to have any kind of intensity after everything that had happened in that tournament,” McGloin said. “It was a great journey. We had a special group with a storybook season. I wouldn’t change anything.”