Maddyn Johnstone-Thomas is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism Student assigned to cover Mountain View High School for AZPreps365.com.

The voice of coach Clark Fleming echoes into the vacant large gym of Mountain View as the volleyball team’s practice get underway in the nearby small gym. He stands back and observes, while constantly coaching and questioning them.

The Toros have just come off of a 3-0 win against Westwood High School and are ranked No. 3 in their region with a 6-3 record. But Fleming and his team want more. It is something they talked about before the season even started.

“We set expectations really high,” Fleming said. “It’s not always the most realistic of expectations, especially considering past performances and achievements, but we come in talking about state championships. Every single year that’s what we want to do.”

The Toros haven’t won a state championship since 1999. Junior Ashley Reed has been on varsity all three years and knows the work going it takes to win.

“I want to win state,” Reed said. “We all want to win state. There are a few of us who are determined to, but our team isn’t physically there so that’s when our (volleyball) IQ comes in along with technique. Our goal is just to get better. If we don’t win state this year then hopefully my senior year, we will be able to.”

In his first year coaching, Fleming led his team to a 6-11 record overall, 3-7 in the region ranked No. 4. Even though it wasn’t the most successful season, Fleming believes it’s a step in the right direction to raise the state banner.

“We’re making progress,” Fleming said. “I talk to the girls all the time about how we’re definitely not to the point where we’re going to be competing for a state championship, but we don’t try and focus on that every day. We don’t come in every day thinking we want to win a state championship.

“A lot of times we set the goal in the beginning and then we try and baby step our way there. What’s the next step that’s going to help us get there? Whether it’s a win or a loss it’s the same mentality on how it progresses us and moves us forward.”

With the team heading into the final month of the season before playoffs, Fleming realizes this is the time where teams fall or rise.

“When you get to October a lot of teams are already getting burnt out,” Fleming said. “It’s hard to deal with the constant feeling dissatisfied with yourself, especially when you’ve had success. We’ve had success this season, but in order to get to that point of being one of the last teams to play at state you have been really dissatisfied of ‘Yeah we won, but that wasn’t good enough.’”

As his players continue to grow under Fleming, the team could finally get that banner. Senior Faith Jackson played JV during her freshman and sophomore years and made varsity her junior year, the first year Fleming joined the program.

“He is so intelligent and made my IQ better since I’m not the most physically built player, but I’ve become a way better player because of my IQ so he’s been able to really help me achieve that,” Jackson said.

The friendships within the team are something the girls cherish, but it also comes with difficulty.

“When you spend so much time with them, it makes sense why we’re all so close,” Reed said. “It makes it a little bit harder to hold people accountable because the feelings are there, but that’s the point where after practice you have to say, ‘You know I love you, but in the gym, we’re working on volleyball.’ We all need to push each other.”

The Toros have seven games left in the regular season before potentially heading into the playoffs. Even if they don’t get to hang their banner this season, they will be setting those expectations for the following year.

“We always believe that the higher you set your goals the higher you set your standards the more you’re going to be pushed to achieve it,” Fleming said. “We would much rather fall short of trying to be the best in the state then reach this at least we’re average or medicore.”