Jacob Shannon is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Gilbert Classical Academy for AZPreps365.com.

The Gilbert Classical Academy volleyball team came into its matchup against Chandler Prep fresh off a win against Benson the day before. But the Titans, currently ranked No. 1 in 2A, remained undefeated in conference play, handing the Spartans a 3-0 loss (25-14, 25-10, 25-20) on Thursday night.

“I think that a lot of us psyched ourselves out before the game,” said Spartans team captain Jillian Urrea afterward.

While the Spartans came out strong in the first set, taking an early 5-4 lead, the Titans (10-0 conference, 6-0 2A Valley region) managed to pull away after a seven-point run helped them regroup and secure the first set 25-14.

However, in the second set, those nerves Urrea spoke of translated onto the court, where the Spartans (5-6 conference, 2-2 2A Valley region) were not communicating as a team, recording nine errors in that set alone. Meanwhile, the Titans’ offense was also incredibly strong all night, with the team methodically finding open spots in the Spartans’ defense through powerful kills or well-placed tip balls.

“We do a lot of work with hitting in certain spots,” said Chandler Prep head coach Anthony Jones. “We’ve been working on getting our girls to hit the deep corners as well.” 

The Titans were able to find plenty of success offensively in that second set, recording 10 kills and five aces, along with two blocks. 

The Spartans’ defense was also struggling throughout the entire game, surrendering a combined 20 kills and eight aces in the first two sets alone to the Titans, which frustrated Spartans head coach Sierra Baker.

“We just weren’t ready on defense,” said Baker. “A lot of us were standing up, we weren’t sitting down ready to move, we would let balls move past us.”

There were still a few positives to take away from the Spartans’ loss, including a much more well-rounded and solid performance from the team in the third set, taking the Titans down to the wire before falling by five points. 

The Spartans also had tons of energy and support coming from the bench and fans the entire match, which is greatly aided by Spartans opposite hitter and senior Adina Kolia’s constant energy and hype she brings the team. 

“Adina’s constant positive energy is a huge part of what helps the team keep going,” said team co-captain Mia Drake. “Knowing that you always have someone cheering for you and coming on the court to push you keeps the energy alive for everyone.”

When the Titans went on a strong run in the second set, outside hitter Keely Sorensen was able to net a kill against the Titans, leading Kolia to erupt on the bench and prompting her teammates to do the same as well, instantly energizing the entire team. This bench energy is nothing new to Baker, who cited it as one of the strengths of the team.

“They’re always positive and have good vibes,” said Baker. “They’re never a team to break down mentally. We just struggled to perform defensively.”

The Spartans now head into an extended time off due to the school’s fall break, which Baker says they plan on using to correct their defensive mistakes and prepare themselves for their next matchup against Arete Prep Tuesday, Oct. 12.