Olivia Eisenhauer is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Corona del Sol High School for AZPreps365.com.

The Corona del Sol Aztecs will hit the road in a varsity volleyball matchup against the Desert Ridge Jaguars on Oct. 13, 2021. The 6A Central Section matchup will be the second time both these teams meet this season, the first on Sept. 21, 2021, when the Aztecs took the 3-0 sweep on their home court.  

The Aztecs, who are 19-6 on the season and first in the 6A Central, are coming off a fifth place finish in the Nike Tournament of Champions. The tournament concluding with wins over Basha, Xavier and Cornerstone Christian,

“I was impressed with our steady level of play,” said Corona del Sol Head Coach Ben Maxfield “We kept our emotions in check when things got tight. I also was impressed with our depth, we had many players step up when given the opportunity to play.”

Serving continues to be a strength for the team heading into the final stretch of the season. But something both of the teams in this match-up have in common: strong upperclassmen leadership.

Corona del Sol, after the tournament, is led by senior Sydney Meyer at 127 kills, senior libero Angie Bour at 55 aces from the service line and 363 digs then junior Ella Lomigora with 87 blocks. 

“The leadership of the upperclassmen is great,” Bour said. “I think we all do a great job of speaking our mind to each other and letting each other know how we might be feeling or anything we may be struggling with.”

For Desert Ridge, junior Courtney Grant leads the Jaguars at the net with 100 kills, senior Asia Patterson at the net with 33 blocks, junior Brooklyn Kimball with 109 digs and sophomore Hailey Wagner with 21 aces from the service line.

Something they don’t share is section standing. Desert Ridge comes into the matchup last in the 6A Central versus first. The winless team is on a nine match losing streak heading into Wednesday and will be looking to turn that around. 

The Jaguars are 2-3 at home this season and will be hosting an Aztec team that is an even 2-2 on the road. 

“After coming off of two wins, I feel confident about the rest of the season,” Bour said. “I think we are in really good shape and are gaining our momentum as a team. I am excited to continue to play with a group of girls who make the game fun and are committed to winning.”

Each team faces six more matches to conclude this season after Wednesday evening, but the focus for the Aztecs is about what happens afterward.

“I believe creating a culture of winning is really important as that is the ultimate goal.  I think it was a great kick-off to the last month of the season.  I also like for the girls to see their hard work and practice pay off,” Maxfield said. “Ultimately, we want to win state.”