PHOENIX- In its first post-fall break match, McClintock High School fell short in all three sets to Arcadia High School in a 5A Northeast Valley region match Tuesday night, 25-17, 25-14, 25-16. 

The Chargers (8-13,0-4) had a difficult night defending Arcadia (14-7, 1-2) and its attack. Perhaps that was due to fall break and having a couple days off. Ally Bolden of Arcadia had three kills in a row to start the first set and the Titans would build on the momentum of Bolden to win the set. 

The Chargers didn’t make it an easy fight and no one battled with more spirit than senior Jaylah Moreno. One McClintock parent mentioned before the match that Moreno was the key playmaker for the Chargers. “Jaylah has experience," said the mom. "She’s a senior and a very hard-worker on the court” 

Moreno had herself a match, with dig after dig all night. She finished the first set with seven digs and fought till the very end.  When asked about how fall break affected her and her team she said,” I feel a little bit rusty and haven’t had enough practice.”

“We made a lot of mental mistakes I think a lot of it had to do with fall break being out," said assistant coach Chris Thomas. "We need to control what we can control and just limit our mental mistakes.”

The second set started off well for the Chargers, as a Moreno dig set up senior Denise Dengi for a kill. The valiant effort of the Chargers wasn’t enough, as the Titans smelled blood and went on a 6-0 run at one point. 

In the final set the Chargers were tied with the Titans 14-14. Moreno was firing up her team along with head coach Jacob Laikona. The Chargers fell short as they gave up five consecutive kills. 

“Her fight I don’t feel like she ever gave up even in that last set we were down seven, eight points and she’s diving on the floor being very active," Thomas said of Moreno. "She never comes out and plays all the time she’s like a little motor. Her energy, her aggressiveness throughout three sets, the score wasn’t on our side but her fight stood out."

“I need to be a good teammate to my sisters and uplift others and I just need to find a little bit more energy," said Moreno, whose Chargers will be playing matches on consecutive nights this week. "I got a little bit tired today and I just need to make sure I stay focused and play my game.” 

McClintock hosts Paradise Valley High School on Thursday at 6:00 p.m. for a region match.