Tyler Simpson is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Central High School for AZPreps365.com.

PHOENIX- When Central High School visited Carl Hayden High School for a girls volleyball match last month, the Bobcats had seniors Kayla Bedonie and Paola Fonseca. Now, both starters are ineligible due to the “no pass, no play” rule. Central still managed to pull out a win Wednesday night in a close-fought battle: 27-25, 27-29, 27-29, 25-23, 15-8.

Freshman hitter Beth Ulibarri came up big with the absence of the two seniors, tallying 14 kills. Ulibarri plays club volleyball year-round, so she gets a lot of practice in which sets her apart from other girls.

“She has a lot more experience than the other girls,” said coach Laura Phillips, “and that’s what sets her on top and she has been getting better as the season progressed.”

Central led the first set almost the whole way, but Carl Hayden came back to tie it at 24-24. That's when Ulibarri, an outside hitter, crushed back-to-back kills to close out the opening set, 27-25.

Carl Hayden controlled the second set, but Central kept it close, scoring three unanswered points to tie it at 23-23. The two sides went back and forth until 10 points later, after an almost two-minute rally, a miss-hit by Central middle blocker Savara Owens gave Carl Hayden the victory, 29-27.

The third game came easy for the Falcons in the beginning. However, Central came back to tie it at 24, but once again lost 29-27.

The momentum shifted during the fourth set. Central's Abigail Hernandez served five unanswered points, allowing the Bobcats to pull ahead 19-14. Rally after rally, Hernandez would set the ball to Ulibarri on the left side, and she would deliver. Ulibarri counted for seven more kills.

Unfortunately, due to Ulibarri also playing in the junior varsity match, she was unable to play in the fifth set due to a six-set maximum per night.

With a 15-8 win in the fifth set, the Bobcats were able to push through the absence of their two prominent seniors. The underclass talent, led by Ulibarri, helped Central to improve its record to 4-2 in the 5A Metro Region.

“We have had a lot of practices every day for the last two months,” said Ulibarri, “and I’ve improved a lot. These coaches have helped me a lot with my hitting and especially my back row coverage.”

Ulibarri was not the only one making great receives in the back row. Junior libero Kanessa Beaird was chasing balls left and right, keeping the Bobcats in each game. However, she appeared to get frustrated with herself, and her team, especially during the first two sets.

After losing a hard-fought rally that gave Carl Hayden a 28-27 lead in the second set, Beaird appeared in distress. She was approached by a Bobcat assistant coach. “I told her to get out of her head,” the coach later said. “Just keep talking to her players, and just play.”

The Bobcats would lose that sat and the next by the same score (29-27), but would rally to win the final two sets and the match. Beaird's attitude adjustment played a large role in the comeback. “You got to get out of your head,” another Central assistant noted about Beaird. “You can’t be so hard on yourself and you got to relax.”

The coaching staff will look to see a lot more progress from Beaird as the Bobcats will continue region play against Sierra Linda, Tuesday, October 19.