Damian Rios is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Horizon High School for AZPreps365.com

SCOTTSDALE- Horizon High School looked unstoppable Tuesday evening, stopping Campo Verde in the 5A girls volleyball quarterfinals in identical straight-set scores of 25-18, 25-18, 25-18.

Not only was it the Huskies' 15th-consecutive win, but they have also won 35 straight sets in that span. Horizon, led by head coach Valorie McKenzie and assistant coach Joelle Smyth, didn't show any fatigue or remorse en route to decimating the Coyotes.

Tuesday's matchup was akin to microwavable mac-n-cheese for the Huskies: quick and easy. In the first set, the Coyotes had an early 5-1 lead. The Huskies surged ahead and were up 13-10 when Coyote senior Addison Haluska crashed to the floor with a right ankle injury. She would be taken out of the game. 

Horizon won the first set, 25-18.

The Huskies, bolstered by a loud home fan base, began the second set with great energy. After getting the first two points of the second set, its student section erupted. Set two was mostly back-and-forth, until the Huskies pulled away late, winning again, 25-18.6'3 junior, Kendal "Juno" Murphy goes for the kill  (Damian Rios/AZPreps365)

In the third and final set, the Huskies started strong and led 18-10. Campo Verde staged a rally, scoring six consecutive points to draw within 18-16. The home squad called a timeout. Horizon's student section serenaded both squads with, "Where's the starters?," or "You can't stop us."

After the timeout, the Huskies would win the set and the match. They now advance to the 5A state semifinals.

Last Thursday McKenzie earned her 1,000th career victory in prep volleyball. Nicknamed "Lady" by her players, McKenzie has been a coach at Horizon for 42 seasons, beginning in 1980, the year Ronald Reagan was elected president.

Through those 42 years, she only thought of leaving once. "I actually turned in a letter of retirement in 2009," she said. "And then two weeks later I went back to my AD (athletic director), and I said I don't think I really wanna retire, and he goes, 'I never turned your letter in.'"

In the 2009 season, Horizon won its first state championship, which may have proven the school wasn't ready for Lady to leave.

After Tuesday night's win, the top-ranked Huskies (16-1) will face No. 4 Cactus Shadows at home in a semi-final match.