The marquee match of the 6A boys volleyball season to date took place Thursday night with #1 power-ranked Highland (22-0) hosting #2 Sandra Day O'Connor (15-0). Not only were both unbeaten, neither had lost a set.

O'Connor's narrow 25-23 win in the third set gave it a 2-1 lead and the Eagles fast start in the fourth set led to a 3-1 win. Scores were 25-18, 21-25, 25-23, 25-16.

Odds are the match likely would have taken five sets to decide, but O'Connor bolted to a 7-1 lead in the fourth set. A lead like that against a team as talented as O'Connor was too tall an order. 

"We were anxious starting the fourth set," Highland coach Jeff Grover said after the tight third-set loss. "They have constant weapons. It was going to be difficult coming back from 7-1."

Highland cut the margin to 7-3, but no closer. O'Connor closed in on the finish building its largest lead of the set at 22-10 and won the match-clinching set eventually by nine points.

O'Connor's 7-1 start in the fourth was mostly of its making much to the delight of coach Troy Dueling. Two kills by UCLA commit Zach Rama, one by Finn Kearney plus an ace from setter Jaxon Herr made the fourth set the most comfortable triumph of the match for the Eagles.

Rama finished with a match-high 24 kills while Kearney added 14. Herr posted 53 assists. Highland's attack was three-pronged. Jase Adams led with 13 kills and Jaren Brown and Jack Zaharis chipped in with 11 kills each. Hayden Winegar was in on 48 assists for the Hawks.

Highland's double block spoils an attack by O'Connor hitter Bryce Robbins (17) in Thursday's match. (Azpreps366 photo)