GILBERT, Ariz. — The Highland girls volleyball team defended home court on Monday against undefeated Red Mountain, winning in straight sets. 

The Lady Hawks started off hot, led by junior outside hitter Zoe John with multiple early kills. The Hawks never let off the gas pedal, winning the first two sets convincingly, 25-15 and 25-12.

Early in the third set, John came through with two aces to keep the foot down for the Hawks. But, later in the third set, the Hawks ran into a bit of a wall as their lead narrowed to 20-16 heading into a timeout taken by coach Tait Neilson. The Hawks came back energized with kills from senior captain Jea Genet and sophomore Caroline Munson.

In the end, the Hawks won the 3rd set 25-20, sweeping the Mountain Lions, 3-0. 

Neilson credits this weekend's House of Payne tournament for why his team came out so strong against a team they did not know much about. 

“We had a lot of good reps this weekend and played a ton of solid teams, some of the best teams in the state, so that really helped us come into this week,” Neilson said. 

Neilson also spoke about Highland’s star from tonight, Zoe John.

“She had a concussion, so she was out all of the tournament, so she was chompin’ at the bit to come back and play a little. She is (John) going to be our hammer this year,” Neilson said. 

John spoke about how much of a relief it was to get back on the court.

“It was definitely a relief. As much as I hate sitting out, it was really good supporting my team and getting back on the court was definitely something I missed, so it was nice being able to come back out,” John said.

John also raved about how much being with the team helped her in tonight's matchup.

“Being with the team before really helps. We have team dinner beforehand and we spend a lot of time together, and their attitude beforehand really pays off during the game,” John said. 

Team energy was a focal point tonight and really set the stage for the rest of the season for the Hawks volleyball team.

“Our goal every game is to get a bench warning,” senior captain Jea Genet said. “Our goal is to be the hypest team here. When we are hyped, we’re playing our best. We really try to celebrate each other and play for each other,” Genet said.

Just like Neilson, she thinks this weekend's tournament propelled this team into their big win tonight.

“It showed us what high level we can compete at. It allowed us to run different sets and be able to have different opportunities that do not always present themselves,” Genet said. 

The Highland girls volleyball team will travel to Campo Verde tomorrow to take on the Coyotes and then to Alhambra to face off against the Lions on Thursday.