GILBERT, Ariz. – The Campo Verde volleyball team lost 3-0 to the Gilbert Tigers on Friday night.

The Campo Verde Coyotes had a rough start right out of the gate. The Tigers went on a 3-0 point run to start and after the Coyotes first scored, the Tigers went on another 3-0 run. It was up to the Coyotes to make a comeback. 

“The beginning was kind of rough, our energy just was not really there,” said Gillian Bachali, a senior outside hitter for the Coyotes.

Gilbert won the first set easily, 25-14.

The start of the second set didn’t seem promising when the Tigers hit it hard with a 6-0 run. Eventually, the Coyotes got the ball back and went on their own run of 7-0. Then from there, it was a back-and-forth battle of runs. 

“We could have rolled over and died the first set, the second set they came back and fought hard. They (Gilbert) wanted it just as bad as we did," Coyote Coach Nui Rubin said.

The Tigers took the second set, 25-20.

Going into the third set, the Coyotes were fired up, wanting to take a set from the Tigers for the first time  since the 2019-2020 volleyball season. 

The Coyotes started the third set with a kill on their first possession. From there, the Tigers responded with a kill. And it was a battle from there. 

“Towards the end, we started picking up on what was open on their end of the court. And what works best on our side of the court also," said Cambry Wolynia, a senior opposite hitter. 

In the end, the Coyotes couldn't take down the Tigers or get their coveted set. The score of the final set was 25-23, Tigers. 

“We played pretty well against Gilbert, that's the highest number of points we’ve ever scored on Gilbert so I think that was a good match," Wolynia said. 

When looking forward to their next games, Rubin says that they have many plans for improvement, starting with their defensive attack.

“We can work better on our defense and our blocks. There are a lot of faster offenses out there right now and we can be better at getting there in time,” Rubin said.

The Coyotes play their next game Mondayagainst Desert Ridge. The game will be held at Desert Ridge High School at 6 p.m. 

“Even though we didn't win, we were still proud of them and the fight they had in them to continue to push forward," Rubin said.