Jeffrey Hinkle is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Williams Field High School for AZPreps365.com.

 

The Williams Field Black Hawks girls volleyball team swept Mountain Pointe on Thursday in what started out as a very tightly contested match full of loud benches, and an even louder Williams Field student section. 

The Black Hawks (5-2) were down early on in the first set 6-2, but battled back and tied the score, 11-11.

Tying the score became a very familiar sight, as the score was also tied three more times before Williams Field went on a 2-0 run to take the first set, 25-23.

The second and third sets were both dominated by the Black Hawks, as they took both of them 25-12 to complete the sweep.

Mountain Pointe (2-5) looked to have a little momentum go its way at the start of the third set by taking the first two points, but  Williams Field went on a 9-0 run and took the set in a demanding fashion.

It seemed as if with every point the Black Hawks scored, the student section got louder and louder with chants of “start the buses,” and every time there was a time out, the chant would be, “talk it over.” 

This was consistent with the Mountain Pointe, which not only had its varsity players cheering from the bench, but the entire JV team was behind the bench leading chants as the Pride tried to claw their way back into the match.

Clawing their way back would be a challenge as the Black Hawks were racking up aces Thursday.

Freshman Tatum Clay led the way with five. In total, Williams Field dealt 17 aces on the night. 

Clay was satisfied with her game, saying she felt pretty good with how the game went, but added she could’ve done better.

“I wish I didn’t miss serves,” she said. 

Coach Brian Hiapo praised the freshman Clay after the game.

“This is a good start for her," he said. "With her ability to hit those serves in those areas, she’ll be a key player in the future.”

Hiapo has often described this team as “very young,” but the youth movement was in full effect tonight.

The underclassmen combined for 10 out of the 31 total kills.

Senior outside hitter Maliyah Labrie led the way with 11. 

With every kill the Pride tallied in their attempt to steal a couple points, their bench and the parent supporters grew louder and louder, but Williams Field has seen this before.

“Doesn’t affect [the team]," senior middle hitter Cayden DeSantiago said. "It’s the same thing our student section does.”

Overall, Coach Hiapo was very satisfied with his team’s performance. When asked about his team looking like a bunch of card dealers the way they were serving up aces, Hiapo humbly said, “I’m no gambler, but we were serving a lot of seams and they were nailing it. … I’m really proud of them.”