Zev Black is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Sunrise Mountain High School for AZPreps365.com

The Sunrise Mountain High School volleyball team dominated the Centennial Coyotes Thursday night in Peoria, winning in straight sets, 25-14, 25-18, 25-15. 

With an energetic crowd as its backdrop, the Mustangs got off to a great start, going up 7-1 to begin the first set. After this, they stayed ahead virtually all night. 

Their biggest deficit came early in the third set, when the Mustangs fell behind 9-12. However, this didn't last long as the Mustangs were able to regain the lead. Later in the set, a three-point Sunrise Mountain run pushed its advantage to 20-15 and prompted a Coyote timeout. 

In the huddle, Mustangs head coach Brandi Jans didn’t need to say much.

“I told them just to stay confident,” Jans said. “They know they can do it… They have enough confidence in themselves to pull it through.”

Jans’ words clearly did the trick. The Mustangs won the next five points, giving them eight-straight tallies to end the set and, subsequently, the game.

At the net, the Mustangs tied their season team high with 18 blocks. Seniors Taryn Davis, Shelby Gorospe, and Shelby Schoenbeck all led the way with three blocks a piece. This strong net presence forced Centennial into attempting more tips, which gave Sunrise Mountain better opportunities on offense.

Junior outside hitter Emily Pruitt led the Mustangs with 10 kills to go along with two aces and a block. Those two aces are above her season average of 1.5 per game. 

She said she believes her ability to hype up her teammates helped the team get back on track.

“I get really excited,” Pruitt said. “It helps everyone else get really excited and brings everyone up. It keeps the energy high.”

Besides Pruitt’s energy, students in the packed student section were standing and making noise all night long.

“It helps motivate them,” Jans said of the impact the crowd has on her players. “The energy and the level of play really motivates what they do on the court. I think they feed off of it versus letting it get in their head in any way.”

Additionally, many of the school’s faculty were in attendance as it was teacher’s appreciation night at Sunrise Mountain. 

With the win, Sunrise Mountain improves to 5-2. It has a long week next week: It will be on the road to play Kellis High School (1-4) in Glendale on Monday, and will host Paradise Valley High School (3-7) on Wednesday before playing in the Nike Tournament of Champions event on Friday and Saturday at Bell Bank Park in Mesa.