Jacob Luthi is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Chandler High School for AZPreps365.com 

CHANDLER - The Basha High School girls volleyball team, with the help of an electric home crowd, defeated Chandler High School in a five-set thriller on Thursday. 

Despite going down two sets to one at home, the Bears maintained their composure and won, 25-13, 24-26, 16-25, 25-17, and 15-10.

Bears Coach Bryan Meyer was proud of the way his team battled on Senior Night. 

“After winning the first set we kind of got down,” Meyer said. “We weren't really playing to the best of our abilities, and then we really fought those last two sets to take it to them. We just wanted to win.”  

Thursday’s win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Bears, and gave them their first region win of the season. 

It was obvious through the first set that noise was going to play a factor. The Bears’ fans came to support on Thursday, and they did so loudly. 

“They are always loud here with their student section,” Wolves Coach Nathan Saunders said. “I think coming into the first set the girls just didn’t get their feet under them.” 

The Bears never lost the lead and won the first set handily. Wolves junior Kamryn Itzen, however, used the crowd noise as motivation to play better.

“The student section, they get on your nerves,” Itzen said. “But for me, I turn it into motivation. I use it as fire. It pushes me harder, and I prefer when they have a big student section. It makes me more motivated.” 

Itzen supplied her team with four block assists and six kills. 

The Wolves settled in and played their best volleyball in the second and third sets. Consistent communication by Itzen, and a high-powered offensive attack helped the Wolves bounce back after a first set loss. 

“I try to be loud,” Itzen said. “I try to keep everyone motivated. I try to be positive all the time. If someone makes a mistake I say, ‘Hey, move on, get the next one.’”

Wolves junior Marley Avechuco continued her offensive dominance with a team-high 19 kills. Twelve of those kills came in the second and third sets. 

The Wolves won the second set 26-24 and the third set 25-16. 

Starting at a 2-9 deficit early in the fourth set, the Wolves climbed within three points at 17-20. The Bears, however, went on a 5-0 run and forced the match into a deciding fifth set. 

The crowd, after settling down throughout the middle of the match, came back to life in the fifth set when the Bears rushed to a 8-0 lead. 

Although the Wolves came out firing after a timeout, closing the gap to 10-12, it was not enough to secure the win. The Bears took the next three points and won the match as fans stormed the court to celebrate with the home team. 

The Wolves’ improvement on defense was evident throughout the match. Itzen’s and senior Angelica Rivera’s four total blocks each led a team that ended the night with 12 blocks. 

Senior libero Kady Moore also noticed the defensive improvement with her team-high 19 digs. 

“I'm just really proud of how everyone played defense today,” Moore said. “I think I did really well. They have some big hitters. Obviously it is difficult to play around them, and in the end I felt I got as much up as I could.” 

Despite losing for the third time in a row, Itzen believes a level of consistency can help the Wolves secure a win moving forward. 

“We need to work on maintaining our energy,” Itzen said. “We either start off slow and we build, or we start off strong and we die. We need to stay constant.” 

Both Chandler (7-5) and Basha (5-6) will compete in the Nike Tournament of Champions Southwest competition in Mesa on Friday and Saturday.