Coach Valorie McKenzie ended her 43-year coaching career on a high note, as Horizon defeated Millennium 25-23, 22-25, 28-26, 2516 to win the Class 5A state championship Saturday night at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Sophomore Teraya Sigler (27 kills), Grace Greenlee (12) and Kendal Murphy (10 kills) led Horizon, which finished 32-10 and won its fifth state title and second straight 5A title.

Millennium finished the season at 37-5.

“I can’t say one title is more important than the other, but since this is my last year I have to say that it was unexpected at the beginning of the season,” McKenzie said. “All of them are very special, but this one just has a little bit deeper place in my heart because of where we came from.”

Where they came from was five transfers sitting out half the season, including Sigler, who transferred from Phoenix Country Day School, Saturday’s 2A repeat champion.

“It’s surreal,” Sigler said. “Those games (I missed) were so long and getting back to play with these girls. They were so good to me. I never felt out of place.”

Horizon opened the match with a 13-4 run, aided by the strong serving of junior Eva Issitt and the attacking of Sigler.

However, Millennium came back with a run of its own, cutting the deficit to 16-13 behind the serve of junior Allison Wilson. The serving of seniors Ava Krienitz and Eryn Jones also helped Millennium take a 21-20 lead.

But Horizon eventually rallied to take the first set after an Avery Ashcraft serve and bad set by Millennium to win 25-23.

The teams took turns scoring points to open set No. 2 until Millennium gained control at 13-10 behind the blocking of Talea Mitchell and Elisa Saunders. But Horizon reclaimed the lead (18-17) before Millennium got a pair of kills from Jones and Mitchell to go up 22-20. 

Jones finished it off for Millennium with a touch kill to take Game 2 25-22 and even things at a set apiece. In set No. 3, Horizon jumped out to an early 9-5 lead, but Millennium kept fighting and tied the set at 17-17.

From there, Horizon seized control with a pair of kills from Kendal Murphy and Grace Greenlee to go up 22-18. 

Millennium once again came back to tie it, this time at 24-24 before going ahead 25-24 on a Gabbi Kucinski kill. But Siegler took over down the stretch with three kills, and senior Kendal Murphy finished it with a kill to take the set 28-26 and a 2-1 game advantage. 

“That’s who (Sigler) is,” Mckenzie said. “She takes that challenge and runs with it.”

Horizon raced out to a 10-3 advantage in the fourth set with three kills from Greenlee and blocks from Sigler and Murphy to force a Millennium timeout. 

“Coach told us after losing the second set to stay calm and have fun,” Sigler said. “I feel in a lot of championships you get all mixed up in ‘You can’t lose’ and ‘Don’t make a mistake,’ but she said it’s ultimately about having fun.”

Sigler continued to take control of the final game with three more kills and an ace that forced Millennium to call another timeout at 19-11. Millennium got as close as 22-18, but Horizon closed it out with three straight kills, including the final one from Murphy to seal the title. 

“The confidence in that fourth set was where it needed to be,” McKenzie said. “It wasn’t about playing not to lose, but it was about playing to win. And that’s what they needed to do, and that’s what they did.”

For Millennium, Jones finished the match with16 kills and Kucinski had nine.

As for what McKenzie does next, she wants to continue watching her players play, take care of her family and do one final thing.

“Maybe learn to play the piano again,” McKenzie said.