O'Connor won its first ever volleyball title last season and did so in dominating fashion. 

Behind the powerful play of outside hitter Devyn Wiest, the Eagles nearly ran the tables, finishing 34-1. It's only loss was a 3-2 setback to Desert Valley region rival Sunnyslope. O'Connor was able to offset its only loss in its second match against the Vikings with a 3-0 sweep before going 12-1 in four playoff matches to capture the 6A crown, and finishing ranked 19th in the nation by MaxPreps. 

With Wiest back for her senior season along with a handful of returning starters from last season, the Eagles get the nod again as the team to beat in 6A.

But it won't be easy.

Sunnyslope is back with a strong nucleus from last season, as is Queen Creek. Both made statements over the weekend during the annual 'House of Payne' Invitational in Chandler, which is always one of the marquee tournaments in the early season.

O'Connor fell to Queen Creek on Friday, 26-24, 25-19 before O'Connor got revenge in a semifinal rematch Saturday afternoon, 26-24, 25-23. The Eagles faced Sunnyslope in the championship match, winning in three sets 25-22, 13-25, 15-10. 

"We've got a good core returning from last season, but we'll also rely on some underclassmen," O'Connor coach Amanda Burbridge after Saturday's victory over Sunnyslope. "We even had several freshman that are already contributing so they're could be a learning curve."

This week we'll start previewing the large school conferences (4A-6A) as volleyball season gets into full swing.

6A

O'Connor

The Eagles boast not only boast one of the state's best players but one of the best in the country in Devyn Wiest. The 6-2 University of Utah committ had a productive offseason, competing with the USA U19 Team at the Norceca Girl's Continental Championship in Honduras where team USA brought home the gold. But it will still require a team effort for O'Connor to pull off the repeat. On the opposite side of Wiest is senior Addison France, who at 6-2 gives opposing teams plenty to worry about. France had 12 kills to go along with Wiest's 13 in O'Connor's hard earned victory over Sunnyslope in the House of Payne championship. Other top players for the Eagles include sophomore middle blocker Kristen Sheehy, junior middle blocker Leylah Duran and  sophomore outside hitter Kaiya Kearney, who contributed 29 kills last year as a freshman.

Devyn Wiest (right) talks with former teammate Shannon Sheehy during last year's 6A state championship victory over Perry. Wiest will try to lead O'Connor to a second straight title this season. (Photo by Kevin French/MaxPreps)

 

Sunnyslope

Perhaps familiarity was an advantage for Sunnyslope last year, since it competing in the same Desert Valley region with O'Connor. This season it moves over to the Central region which includes powers Corona del Sol, Xavier and Millennium. The Vikings are expecting big things from Georgi Stein and Zoe Haan this season. The seniors combined for 22 kills in their House of Payne title match against O'Connor. Zoe's younger sister Hayes Hanes made an imact as a freshman last season. Sunnsylope finished 7-1 over two days the Payne tourney, and Longtime coach Amber Geer is excited about the season.

"We've got a lot of good leadership coming back, we're already showing good ball control so I think we should have another great season."

Queen Creek

The Bulldogs reached last year's semifinals before falling to the buzzsaw that was O'Connor's '23 postseason run. Coach Erica Crismon's team is already off to a good start with its 7-1 showing at the House of Payne tourney. The Bulldogs return their top striker from last season in junior Madisyn Crnjac (309 kills). Crismon expects another big season from senior Libero Izzy Mahaffey. 

"Izzy will lead our defense and serve/receive. She's the best libero in the state-probably the best in the nation at her age group," Crismon says of Mahaffey. 6-2 senior middle blocker Haleina Bowers will challange opponets at the net.

Perry

The Pumas reached state title match and was the only playoff opponent to win a set over O'Connor in the 6A playoffs. Perry has plenty of firepower to make another 6A championship run possible. Leading the way are seniors Kenna Cogill and Avery Stones. Oregon-bound Cogill is a two-way force for Perry, finishing with 111 blocks (2nd in 6A) to go along with 263 kills on the season. Stones led the Pumas with 351 kills, among tops in the state. She will continue her volleyball career at Kansas State. Coach Andrew Yamashiro also expects big copntributions from seniors Lily Laflesch, McKaley Herr and Avery Boothe.

Xavier

The Gators are back with talent and a bit of a chip on their shoulder after falling to Perry in the quarterfinals. No less than five players on Xavier's roster have committed to Division 1 schools, and that doesn't include sophomore Tess Larkin, who was the offensive player of the year in the Premiere region as a freshman after leading the team with 269 kills. Libero Olivia Lenz (Texas Christian) anchors the defense along with middle blockers Elle McCreery (Dartmouth) and Allison Dunnion (San Diego). UCLA commit Vivian Hickman is the setter, while Annemarie O'Gara (Cal) plays opposite of Larkin.

Corona del Sol

With Libero Erin Clark and OH Alyssa Aguayo is in the lineup, the Aztecs have a shot at another title run after a 34-9 campaign that ended in the semifinals. Aguayo led the state in kills with 511. With her college future set at Illinois, Aguayo will be able to concentrate on leadong Corona del Sol's offense in hopes of another championship, which was contributed to in 2022 as a sophomore. Clark is an Alabama commit and pre-season All-American, giving the Aztecs an elite 1-2 punch  

Junior Hayden Connor added 164 kills last year as sophomore, so look for her role to expand in 2024. The Aztecs demonstrated their talent going 5-2 at the House of Payne tournament, losing only to O'Connor and Sunnyslope in close three-set matches.

Mesa

Makena Rumple and Jonnie Cummard will make the Jackrabbits go this season. The seniors combined for over 720 kills last year. But if they're going to win back the East Valley Region from Mountain View in '24, Hua Laikona and Sadie Watkins will also need to step up. Libero Wright, a transfer from Basha, should give the 'Rabbits more firepower.

Mountain View

The Toros return four of their top five striker from last season, which will make it tought for Mesa or any other East Valley region school to dethrone Mountain View. Aubrey Bellus and Jordyn Decker lead the way for coach Lee Golden. "These girls have worked so hard in the offseason and they love this sport." 

Millennium

The Tigers reached the 5A championship match for the sixth straight season in 2023. In 2024 they make the jump to 6A where they will compete in the Central region. "I think we'll be pretty competitive as we make the jump to 6A," coach Julie Vastine says of the upcoming season. "We're competing in a pretty tough region, but I'd like to see us push the top teams." Millennium lost several of its top strikers to graduation, but Vastine expects senios Sa'Mya Dorsey, Gabbi Kucinski and Bella Martinzez to step up for the Tigers.