Dylan Kane is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Gilbert Christian for AZPreps365.com

WADDELL– Up 22-11 in the first set, it seemed as if the Gilbert Christian Knights were going to set the tone with an easy set win Thursday night against the ALA West Foothills Guardians.

All of a sudden, the Guardians stormed back with an 8-1 run, cutting the Knights’ lead to four and electrifying their home crowd.

Despite the momentum shifting away from them, a mighty kill from sophomore Lillie Duitsman closed the door for a Guardians comeback and the Knights won the set, 25-20.

The Knights never let things get that close again for the rest of the night, sweeping the Guardians in three sets, 25-20, 25-17, 25-19. It was their fifth victory via the sweep this season, as they improved on their already hot start to the 2024 season. 

“They’re playing hard and competing,” Knights coach Andrew Rasmussen said. “It’s exciting. It’s fun to be a part of.”

Staying locked in and not getting comfortable with large leads has been a theme for the Knights all season long, something Rasmussen hopes to continue building on going forward.

“We just want to compete on every ball,” he said. “Every play has an opportunity to compete and respond.That’s a message we talk about a lot, and they do it well.”

“I think it’s good to have a ‘next ball mentality’,” said freshman libero Shay Loth, who led the Knights with nine digs. “You’re always going to make mistakes, but you have to be able to go on to the next ball.”

Star sophomore Sienna Cathey continued her hot start to the season, as well. The Longhorn Invitational MVP recorded 15 kills to lead the Knights, oftentimes going on scoring runs all by herself that the Guardians defense had no answer for. 

Cathey recognizes how important playing with energy and confidence is for her team.

“We have a lot of highs and lows,” Cathey said. “And as long as we have that one person who drives our energy, we can all just match it and go on from there.”

The Knights didn’t let the long drive from Gilbert to Waddell wipe out their energy. In fact, the players use the time on the road together to bond and get ready for the game.

“We always play games and listen to music (together) to get us ready and pumped up for the game,” Loth said. 

This level of team chemistry showed Thursday night, as the win was a total team effort with a variety of key contributors. Duitsman had 10 kills, while junior Alexia Heyn added six kills and four blocks.  Loth  and freshman Kendall Moore set the table for their big hitters with 26 assists and 20 assists, respectively.

Gilbert Christian (6-1, 2-0) will play in the Epic Tourneys Girls Volleyball Invitational on Friday and Saturday  at ASU’s Student Fitness Center.

ALA West Foothills (1-4, 0-0) will play their next game on Monday at Kingman at 6 p.m.