Nico Battiata is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Sunnyslope for AZPreps365.com

Sunnyslope looked to win its final match of the regular season, and the Vikings did it in style. For what was an emotional night for most, they figured out a way to fuel those emotions into a dominating 3-0 sweep over Desert Vista. 

The Vikings took the first two sets with ease but were met with a tough battle in the third and final set, giving fans a thrilling ending. They took the final three sets 25-14, 25-10, and 28-26. 

Sunnyslope struggled with serving last week when they played against the Chandler Wolves. Safe to say, it was made it a priority in practice, as the Vikings had a total of 10 aces against the Thunder, six of them coming in the second set. 

Laney Wilson, one of the seven seniors playing their last game for Sunnyslope tonight, spoke motivationally about how the team managed to stay locked in throughout the whole game and not let their emotions get the best of them. 

“I just wanted to tell myself that I didn’t want to regret my last game,” said Wilson. “I just wanted to play to the best of my abilities for my team, and just so I would feel good about the last game for my team.” 

Wilson did just that, with 12 kills and nine digs. She also had three aces throughout the game, and was a huge playmaker and the reason why Sunnyslope was able to dominate the way it did. 

Sunnyslope head coach Amber Geer also recognized how high the emotions were before the game, and did a great job of keeping her team cool, calm, and collected with constant substitutions and well-paced timeouts. 

“When they were so emotional, I got a little nervous,” chuckled Geer. “But I think they were able to kind of table that a little bit and focus on the game. They were able to rally back … We just need to keep staying strong and having intensity throughout the whole game."

Sasha Leon, another senior starter for Sunnyslope, also recognized how high the emotions were running before the game, with multiple of her teammates shedding a few tears as they saw their names being announced for the last time. 

“It’s kinda like a bittersweet moment. I love playing all the time and it’s just sad to see all my friends going,” said Leon. “You kinda just feel your emotions, you don’t push them away, and you just let it drive you to play better.”

Desert Vista, on the other hand, continued to struggle during this end-of-season rough slate of games. The Thunders' loss was their ninth consecutive loss, and their eighth time being swept within those nine games. 

The Thunder finish the season with an underwhelming 13-20 record. Desert Vista’s season, unfortunately, comes to an end on a sour note, while on the other hand, Sunnyslope looks to remain sweet and make state playoffs. 

Sunnyslope finishes their season with a fantastic 24-8 record. The Vikings, who are now 4-4 in region play, will look to make state playoffs as they sat at No. 4  in the AIA power point rankings.