By Don Ketchum

Glendale Joy Christian put another building block into place on Wednesday night (Oct. 3) as it looks to make a challenge for the Division V girls volleyball title.

The Eagles, seventh in this week’s Arizona Interscholastic Association seedings, outlasted visiting eighth-seeded Phoenix Valley Lutheran in four sets, 25-22, 20-25, 25-14, 26-24.

Joy Christian used a strong all-around game from senior Marissa Boelter and got key contributions from sophomore Tristan Cantrell, senior Mariah Kempf and junior Holli Childress.

“She (Boelter) is definitely one of our “go-to’ people,’’ said Joy Christian coach Kathy Neville, whose team improved to 11-1.

The Eagles now look for some competitive matches in the Phoenix Christian tournament this weekend.

Joy Christian squeaked by in the final set and were awarded a match point after the officials conferred about how to rule, likely in regard to whether Joy Christian had used more than three hits to get the ball over the net in the final sequence. The Valley Lutheran contingent expressed its displeasure over the ruling, which dropped its record to 12-5.

“We are just trying to focus on our side of the net, our style of play,’’ Neville said.

“We have overcome some challenges this year. This is a building block, a stepping stone, for us.’’

Joy Christian was down early in the first set and used a 9-0 run midway through to take control.

In the second set, Valley Lutheran got three straight points after an 18-18 tie and Joy Christian could not recover.

Joy Christian dominated the third set, but Valley Lutheran wasn’t about to give up.

The Flames scored eight straight points for a 15-14 lead. They led 24-21 before Joy Christian scored the final five points.