Arizona Lutheran showed it could play ahead or behind Saturday night -- ingredients that come in handy for a team with state-title aspirations.

The No. 7 Coyotes did just that as they swept top-seed Glendale Prep, 25-20, 25-15 and 27-25 to win the Division V volleyball title at Presccott Valley Event Center in Prescott Valley.

Junior middle Ruth Buchholz  led the way with 19 kills, spreading them pretty evenly over every set. ALA endured a five-set match on Friday night with No. 2 seed Pima and and capped its 4-0 tournament by taking down the No.1  seed. Glendale Prep was seeking its first championship and swept all three of its opponents prior to Saturday's final.

It was the first volleyball title for Arizona Lutheran in school history Arizona Lutheran had finished runner-up five times before, the last time in 1998.

"This team has grown," ALA coach Brad Bode said. "They've come to fight in every match. In years past if things didn't go well the heads would go down. This team battles."

Not an exceptionally well-played match, but ALA grabbed a 7-1 lead in the first set and lost that lead (10-9). A 6-0 run put them back in front and they held steady the rest of the way. The second set was tight through the midpoint, but a 7-0 run served by Lyric Carmack paved the way to victory.

The final set saw ALA bounce back from a 12-6 deficit and lead 14-13. The Coyotes lost that lead and staved off three set points to finish it on a Buchholz kill.

Buchholz added 11 digs and thre blocks to her title-game effort. Freshman Hayley Meshay chipped in with nine kills and 11 digs and settter Heather Warswhow had a team-high 15 digs.