Marana Mountain View swept Williams Field 3-0 Thursday night in the 5A Conference Play-In Tournament to advance to the 5A State Tournament, set to get underway on Tuesday, Nov. 2. Ranked 15^th going into the match, the Mountain Lions will most likely face one of the highest seeds in the first round.

The AIA Volleyball Bracket Show will be streamed live at AZPreps365.com on Sunday, Oct. 30 at 11 a.m.

Mountain View has been absent from the state tournament since a first-round appearance in 2011 and No. 18 Williams Field last visited the postseason in 2010. Something had to give on Thursday night.

Mountain View pulled out to a 20-13 lead in the first set but Williams Field scored seven straight points to pull to within 21-20. The teams battled from there until Taylor Shiflet put down two of her match-high 21 kills to finish the set out 25-22.

Shiflet was one of 14 seniors on the court Thursday and the night proved to be a huge reward for the athletes who put in the work to turn their respective programs around. Black Hawk hitter Vanessa Bernzen led Williams Field with 10 kills and she was one of those athletes.

“We had an eye-opening season this year,” Bernzen said. “Playing in the tournament was something we have always wanted.”

Her teammate, senior middle Hillary Price, also felt a bit of relief.

“It’s been amazing,” she added. “We showed our school how good we are and we are glad we are here today. We leave as a winning program.”

Bernzen and Price felt their team come together during region play and it carried the team to a postseason berth. Unfortunately, Mountain View was also seeking to leave a legacy.

The Mountain Lions took the second set 25-19 and the third 25-16 to close out the match but, as mentioned before, a trip to conference powers Sahuaro or Centennial in the first round may soon be a reality. First-year coach Sara Lippitt will be watching the volleyball bracket show, as will 15 other 5A coaches. Being a part of that exclusive club, in itself, is a major victory for the program.

Natalie Guzman had 14 assists to go along with the 10 kills from Bernzen. Shiflet had her 21 kills and Ashlee Sappington added 13. Kailey Shumate had 40 assists, Anaya Hyman had 15 digs, Shiflet had 12 digs and Kaitlin Schmich added 10.