The Desert Mountain Wolves completed a 3-1 (12-25, 25-22, 25-14, 25-14) volleyball win over the Mountain View Toros on Thursday night to improve to 6-10.

 

The game was centered around effective offense by both teams. While Mountain View was not able to pull out a win after Set 1, its offensive efforts challenged the Wolves in the opening set. Mountain View head coach Anthony Millanes liked what he saw from his team during that first set.

 

“We served lights-out. I mean, it wasn’t even close.  They went back there and looked like they were going to be in command all night. Set 1 was exactly what we talked about,” Millanes said.

 

Mountain View utilized sophomore Hannah Decious as a dual threat throughout the match, especially in Set 1. Millanes enjoys having a standout leader like her as an asset on the team.

 

“Hannah is a great player. She’s our go-to girl. She’s a sophomore too, I feel blessed that we have another two years to work with her.”

 

Despite the loss, Decious led both teams in kills and aces. Even with her standout offense, she attributes her success to her teammates.

 

“I can’t do it without the rest of my team. I just trust that they’ll make the pass and that I’ll get the kill. They help me out when I’m down, and I try to play hard for them,” Decious said.

 

While Mountain View put up good offensive stats during Set 1, Desert Mountain managed to come back and win three consecutive sets.

 

While the Wolves failed to execute strong offense in Set 1, they came together as a team for Set 2. Their ability to play cohesively as a unit lasted throughout the match. Head coach Tammy Butler was impressed with her team’s resilience.

  

“They started communicating better. They started moving towards the ball and passing better so that we could get better offense,” Butler said.

 

After Set 2, with the match tied at 1, the Wolves’ Skylar Wickman took charge of the third set. She went on a serving streak with four total aces. Her final ace secured Set 3 for the Wolves. Wickman’s successful serving fueled the Wolves’ excitement during the set.

 

“It kept my spirits high. The whole team was pumped up too, so that just helped me be a better player," Wickman said.

 

Unlike the Wolves, the Toros' offensive rhythm slowed down as the match went on. Even with Decious’ continuous offensive efforts throughout the match, the rest of the team struggled to match Desert Mountain’s pace.

 

Coach Millanes noticed immediately that the team’s energy dwindled as the match progressed.

 

“My assistant coach said it the best, we just looked fatigued. We looked like we’re just really not in good shape," he said.

 

After analyzing the team’s loss, Millanes has a plan to ensure a more energetic and efficient offense from the Toros as they prepare for their upcoming tournament.

 

“I think our conditioning needs to be a push for us this next week. It’s going to be a much more hectic week next week, so we’ve got to get in better shape and be able to go these four- and five-game matches consistently.”

 

Both teams have matches again on Sept. 19. Desert Mountain will play Boulder Creek while Mountain View takes on Skyline.