The Cactus Cobras varsity volleyball team is looking to continue their momentum heading into playoff time after winning their last regular season match against the Greenway Demons, 3-0. With the win, Cactus finished 10-0 in their region during the regular season.

This will give the Cobras an enormous amount of confidence with the first round of the playoffs occurring on October 31.

Coming off of a 3-0 win against Metro Tech, Cactus is won its sixth straight match heading into the postseason. Senior captains Becca Belles and Soleil Gandara will look to continue to dominate the front line come Halloween night.

Coach Anthony Puglisi had high praise for his senior captains. “Becca and Soleil have brought ultimate leadership throughout the season. Their unselfishness on and off the court have really helped our team grow this year.”

Cactus clinched home court advantage for the first couple of rounds by earning the No. 2 seed in the 4A bracket. The team will also serve as the designated home team in the state semifinals, should it advance that far. The Cobras face the No. 15 Apache Junction in the first round.

With high expectations set for the Cobras, Puglisi’s main goal is to keep the team relaxed to avoid any nerves come Tuesday. The mood around the team is to have fun and trust one another.

“The most important thing to us is teamwork,” said junior middle blocker Alexis Nichols. “Coach has given us a lot of confidence moving forward, since we know we’re not under any pressure.”

Sophomore setter Daphne Dugan on what realistic goal the team has set for themselves. “We know if we stick together and continue to emphasize team throughout the tournament, there’s no telling what we can accomplish as a team.”

The first playoff game will begin at 6:30 Tuesday night in Glendale.