Senior Cierra Cureton delivers an ace during Maricopa High School's victory over Vista Grande High School Tuesday night. Photo by Adam Wolfe

The Maricopa High School volleyball team remains in playoff position at the midway point of the season after another up-and-down week of play.

The Rams fell to Valley Christian High School on the road on Monday, but rebounded against section opponent Vista Grande on Tuesday. In both games, Maricopa was competitive, but the Rams shined against the Spartans on Tuesday and used their superior size to control the match.


“It was a little slow, but we pulled out the win,” MHS volleyball Head Coach Lashieka Holley said. “They didn’t play at their level, and they should’ve been
working on some things. We were counting on this win, but after [Monday’s] loss, I’m proud in how they came back and fought to ensure they got the win.”

In the match against Valley Christian, the Trojans were able to take advantage of Maricopa mistakes and snatch a victory in straight sets. The Trojans are currently ranked in the top 10 for Arizona Interscholastic Association Division III volleyball, but the Rams showed tremendous heart and skill throughout the match.

“[Against Valley Christian] the team just made more mistakes than they did,” Holley said. “All sets were really close and we should’ve pulled it out. We seemed to get to 20 and we’d just get stuck. We keep letting teams come back on us for some reason and we need to learn to finish.”

On Thursday, Maricopa fell to Phoenix Country Day School at home. This was just their second home loss of the year, but it was a game the team was expected to win. The Eagles shocked the Rams on their home court and took the match in straight sets.

The Rams overall record at the midway point will drop to 7-7. However, the team is still ranked in the top 32 in the state, and that would qualify them for the AIA Division III State Tournament.

“We definitely have to bring it,” Holley said. “We have to come prepared and if we show up and play [like we can] we won’t have any worries.”