(GILBERT, Ariz.) Knights' volleyball claimed its sixth win of the 2023 season on Thursday, besting the Coolidge Bears in straight sets (25-6, 25-12, 25-10). Gilbert Christian got great all-around production from its line-up, but was piloted by its hitters in the affair.
"We were able to play our game, at our pace from start to finish tonight," Head Coach Alyssa Misuraca said. "I was impressed at how much we were able to spread out the offense, and get all of our hitters engaged in the match."
Sophomore Alexia Heyn and junior Kaila Aston came out of the gate strong for the Knights, posting five combined kills as GCHS jumped out to a quick 9-1 lead over the Bears. Freshman Lillie Duitsman then rotated into the front row and came out swinging to stretch the advantage to 17-3 before junior Kaedra Lloyd nailed a couple of her own to bring the Knights closer to victory at 23-5. A final spike from freshman Sienna Cathey completed the winning effort as Gilbert Christian ran away with the set (25-6).
Coolidge errors stalled the Bears to begin the second, and Aston showed no mercy, coming up with a big solo block and a kill on back-to-back plays as the Knights gained a 5-0 edge. An ace from junior Emma Caraveo followed and Heyn blasted a kill on the outside, then got toolsy on the opposite side to record Gilbert Christian's 8th and 9th points of the set. The Bears managed to score a few on the ensuing plays, but Heyn was ready, and answered with a pair of smashes to bring GCHS to the halfway point at 12-7. A couple of missed serves were costly for the Knights, and gave Coolidge momentum, as the Bears closed the gap at 15-12, but Aston came up with another timely kill in the middle and a one-handed solo block to put her squad within reach at the 20-point mark. In the end, it was Cathey with a couple more blasts, and junior Michelle Lopez with an ace that brought the set to a close (25-12).
Cathey continued her hitting in the third, recording two of her squad's four points before junior setter Caroline Dotas set Heyn up for a hulk-type smash on the right side. Not to be outdone, Duitsman came up with two of her own on consecutive plays, courtesy of Dotas, to put the Knights out front 8-4. The Bears gifted Gilbert Christian the next few, and a couple of aces from sophomore Addie Steil extended the Knights' lead to 12-5, before Cathey nailed two more spikes to bring the tally to 15-5. Dotas stepped behind the line to serve, displaying her versatility as she rattled off two aces, and Cathey and Lopez ended the match with front row, and back row kills, respectively.
The dominant victory puts the Knights at 6-6 overall. Coolidge falls to 4-3 with the loss.
GCHS takes to the court again tomorrow at ALA-Gilbert North's Spiketown tournament. The team is also scheduled to compete on Saturday.
-GO KNIGHTS-
