St. David upsets defending champ

November 9, 2019 by Jose Garcia, AZPreps365


St. David avenged last season's state championship loss. Photo by Darin Sicurell/maxpreps.com.

St. David lost its fourth straight championship set to Mogollon, going back to last year.

The team was down but not out Saturday against top-seeded Mogollon. After dropping Game 1 and trailing 18-13 in Game 2 in the 1A Conference volleyball championship rematch, St. David began to punch back consistently against a taller opponent.

It kept fighting until it left Coronado High with a 22-25, 25-23, 27-25, 25-20 championship victory. To beat the 2018 champ, St. David’s longtime coach Tylene Miller told her girls they had to own the net.

Middle blockers Kayla Judd and Jaylin Richardson followed the orders, becoming St. David’s netminders. Richardson (16 kills) ignited her team’s second game rally, and Judd (20 kills) ended the match with a kill.

St. David's Jaylin Richardson. Photo by Darin Sicurello/maxpreps.com.

“After the first game it got me down a little bit, but when we started playing that second set we all just started coming together and it was so much fun,” said Judd, a Montana transfer. “I felt so hyped after it and knew we were going to win.”

A serious back nerve issue almost forced Richardson to end her playing days, but she returned midway through the season.

“We were there for each other, and that made it better for us,” Richardson said.

Mogollon’s outside and middle hitters had their moments behind the play of their senior leaders, Jilliana Maner, Hanna Ballesteros and Tyra Parry and junior Isabella Horn.

It also battled despite losing 27-25 in the second game, when it trailed 24-22. In the fourth game, the defending champ led 12-9.

But that’s when St. David’s third weapon, senior outside hitter Megan Merrill, collected two of her 18 kills when the ball went off Mogollon’s block twice.

Richardson and Judd followed with and ace and a blast from the middle, respectively. A Mogollon hitting error then left St. David with a 14-12 lead and Mogollon’s players frustrated.

After a timeout, Mogollon tallied two points, but 26-4 St. David then took control, handing Mogollon its first loss to a 1A team since the 2017 final. St. David won the first ever 1A championship game in 1972, and on Saturday it claimed its 8th 1A volleyball title.

“With heart and having fun,” said Miller about how her team pulled off Saturday’s upset. “That’s what it is all about.

“It was nice to see what they can do under pressure. I knew they could do it. I just didn’t know that they knew it.”

St. David celebrates after winning the 1A Conference volleyball championship match. Photo by Darin Sicurello/maxpreps.com.