AJ Peterson is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Seton Catholic Preperatory for AZPreps365.com

4A Desert Sky Region foes Seton Catholic Prep and Saguaro High School faced off Thursday night in a girls volleyball match at Seton’s McMahon Gymnasium. The Sentinels got the best of the Sabercats, winning the match in four sets (25-19, 25-13, 18-25, 25-20). 

In addition to the singing of the national anthem, everyone in attendance was asked to observe a moment of silence in memory of Seton Catholic coach James Johnson’s father, who died recently. Johnson and his daughter, the team’s stat keeper, were visibly emotional before the game’s start. Getting a win like this to open region play meant a lot to Johnson and his family, but the match wasn’t a cakewalk for Johnson and the Sentinels.

“Saguaro came out [with] a lot of intensity [and] a lot of energy,” Johnson said. “It’s a good win for this program.” 

The Sentinels came out inspired to perform well for Johnson and his family. Emilee Horky led her team in kills (12), while also adding a couple of key blocks. Katie Lalicata also had a strong performance with 11 kills and three blocks. 

In the first set of the match, Seton fell behind 16-12, forcing Johnson to use a timeout. After regrouping, the Sentinels went on a 13-3 run to take the set 25-19, led by the play of Lalicata. She had three kills and two blocks in the first set. 

“[Johnson] was just telling us to keep our head in the game [and] control what’s on our side of the court,” Lalicata said. “Those kills were very good, but it’s the team that made the passes, the sets, the serves...we all just lift each other up.” 

That team dynamic is something that Johnson has worked to instil in his players. He spoke of the impact of the Sentinel bench players on and off the court, in practice and in game. 

“We play as a team — that's No. 1,” Johnson said. “Everybody is involved in every point, and that’s how we come [through] adversity.”

Horky and the Sentinels came out swinging in the second set, taking an 8-3 lead on the Sabercats. Horky had three early kills before Saguaro head coach Tim Church called a timeout. 

But Church’s timeout didn’t have any cooling effect on the red-hot Sentinels. Seton’s Alexandra Van Devender and Horky pushed the Sentinels to a 16-4 lead in the second set. Van Devender rattled off three aces during her service turn, and Horky added two blocks to her five kills. 

The Sabercats held their own in the latter half of the second set, bringing the score to 24-13. Horky served for the Sentinels, starting the rally of the final point in the set. Saguaro went up for the spike only to run into the double-wide wall of Katie Thiele and Jalyn Gryskiewicz, who combined for the block that gave Seton the second set, winning 25-13. 

In the third set, the Sentinels found themselves in the same spot they did in the first set: down 16-12. This time, however, Johnson waited until after the next point to call a timeout. Seton was in a five-point hole, looking to mount another comeback and win in straight sets. 

Out of the timeout, the Sabercats continued their run, going up 21-12 before another timeout by Johnson. The Sentinels did their best to make it interesting, but ended up dropping the set 25-18 after a Caleigh Krumbach service error. Now up 2-1, Seton looked to regain the momentum and keep its grips on the match. 

The beginning of the fourth set was a toss up, with each team exchanging points back and forth until they were locked in a 10-10 tie. Lalicata and Horky led the ensuing charge for the Sentinels, each racking up multiple kills in the set to put Seton up 16-13. 

After falling down 20-15, Saguaro saw a quick spurt of offense from Ava Cotton, bringing the score to 20-18 and forcing Johnson to call another crucial timeout to refocus his team. 

“We just talked about doing the simple things,” Johnson said. 

The Sentinels, again, came out strong following the timeout. Horky contributed a couple of key kills, and Rachael Martinez ultimately shut the door on the Sabercats with an ace to win the set (25-20) and the match (3-1). 

“You never know what happens in volleyball, it’s a very mental game,” Horky said. “We knew we just had to push through and keep our momentum going.”

Van Devender led the Sentinels in aces with six. The “closer” of the match, Rachael Martinez, had five of her own aces. Johnson came away inspired and uplifted following the emotional win for his family. 

“They always play for everybody,” Johnson said. “This team is just good. It’s a proud moment.”