Lauren Avenatti
ASU Student Journalist

Phoenix Country Day takes down Desert Heights Prep to keep winning streak

September 7, 2022 by Lauren Avenatti, Arizona State University


The Phoenix Country Day varsity volleyball team poses for a picture. Picture credits to HUDL.

Lauren Avenatti is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Phoenix Country Day School for AZPreps365.com

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Phoenix Country Day varsity girls volleyball took down the Desert Heights Prep Coyotes in their third straight win of the season. 

The Eagles are now 3-0 after, beating both Trivium Preparatory Academy and Cicero Preparatory Academy last week, and are tied for the No. 1 spot in the 2A Metro division. 

“It feels good. I feel like we still are really young in the season, and we still have a lot to work on, but it’s nice that we’re having success early,” head coach Kat Glaeseman said.

Phoenix Country Day won the first set 25-10, but the Coyotes responded immediately, winning the second set 25-16.

Sophomore outside hitter Quincy Rodin of Phoenix Country Day says that her team knows how to stay motivated even in times of defeat, as was the case after the second set.

“Obviously, we saw them celebrating so much. They beat us. They deserved it. They played so much harder, they were smarter than we were. But seeing that makes us want to perform better and bond together,” Rodin said

The Eagles were able to bounce back, winning the third set, 25-10, and the fourth set, 25-16, taking home the victory.

Before tonight’s game, the sophomore duo of Rodin and Mia Warner were ranked third and fourth in kills in the 2A Metro standings, according to MaxPreps. Rodin had 37 kills, while Warner had 19.

“Honestly, the key is just going out there and having fun. If I have fun, I perform so much better than if I’m stressed out. I don’t really focus on the stats, even though it is nice,” Rodin said.

Phoenix Country Day has notably made a lot of big transitions over the past year, particularly with their starting line up.

“We have people playing different positions and a lot of young players, a lot of freshmen and sophomores, playing positions, so I’m just proud of the way that they have stepped up and filled that role. We graduated five seniors last year, so we have a lot of spots to fill and they’re filling them really well and we’re learning and getting better quickly,” Glaeseman said.

Phoenix Country Day emphasizes the importance of team bonding as this team is being handed off to the younger generations.

“We really had to rebuild our trust with each other. It’s definitely an interesting dynamic. We have two starting seniors and three freshmen, who weren’t here with us today, and we all have to rely on each other, especially the freshmen. We have to adapt them for years to come because eventually they’ll be those starting seniors,” Warner said.

Rodin says that the team dynamic off the court is vital to their success on the court. 

“It’s so important. I see these girls every day. I’ve known some of these girls since I was 11. We treat each other like sisters. We are sisters. If we don’t treat each other like sisters, we won’t perform as well on the court,” said Rodin. 

The Eagles play next on Tuesday against Glendale Prep Academy at 6 P.M.