The Trivium Prep Crimson Knights came oh so close to being on the other end of what it remarkably accomplished in Game 2 of the 2A volleyball championship match.

Down 10 and three points from losing the second frame, when it also eventually survived four set points, Trivium Prep won that momentous game 32-30. With all the momentum in the world Friday, Trivium Prep reached championship point, 24-11, in the third set at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

But two-time defending champ Phoenix Country Day wasn’t leaving quietly. It engineered a gutsy 11-0 run before the Crimson Knights closed it out, 25-17, 32-30, 25-22, and feeling just like PCD did after Game 2.

“I was a little bit nervous, but I knew we would get it,” said Trivium Prep coach Beth Wilson about those antsy moments in the third set.

PCD led 21-11 and 22-12 in the second set before it got nutty at the Madhouse on McDowell.

That’s when it happened, a rally Trivium Prep won’t soon forget. It started inconspicuously with a Lailah Dixon tip, giving the Crimson Knights a point and allowing their emotional leader, Natalie Guerrero, to start serving for a long stretch.

This unfolded next:

• Block Trivium Prep.
• Petra Zepeda kill.
• Samara Fair kill.
• Zepeda kill.
• PCD hit out.
• Trivium Prep kill on the outside.
• Fair kill in the middle.
• Zepeda kill.
• Guerrero ace.

It was 22-22 at that point. PCD called two timeouts to slow down the Crimson Knights during that 10-0 run but to no avail.

A Zepeda block gave Trivium Prep its first lead, 23-22. But PCD finally answered.

A kill and ace by its leader on the outside, Quincy Rodin (15 kills), provided PCD’s first set point, 24-23. But that’s when some nerves likely kicked in, as both teams exchanged points but also errors.

Like PCD, Trivium Prep also had four sets points in the second game. An Ava Norris kill that was close to being out and PCD’s inability to get a Trivium Prep pass under control finally ended the marathon game.

The second set tied a state record for the longest game in state championship history.

“When I started serving we began to realize that we were going to go on that run,” said Guerrero, who had a match-high 22 digs. “We were going all out. I’ve never played on a team with this much chemistry. We went into that match knowing we were going to win a state championship.”

It felt like the Crimson Knights had just won the state championship after the second game.

But there was one more game to be played. Trivium Prep's Norris (15 kills) and Addison Storz (15 kills) were difficult to stop on the outside throughout and were at it again in the final set thanks to Ryan Poyner’s setting.

A couple of freshmen, Fair (5 kills, 2 blocks) and Aleena Torres, also played fearlessly for the champ. Despite seeing 23-4 PCD almost pull off an improbable rally of its own, Trivium Prep would not be denied.

Phoenix Country Day has turned into a small school power in Arizona. It reached its third consecutive volleyball final Friday. (Jose Garcia/azpreps365)

Unlike the final two drama-filled games, the first game saw the Knights never relinquish the lead.

This season, Trivium Prep (33-5) snapped a five-year state semifinal losing streak, and handed their beloved coach, Wilson, her first title in 11 years at the school.

“We finally did it,” Wilson said. “It’s incredible.

“It’s all about them (players). They created a culture this year where there was such great chemistry. They played for each other.”

Beth Wilson will be thinking for a long time about what her team accomplished in 2023. (Jose Garcia/azpreps365)