Lindsey Dean is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Cactus High School for AZPreps365.com. 

A dominant offensive performance allowed the Cactus Cobras to sweep Dysart in straight sets, 25-10, 25-18, and 25-12.

The Cobras came out hot on Tuesday night, jumping out to a 7-0 lead in the first set with three kills and three aces to start the game. 

“Mentality wise, we knew we had to come in and start it from the jump,” senior hitter Sapphire Solano said. “We knew we couldn’t be slow and take the time to warm up. We had to start strong from the very beginning.”

Solano stood out both offensively and defensively with seven kills, three blocks, and two aces. She saw a lot of openings offensively against Dysart with a shorter block on the other side of the net.

“I knew I didn’t have a very big block, so I knew I could pick my corners,” Solano said. “With their middle back going for everything, as a hitter, I knew I had to pick spots and it wasn’t going to be an easy, just straight down game.”

Freshman hitter Kenley Petty also had an impressive night offensively, leading the Cobras with nine kills and three blocks. Petty’s third kill of the night pushed Cactus to set point before Dysart hit into the net, ending the first set 25-10.

“I knew I had to get up and over the blocks,” Petty said. “I knew where the best defense was and where to hit around.” 

Dysart fought back in the second set to keep it a closer game, going point for point to start the second set 9-9. According to Demons coach Ryan Dimal, the switch in energy and body language is what sparked the change in momentum.

“I told the girls to just have fun. We still get to play the game of volleyball,” Dimal said. “With just that little bit of adjustment, they started to enjoy it a little bit more, which allowed us to get good passes and play a little better.”

It wasn’t until Cactus senior Jadyn Pauli slammed three kills cross-court from both the outside and right side, that the Cobras began to pull away and finish the second set, 25-18. 

The Demons struggled both offensively and defensively, ending the night with a total of 12 kills, three blocks, and two aces. Dimal attributeds the Demons' lack of communication as his team’s main weakness. 

“Talking has been a struggle for our team all year,” Dimal said. “I think making that adjustment, learning how to play and talk at the same time, is going to take a little bit, but it is going to make the game more fun for them.” 

Despite showing signs of slowing down in the second set, the Cobras jumped to an 8-1 lead to start the set with six kills from Solano, Petty, and senior hitter Delaney Heady.

Cactus coach Jana Henige was impressed by her team’s ability to remain focused throughout the match and not lose their momentum for too long. 

“I think that is where we had growth tonight because these games are where we struggle the most,” Henige said. “Their momentum would go down a little bit, but they would come right back up.”

The Cobras asserted their dominance in the third set finishing the set 25-12 with 12 kills and five aces.

Cactus (4-4) will play 4A rival Deer Valley (0-5) Thursday at home at 6 p.m, while Dysart (5-4) will play at Tempe High School Monday at 6 p.m.