Ryan Moffett is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Xavier Prep for AZPreps365.com.

The Xavier College Prep Gators swept another opponent Wednesday night as they continue their early success.

The Gators faced off against an unseen opponent in the Valley Vista Monsoon this evening. Xavier swept Valley Vista 3-0, but not without some trouble. 

Valley Vista was a very efficient team early on in the sets, which put Xavier in tough positions where they had to come back, something head coach Lamar-Renee Bryant wants to improve on.

“I have all the faith in the world in my team, but one of the things we need to work on is starting fast because that’s crucial to set the tone,” said Bryant. “It’s easier to start slow when you are at home because the crowd is on your side, but when we go into hostile territory and go on the road it’s important to have a really fast start.” 

After a slow start for Xavier in the second set, freshman Amari Frazier took over the game and took the lead back for the Gators as she finished the night with 10 kills. Frazier doesn’t take all of the credit though, she pointed out the hustle she saw from the rest of the squad.

“What I saw from the second set that swung the momentum was how our defense was running down balls,” said Frazier. “It really motivated us to stay focused and start running faster and trying to get the game done faster.”

Bryant was happy that her team “took care of business” despite coming off of a tournament weekend where they played seven matches. Valley Vista didn’t notice any fatigue from Xavier because of the constant rotation of new players coming off of a deep bench. 

“I think it’s fantastic,” said Bryant. “I think we can look at our team and we can do a lot of different things. We’re just really excited that we have different lineups that we can do throughout the year.”

Xavier Prep’s perfect 5-0 record in conference play leading into this game has been thanks to the outstanding play from some of their stars. Sophomore, Tessa Larkin, went into this match averaging 4.7 kills per set and junior, Allison Dunnion already has a total of 28 blocks. 

Despite kicking off the season with such a hot start, the Gators haven’t let it boost their ego. Their approach is simply to have fun out on the court, even for one of their stars, Dunnion, who tallied four kills and two blocks against Valley Vista.

“My mindset specifically is definitely just positive and thinking positively about what I’m going to do,” said Dunnion. “Thinking about how we need to come together as a team and how we’re so connected.”

You can certainly see the team “come together” on and off the court. This group of athletes illustrate why sports are so special.

“I have a lot of fun just seeing everyone get hyped after a point. It makes me really happy,” said Frazier. “At tryouts and the first game, everyone’s been really inclusive and just helping everyone out and if you have questions everyone is really kind and willing to help.”

The Gators have proven to be a dominant volleyball program in the state, only losing a total of 15 matches in the last three years. This could be credited to the positive environment that Coach Bryant and the team have built. 

The Gators will look to continue their streak of success as they brace for the final 10 regular season games. The team remains confident for the remainder of their games because of the chemistry they have built and continue to develop.

“I definitely think we’re going to use our connectedness,” said Dunnion. “We’ve done a lot of team bonding and we’re very connected as a team this year so I think that definitely will help us later in the season.”

The Gators improved to 6-0 in conference and 7-0 overall on their season. They will compete on the road tomorrow against the 4-5 Desert Vista Thunder.