Horizon's vaunted volleyball program added another championship trophy to its collection Saturday evening at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix.

Led by a spectacular performance from Teraya Sigler and clutch play in crucial sitiations, the Huskies held off an outstanding Sunrise Mountain in four sets, 15-25, 25-23, 25-23, 28-26, and claimed its fourth consecutive 5A title.

The Mustangs outscored Horizon overall 97-93, but Horizon's ability to come through at the end of the last three sets was the difference. Twice in the fourth set, Sunrise Mountain had a chance to close it out, but both times Horizon kept poised and got the point, before eventually winning 28-26.

"(Sunrise Mountain) is a great team and they've beaten us before, but we just really showed our grit and our heart," said Teraya Sigler, who led all players with 33 kills. "We knew we had to go out with a bang."

How it Happened

Sunrise Mountain came out aggressive in the first game behind 6-1 junior Brooke Jenkins and 5-11 senior Carly Soboloski, who were dominant on the net. After Horizon took a quick 4-1 lead, the Mustangs controlled the rest of game 1, with Soboloski blocking three Horizon attemppts and Jenkins coming up with six kills for the 25-15 win. 
 

"We knew Sunrise Mountain was going to come out like that," Sigler said of the first set. "We had to make sure to not psyche ourselves out. We had to keep scraping and fighting the rest of the match."

Neither team led by more than two points in the second game. Sigler served back to back aces for a 20-18 lead. A Sigler serving error was followed by a kill from Jenkins and an ace from Kami Milner, and the Mustangs led 21-20. Horizon freshman Nia Tinsley would make a pivotal play with the score tied at 22-22. The 5-6 Tinsley was able to up in the air to block a Jenkins shot attempt, igniting the Horizon fans and players. Sigler closed out game two with a soft shot that caught Sunrise Mountain defenders off guard, and the match was tied 1-1. 
 

Game three was nearly identical to game two, including the same 25-23 score. The teams were tied at 22 when Sigler came up with two kills, and a hitting Mustang hitting error gave Horizon a 2-1 lead.

Game four was again similar but even more dramatic.
 

Shelby Shoenbeck gave the Mustangs a 24-23 lead after a kill, and the Mustangs were serving for the set. But Sigler came up with a kill to tie it at 24. Addison Wiemann then came up with one of her team-leading 20 kills for the Mustangs, who gained a 25-24 edge with another chance to close out the fourth set. But 6-3 sophomore Olivia Kauffman came up with a clutch kill for the Huskies. Sunrise Mountain would never have another shot at closing out game four. With the Huskies up 27-26, Sigler served deep into Sunrise Mountain's end of the floor, causing an error and ending the game, match and season.   

The Aftermath

The loss was devastating for Sunrise Mountain (33-8) after battling Horizon so evenly the entire match. "I feel like my players played the best they could," Mustang coach Brandi Jans said after the match. "It's hard though, I mean they played their hearts out, we just couldn't capitalize on finishing."

For Horizon coach McKenna Skaggs, it's her second championship in two years as head coach. She was on staff for the previous two titles, and played for Horizon's first state championship team in 2009, making her a part of five of Horizon's six championships. 

"There's a difference between wanting an needing, and both teams wanted, I just felt we need it more," Skaggs said afterward. "We knew it was going to be a battle tonight. We respect Sunrise Mountain, so I'm not surprised how close the match went."

Elite Company

Horizon becomes the second big school to win four titles in a row, with Xavier being the other school (2007-2010). Sigler played her freshman year at Phoenix Country Day School, where she won a championship, making it four straight for her as well.