It's not often a team survives a 2-0 deficit in boys volleyball, but it's more difficult when that outcome occurs against a quality opponent in the state tournament quarterfinals and one that swept you earlier in the season.

No. 4 seed Mesa Mountain View did just that Tuesday night, eliminating No. 5 Perry in five sets, 17-25, 16-25, 25-22, 25-18, 21-19, at Toro Gym.

Mountain View advances to Thursday's semifinals at Mesquite to face No. 1 seed Hamilton, which knocked off No. 8 Desert Vista in a five-set thriller. That match is set for 7:30 p.m. The other semifinal is Thursday at 5:30 p.m., pitting No. 2 Brophy against No. 6 Highlandt. Brophy topped Ironwood and Highland bested Gilbert in sweeps in Tuesday's other quarterfinal matches. Mountain View is in the semis for the second year in a row and won state in 2011. For Perry it's the third year in a row the Pumas have been eliminated in the quarters.

Mountain View (31-10) was decidedly outplayed the first two sets by Perry (28-6) and hung tough in the third set to stay alive by clinging to a narrow lead throughout. The Toros steamrolled Perry in the fourth set reeling off a 7-0 lead and the fifth set was in everyone's mind with Mountain View up 20-12 in the fourth.

The fifth set was a dandy. Perry grabbed a quick 4-0 lead and was closing in on set win with a 9-5 edge after a kill by Derek Smith. But Mountain View wasn't going to let the fifth set slip away and battled to tie at 11. Neither team gained more than a two-point lead the rest of the way. The set was supposed to end at 15, but the teams resolve wouldn't let it. Each team had three match points from 13-13 on. Two key players on the evening for Mountain View closed out the match.

Toros' senior middle Garrin Slade produced the last of his 6.5 blocks to put Mountain View up, 20-19.  The final point came from the fifth and final ace of the match from Sam Tanner. Tanner's serve was deep and Perry opted not to return it. It landed in play for the match-winner.

Mountain View coach Kevin Powell was stunned by the victory, atlhough he knew his team deserved it with its will to win.

"After the first two sets we had to do something," Powell said. "We found some different matchups and they seemed to work for us. I have so much respect for that team. They are well coached, play hard and are very respectful.Ii'm glad we got them at home this time."

A month ago the teams met in a power-point match that Perry swept on its home floor by scores of 25-21, 25-16 amd 26-24. That triumph seemed to make Mountain View's victory Tuesday that much more improbable.

Leading the way for Mountain View statistically on offense was Luke Shill with 12 kills and Blake Johnson with eight. Slade, the only sophomore on the Toros' roster, didn't appear in the match until the final points of the second set. He served fully the final three sets with 17 points coming off his serves. Topping Perry statisitcally (unofficially) were senior right side Wyatt Veach with 23 kills, Ethan Fillmore 12 kills and Smith with 9 kills.