Anthony Luna
ASU Student Journalist

Volleyball: Chaparral bounces back

September 29, 2016 by Anthony Luna, Arizona State University


The Chaparral Firebirds volleyball team swept the Campo Verde Coyotes 25-14, 25-19, 25-22 Tuesday night at home, snapping a two match losing streak.

After taking an early lead in the first game, the Firebirds won the set in stride, but the Coyotes put up a better fight in the final two games, when coch Vee Hiapo made a couple of adjustments.

“We had to stabilize our passing,” Hiapo said. “We switched our outside hitters toward the middle.”

The third set was a free flowing, shout-filled match-up in which Campo Verde led four times.

The tactical tuning proved crucial in countering the fast play from Chaparral. Outside hitter Madi King played well, collecting three kills and a block in the final set to lead Campo Verde.

However, the ending was anticlimactic for the Coyotes, as they let three unanswered points go by, including a serve that hit the net, to end the match in the Firebirds’ favor.

Despite the three-game sweep, Chaparral’s head coach Amanda Burbridge said it “wasn’t a great win.”

“We need to recover,” she said, referring to the Firebirds’ recent two-day stretch in the Tournament of Champions in Mesa. “They [Firebirds players] need to do a better job of creating some runs early on in the set.”

Negatives aside, she said she was satisfied with how middle blockers Kylee Stokes and Adrian Gifford performed.

Both combined for more than 15 of Chaparral’s points during the night, creating havoc among the front line. Their 6-foot-1 frames played big roles,  as Campo Verde’s middles stood three or more inches shorter than Stokes and Gifford.

Amber Stivrins also found success on the outside, leaving Campo Verde scrambling across the court. Stivrins’ biggest moment came in the second set, when she took control with four kills, including a well-struck shot to send it to match point.

“It’s really nice being a big part of the win, just going out there and playing for my team especially,” Stivrins said.

But she also joined her head coach in emphasizing focus. She said the match could have slipped away had it not been for her coach.

During the second and third games, the Firebirds jumped out to early leads but Campo Verde climbed back, prompting timeouts. Burbridge said she told her players they needed to refocus and the players responded, including libero Lexi Lewis, whose tactical awareness in the third game found pockets of space on Campo Verde's end.

Chaparral (7-6) will look to continue getting on track on Wednesday at home against Liberty. Meanwhile, Campo Verde (6-7) will take on Williams Field on Wednesday in a home-court showdown.