St. Mary’s girls volleyball has used its strong attacking and consistent, mistake-free play to secure a 2-1 record ahead of a showdown against Dysart High School on Thursday.

The Dysart Demons finished the 2017 season with an even 16-16 record, but return seven seniors and are poised to contend in the 4A Black Canyon section. The Knights finished 8-17 in 2017, but are confident that they will contend in the 4A Skyline section, and will make the playoffs this year.

Dysart will have an edge in games played coming into Thursday’s game having played 10 games early on, while St. Mary’s has only played three. When asked whether this will affect the game, St. Mary’s coach September Lopez said, “The extra touches help, but we have had a very long offseason, and even though we haven’t gotten as many game touches, we have had enough.”

The Knights are a relatively young team with only two seniors on their roster, and Lopez says they will need to grow in consistency as the season moves forward.

They have beaten Glendale and Combs in straight sets, while losing a nail biter to Bradshaw Mountain 3-2.

One of their young standouts, sophomore outside hitter Leilani Clark, said, “We have to come out strong and stay strong throughout the game, and if we do that I believe we will win.”

With upper-class leadership at the helm, Clark said her goal for this season is “to be one of the best hitters in our section, while having fun with my team.”

Clark has one of the more powerful hits on the team, and has accrued 18 kills in three games.        

The Knights didn’t finish where they wanted to last year, but Lopez likes what she has seen from her young team early on this season.

“We have been able to stay on one level, which was our biggest weakness last season, and this year we are coming together as a team with encouragement and support,” Lopez said.

Junior outside hitter Karla Ramirez, senior setter Gracie Brittain and senior setter Sloan Estrella are the captains for the Knights, and will be key contributors all season.

Ramirez leads the team with 25 kills, Brittain leads with 42 assists, and Estrella has 45 digs on the season.

As for goals as a team, Lopez said, “Get a better record than last year.”

Dysart brings many challenges for her team, but she views this has one of the games that her team must win.

“We must win the crucial games that matter, so we can set ourselves in a situation where we are going to have a shot at playoffs,” Lopez said. 

Coach Lopez’s outlook for her team is, “it’s not about having an undefeated season, but winning the games that we are supposed to win.”

The Knights will battle the Demons at 6 p.m.. at St. Mary’s.