Heart-stopping victory for Coronado Thursday Highlights
Fifth-set rally puts Cougars in Desert Region title match
Coronado girls volleyball coach Matt Johnson jokingly told his players Thursday he nearly had a heart attack during their Desert Region match against Durango.
He’s alive and well. And his team is, too.
The host Cougars, trailing 12-8 in the decisive fifth set, rattled off seven consecutive points and eked out a 20-25, 25-21, 15-25, 25-17, 15-12 victory over the Trailblazers.
The victory sends Coronado to the Desert Region championship against Bishop Gorman.
Plus, as a region finalist, Coronado (26-9) qualifies for the Class 4A state tournament for the fifth time in the past six seasons.
The Trailblazers finish 26-6 for their winningest season since 2008, three points shy of their first state appearance in a decade.
“Those last five points were just like an adrenaline rush for my whole team,” Cougars hitter Sasha Bolla said. “We were on such a high, and I’m so glad that we were together. We want it so bad, and I’m so glad we’re at this point right now.”
Durango and Coronado traded the firstfoursetstosetuptheepicfinale before an enthusiastic crowd.
The Trailblazers capitalized on a couple unforced errors to build
Ava Wright had 35 assists and five aces in Boulder City’s 25-12, 25-14, 25-19 win over Pahrump Valley.
Moapa Valley’s Sierra Bunker had a team-high 11 kills in a 25-21, 25-14, 25-21 victory over Mojave.
Bishop Gorman’s Anjelina Starck had 17 assists, five aces and six kills in a 25-7, 25-9, 25-13 triumph over Liberty. their lead, prompting a timeout from Johnson.
“I just told them it’s not about strategy or anything like that,” he said. “When the ball comes to you, justmakethebestcontactthatyou can. And they did.”
Bolla conceded that she felt a sense of desperation at that point but didn’t reveal that to her team. She instead rattled off a series of service points to set the stage for Coronado’s comeback.
“Thisisn’ttheend,it’s‘wecando this,’” said Bolla, who finished with 31 kills and 14 digs. “The momentum we have today will drive us (Friday).”
Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Bysamgordon on Twitter.