AZ College Prep tops NW Christian for 4A crown
The Chandler AZ College Prep Knights won their first boys volleyball state championship Saturday, defeating the No. 1 team in 4A, Northwest Christian Crusaders. The 4A championship match went the distance, with a back and forth battle across five sets before the No. 2 Knights prevailed. For the Crusaders, the loss was the second straight year they made it to the championship match but lost. according to AIA records. Northwest Christian also lost in the 2021 final.
“We wanted this thing more than anyone in this gym,” said AZ College Prep head coach KJ Struz. “It’s a belief thing, and the first two sets we came out strong and showed Northwest Christian that we’re here to compete. It was an amazing final, and I’m glad we came out stronger at the end.”
Match recap
The first set started off with Northwest Christian leading until the Knights ended up going on a small run to lead 1913 at one point. From there, they didn’t look back with setter Kaden Wong leading the way for the Knights as they took the first set, 25-20.
The Crusaders fought back in the second set, taking a 20-15 lead and look poised to tie the match, but the Knights went on an 11-4 run to take it, 26-22 and grab a 2-0 set lead.
Northwest Christian showed why they were ranked No 1, however, as they fought back to take the next two sets. In the third set, the Crusaders picked up the pace, winning 25-15 as senior Jack Hubbard accounted for six points. Northwest Christian took the fourth set 25-20, forcing the decisive fifth set.
Northwest Christian looked poised to complete an incredible comeback going up 6-1 in the set. But after a timeout from However, after a time-out from Struz, the Knights fought back to tie it at 6-6. From there, it was back and fourth between the two, eventually reaching 12-12. It stayed tight with senior Jake Busot scoring the final point and capping the Knights’ win.
“We’re human, of course I felt a moment of doubt when going down 6-1,” said Struz.