Even a student dressed like the comic book superhero Batman could not save Sedona Red Rock High from Chanel Brown and her top-ranked Valley Christian Academy Trojans, who defeated the Scorpions, 3-0.
A good crowd on hand witnessed one of the best volleyball teams, and players, in the state Wednesday, Oct. 7, as Brown took over when needed to help her team go to a perfect 10-0 on the season.
Brown, a senior for the Trojans and outside hitter, signed a letter of intent to play volleyball for Gator Nation at the University of Florida in the fall.
The division one prospect certainly showed her talent Wednesday, simply taking over the match against the Scorpions whenever she wanted.
“I thought we did a nice job against her actually. She’s a great player and we saw why Wednesday,” Sedona Head Coach John Parks said.
Although Valley Christian is ranked No. 1 in the 2A conference, and is probably a top five team combining all leagues, Sedona stuck with them.
In game one Wednesday, the Scorpions trailed 13-18 but rallied to make it 16-18, giving the Trojans something to think about.
A full gymnasium continued to cheer as the Scorpions tried to make a run, but a 7-0 run thanks to Brown gave Valley Christian a game one victory, 25-16.
“We need to keep working on cutting down our mistakes, and play more as a team,” junior libero Chelsea Strong said.
Strong led the team with 11 digs on the night to go along with one ace serve.
Game two was a different story for the Scorpions, who took an early 6-3 lead before Valley Christian decided to go on a 7-1 run to force a Sedona time-out, 10-7.
Sedona tied it 13-13, and stayed with the Trojans for most of the game until the very end, losing 25-21.
Valley Christian recorded 29 kills Wednesday against Sedona, including 10 ace serves.
The Trojans did commit 16 attack errors against the Scorpions, maybe helping Sedona’s cause for an upset bid.
Sedona senior captain Logan Reilly and her match-high 15 assists still wasn’t enough in game three as Valley Christian won to complete the sweep, 3-0.
Several Scorpions had decent matches including senior transfer Kiki Wilson who had six kills and two digs on the night.
“We need to stay positive and keep our heads up. Volleyball is a game of momentum and when you lose that momentum, it’s tough to get it back,” Wilson said after the match.
Wilson went on to name a few mistakes she and her team made against Valley Christian, pointing out that if the Scorpions could clean that up, they may give the Trojans a better run for their money.
Sedona committed 11 attack errors and had 12 ball handling errors against Valley Christian, not helping their cause against one of the best teams in the state.
Standouts Wednesday included senior Katie Adams who finished the match with six kills, sophomore Katie Furlong who had seven kills and two ace serves, and senior Shelby Brekke who had five kills and one solo block. Junior Rachel Cook had two kills, one assist and one ace serve as well.
With the loss, Sedona drops their record to 9-2 [10-8, tournament play] overall on the season and should certainly stay a top five team in 3A conference power points.
Next up, the Scorpions will take a few days off and rest up for the Phoenix Christian Academy match Tuesday,
Oct. 13.
Official start time is 6 p.m.
The next two home matches for Sedona will come Thursday, Oct. 15, against Wickenburg High, and Tuesday, Oct. 20, against Williams High.
It is the last two home matches of the season. Both are scheduled for 6 p.m.
Brian Bergner Jr. can be reached at 282-7795, ext. 131, or e-mail bbergner@larsonnewspapers.com
