With John Parks’ complete attention has come complete volleyball success — at least in his first four matches.

The Sedona Red Rock High School head coach is downplaying a 4-0 start by the varsity, though, since stepping down as athletic director last month.

“It doesn’t really add up to anything,” he said. “I don’t think we’re playing that well yet.”

After a Thursday, Sept. 15, matchup with Phoenix Christian High School, two more challenges to the Scorpions’ undefeated 2A Conference record await prior to the beginning of Central Region play at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27, against Paradise Honors High School.

Both of those matches are at home against teams that already have at least one loss, with the Scorpions having beaten opponent Chino Valley High School in their Aug. 30 season opener.

“I don’t know if it’ll even be the same starting lineup out there in 30 days,” Parks said. “It’ll come down to the little things. Some young players are doing well and moving themselves up.”

Foremost among them statistically has been freshman setter Mary Westervelt, whose 96 assists have allowed the Scorpions not to miss a beat in the middle.

“It means she got some good passes from somebody, and somebody hit the ball and put it away for her,” Parks said.  “It’s been kind of a rotation with a couple of younger girls, but mostly Xan [Hawes] has been playing middle [hitter] for us [and] Shelby Brackin has been there for a couple of years now.”

Brackin and Hawes are third and fourth on the team in kills, respectively, behind junior outside hitter Julia Koss, with 36, and senior outside hitter Sophia Perry with 52.

Parks has many other pieces to the Scorpions’ early success, though, which will remain in motion through their first tournament Friday and Saturday, Sept. 16 and 17, at Estrella Foothills High School. SRRHS finished 4-2 last year.

“Wolves Classic will help us out a lot,” Parks said. “We’ll play some better competition there. Chandler Prep is really good.”

Chino Valley is one of two teams so far to win a game over the Scorpions. The other is Payson High School, which went back and forth with the host SRRHS for five games Sept. 6.

Perry was stellar with 19 kills, 18 digs, and seven aces, helping SRRHS edge the Longhorns, 17-15, in the tiebreaker.

Only junior libero Liza Westervelt has more kills on the season, with 58.

“We’ve got some talented younger players, and we have some older girls that do a good job of helping those younger players,” Parks said. “I think we’ve got a good balance right now.”

The downside is that Perry also has 35 errors — more than three times as many as any of her teammates.

“Some unforced errors,” Parks said. “Some hesitations, but they’re more because of mental mistakes.

“You obviously can’t get any runs going if you keep missing serves. You’ve got to serve tough, otherwise good teams are just going to put the ball away.”

Which happened against the Longhorns, who jumped on SRRHS with 25-12 and 25-22 victories in the first and third sets.

Although the Scorpions struck back in the second set, 25-13, they dangled on the edge of defeat in game four, needing two extra points to force the tiebreaker, 27-25.

“They actually had game points in both those games,” Parks said. “When you’re behind, it’s critical you play one point at a time. Keep your focus on that, and you’re going to put yourself in a position to win a lot of ball games at the end.”

For the Wolves Classic tournament schedule, please see the Friday, Sept. 16, issue of the Sedona Red Rock News.