Ellie Shaw is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Metro Tech High School for AZPreps365.com.

Although it swept the first set of the game, Metro Tech High School fell short against Carl Hayden High School in one of the last games of the season. 

The Metro Tech Knights started off strong, winning the first set 25-13. This domination gave the impression that this game would be a blowout, but these were not the results. The Carl Hayden Falcons go to tie up the game, and then some. The Falcons won the second set with a score of 25-22, the third set 25-22, and the game-winning set 25-20. 

The Knights fought hard the entire game, but mistakes and lack of communication is what cost them the game in the end. 

Wendy Hernandez was an all-star when it came to serving the ball over the net. Each hit was as strong as thunder and led the team as a server. Hernandez protected the backside of the court and did not give up, especially when she redeemed herself during the final set. 

“It was fun playing against them, it was very intense but the score was very equal. Overall Carl Hayden did really good and pushed, and I wished we pushed as hard as they did,” Hernandez said. 

To the Knight’s defense, they were working with a much smaller team than the Falcons were. With only three girls on the bench, some of the players were never rotated out for four sets straight. 

One of those players was superstar Monica Arreola-Gonzalez who fought and dove for the ball the entire game. With five kills, two aces, and two tips, Arreola-Gonzalez was a standout playing during this matchup. 

“Today was a bit of a struggle for us. Their passing and defense was really strong and I think we were all tired,” Arreola-Gonzalez expressed. 

Even though the Falcons took home the win, their performance was rather questionable. From temper issues to not taking the game seriously, it was a shock that Metro Tech didn’t dominate. 

Anahi Calderon was on top of the game today, from diving to save the point to supporting her teammates after a mistake was made, there was no doubt that Calderon is a backbone for the Metro Tech varsity volleyball team. 

“I was feeling good about the matchup with Carl Hayden tonight. We’re hoping to do the best to finish out our season and communicate with each other,” Head Coach Bryan Heckler said. 

Heckler and his players all seemed very disappointed about their loss tonight. Once they shook hands with Carl Hayden, the Knights grabbed their bags and headed home. 

This defeat leaves Metro Tech with two more opportunities to take home a win as their season is coming to an end. This also updates the Knight’s record to 4-11 for conference games, 4-12 overall. 

“It’s hard to balance being a student-athlete, I’ve been trying to catch up on homework while having practices and games so I think we’re all feeling it,” Arreola-Gonzalez said.