The Maryvale Panthers hosted the Sandra Day O’Connor Eagles in Boys Volleyball on Thursday and knew from the start that the match wasn’t going to be easy.

 

The Eagles defeated the Panthers in three sets, winning 25-11, 25-13, and 25-13. The Eagles looked very in sync and were firing on all cylinders, whether it be playing good defense, hitting powerful serves, or coming up with the blocks to stop the ball from entering onto their side.

Eagles head coach Troy Dueling couldn’t have been more pleased with his team’s play and knows that players all have great chemistry together and that plays a huge factor in  winning the game.

 

“[Our team] has played a lot of volleyball, and a lot of volleyball together,” Dueling said. “Everyone gets along really well off the court and I think that can play a massive roll as well.”

 

The Eagles had control of the entire match and were nailing some perfect serves to score easy points. Much of that was credited to sophomore player David Onuigbo, using his strength to drill some powerful serves to the Panthers that almost seemed impossible to play off of.

 

Onuigbo spends a lot of his time working on his serves in practice and when he has spare time; he goes to the gym to improve his strength to make sure his serves stay consistent and powerful.

 

“In practice I work on my serves a lot,” Onuigbo said. “It’s a simple part of the game that’s very important, so I take good time in perfecting that.”

 

Age doesn’t matter Onuigbo explained, as sophomore on the team and being one of the younger guys playing on the court every match he has gotten a lot of support from his fellow coaches and players. Eagles senior Cameron Koch has noticed him and his team’s progression throughout the season and knows that it doesn’t matter how tall or physical one is because everyone has an important role on the team that they need to execute to come away with wins.

 

“Height and strength means a lot in volleyball but not everything in the game relies on that,” Koch said. “David [Onuigbo] is on the shorter side but he’s still a powerhouse in the front row. It’s all about effort mainly. Everyone on the team has played club for a multitude of years and usually together and we can help transfer that chemistry we have to our season.”

 

Panthers head coach Carlos Gonzalez knew that it was going to be a tough match for his players but was excited for his team to play them to get a taste of what being one of the best is like. He is hoping that his team can soon reach that point in the years to come.

 

“We like to stay humble,” Gonzalez said. “We’re a team that hustles and we get to play against some big teams like Sandra Day O’Connor. They got great hitters, those are some big horses over there and they have a pretty good chance of making it to the finals this year.”

 

The Eagles continue to dominate the league with a record of 24-1 and are ranked No. 1 in the 6A Desert Valley League. They hope to keep their three-game winning streak alive on April 3 maryvalas they will travel to Hamilton High School to take on the Huskies.