If it wins its last five Verde Valley League matches and postseason tournament games at home, the Clarkdale-Jerome School A volleyball team will have gone undefeated for a full calendar year.
No pressure, though.
“We’re thinking positive and we don’t want to get big heads,” head coach and athletic director Lynda Chavez said after the Mingus Rams [9-0] came back to beat Big Park Community School in a tiebreaker, 16-25, 25-17 and 15-12 on Sept. 15. “It was a little nerve-racking, but fun match. I’m pretty proud that they were able to fight for points and work hard together.”
The Coyotes, Camp Verde Middle School and West Sedona School have been the stiffest tests for the Mingus Rams in a season of straight-set sweeps.
“There’s always pressure about being undefeated,” said eighth-grader Olivia Gordon, whose sets and blistering serves helped Clarkdale come back from a 7-2 deficit to Big Park in the second game. “Every single game, you’re thinking, ‘Is this the one?’
“But we learned that, if we’re too scared of our opponent, we’re not going to grow as a team. If we always stay positive, and if we act like a team, we’ll be OK.”
Not even undefeated Cottonwood Middle School, who fell in a Sept. 10 scrimmage, has been able to knock them off their perfect perch.
For the full story, schedule and more photos, please see the Wednesday, Sept. 23, issue of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
