The stakes couldn’t be higher. Inside a packed gym on senior night, during what was a de facto playoff game against Fountain Hills, the Camp Verde High School girls volleyball team found itself on a downhill skid.
No. 25 Camp Verde needed a win to continue its season. In the Arizona Interscholastic Association 3A state playoffs, teams that don’t win their region, like the Cowgirls who finished second in 3A North Central, need to finish in the top 24 to qualify for the 3A conference play-in tournament.
The Cowboys weren’t going to move up in the rankings with a loss. They knew that. Especially the two Camp Verde seniors, who were playing in their final home game of their high school careers, but were fighting to extend their playing days.
“This could have potentially been my final game ever so I put it all out there,” said senior Mckenna Martin.
A 2-sets-to-0 Camp Verde lead had nearly dissipated. The Falcons capitalized on a late push in the third set to stay alive. The fourth was trending in a similar direction.
The Cowboys stormed out to a 11-5 lead in the fourth, but Fountain Hills had something to fight for too. With a No. 23 ranking, the Falcons needed a win, and their desperation showed. The Falcons made a 9-0 run to take a 14-11 lead, and they kept the pressure on.
Down 23-17, it looked as though the season was coming down to a crashing finale. The Cowboys were just two points away from a fifth set that would be for everything. Months and months of training, workouts, and long bus rides were two points away from becoming a rat race to 15 points in a decisive fifth set.
The pressure would be too much. So instead of dealing with that, the Cowboys ended the fourth set on a 9-1 run to take the set 26-24. The Cowboys proved to be victorious on senior night with a 3-1 (25-17, 25-19, 21-25, 26-24) win on high emotions.
“Well definitely coach got mad because we won the first two sets then we were down the last two, but we definitely came back,” Martin said. “We all clearly wanted it really bad. That’s where all the emotions came from because we’ve wanted it so long. We haven’t been to the playoffs in I don’t know how many years.”
Teary eyed and mentally drained, the Cowboys celebrated on the court as the nearly full gym erupted. For the first time in over a decade, Camp Verde volleyball was headed to state.
“Right now my heart’s pumping super fast because of all of the adrenaline,” said senior Larissa Hockenberry. “But I’m super glad we get to go to state. We haven’t gone to state here in like, forever so even getting the chance to go to the state play-in game is just an honor for this team.”
The Cowboys’ work is cut out for them. Since their 7-3 region record wasn’t enough to beat out Northwest Christian (9-0) for the 3A North Central region crown, Camp Verde will play in the 3A conference play-in round.
As the No. 23 seed in the 24-team tournament, the Cowboys’ path will be a challenging one. Their play-in round task will be a trip at No. 10 Blue Ridge to take on the Blue Jackets (11-6) of the 3A East region on Tuesday.
11/4 UPDATE:
The No. 23 Camp Verde Cowboys fell in straight sets Tuesday night in its 3A Conference Play-In round match against Blue Ridge. The No. 10 Yellow Jackets won 3-0 (25-10, 26-24, 25-16), advancing to the 3A State Championships and ending the Cowboys season.
