Front row keys Shadow Ridge’s sweep of Sierra Vista

Shadow Ridge girls volleyball coach Karissa Guthrie understands that a recipe for success starts with a balanced attack on both sides of the front row.

“It’s a huge benefit,” Guthrie said. “For one, it gets the other team’s blockers thinking. It makes us more powerful at the net and allows the setter on the (other) side to really be careful of which side they are going to go after on the net.”

Tuesday night, the Mustangs confidently rode with that philosophy.

A combination of sophomore outside hitter Ashley Smith and senior opposite hitter Niehely Sosa proved beneficial in Shadow Ridge’s home sweep of Sierra Vista 25-20, 27-25, 25-3 in a Northwest League match.

“We were a little slow at first, but we came out and took it to them,” said Sosa, who recently committed to St. Francis (N.Y.). “We worked as a team and came together and came out hard.”

The Mustangs (18-12, 6-1 Northwest) used two key runs, fueled by separate four-point swings, to recover from a sluggish start in the first set.

“I think we started off a little slow, but it’s how you finish and how you get the momentum,” Guthrie said. “It builds a lot of confidence in our kids. We’ve been working on a lot of things defensively and offensively at the net and to be able to do that, it builds that confidence for us.”

Shadow Ridge was able to do just that in the second set, overcoming a controversial touch call that went Sierra Vista’s way and a 25-24 deficit, by constructing a three-point, set-ending rally.

“They are really good at just brushing things off and moving forward,” Guthrie said. “I was really proud of them, because it could have easily gone the other way. They did a good job of maintaining their composure and focus.”

The Mustangs carried the momentum into third set, racing to a 13-1 lead and cruising to the win. Smith and Sosa each had four kills in the final set.

“I think it’s a huge advantage,” said Sosa, who recently moved to opposite hitter. “I’m putting up a big block on the opposite and (Smith) is putting everything down. We can both put balls down like crazy, so it gets them thinking.”

Senior Mandy Stout clinched the victory for the Mustangs, serving 10 straight points, with back-to-back aces. Sosa contributed 13 kills and four blocks, and Smith registered 14 digs and 13 kills. Olivia Denny added 32 assists.

Shelby Stiles paced Sierra Vista (10-10, 4-3 Northwest) with two kills, five assists and four digs. Teammate Kiana Taitano added nine digs.

With three matches remaining, the Mustangs face Palo Verde on Thursday in a showdown for first place. The Panthers are undefeated in the Northwest.

“The first thing they said to me (after the win) was 'Now we’ve got to do it Thursday,” Guthrie said. “We didn’t play well the first time we played them, so I think that is extra motivation for us to come out and play well and prove ourselves.”