Gorman girls volleyball rolls to 2nd straight 5A state title — PHOTOS
SPARKS — Bishop Gorman completed its quest for a repeat Class 5A girls volleyball state title Saturday morning, downing Coronado 25-22, 25-16, 25-17 at Spanish Springs High School.
The Gaels claimed the program’s sixth state crown since 2016, and Saturday’s sweep capped a season in which Bishop Gorman (29-8) didn’t drop a set to any team from Nevada.
“It’s surreal just because we planned it at the beginning of the season just to repeat it back-to-back,” junior setter Trinity Thompson said.
The Cougars (30-6) finished as runners-up to Gorman for the second straight season.
Seven days ago, the Gaels took down Coronado in straight sets to win the Class 5A South Region title, and Gorman found a plan of attack when it came to Cougars middle blocker Rachel Purser.
“We knew that we had to somehow get (Purser) out of the match,” Gorman coach Gregg Nunley said.
The Gaels’ adjustment centered on senior Brooklynn Williams, who had been Gorman’s outside hitter most of the season after playing as a middle blocker previously.
Williams went back to the middle for the region final, and her blocking prowess gave the Gaels an edge in the second and third sets Saturday.
“Last week we switched her to the middle, and we have practiced that all week,” Nunley said. “She is the most experienced middle, and she is used to blocking. She was a big part of our game plan today.”
The UNLV commit had multiple blocks in the final two sets, which the Gaels led nearly from start to finish.
“I feel like it’s really easy for us to adjust in those situations. It doesn’t waver our play at all,” Williams said.
It wasn’t just Williams on the block, either. Thompson, a Pitt commit, and junior middle blocker Ellie Prindl also got their hands on several Cougar kill attempts.
When the Gaels were on the attack, it was junior Ayanna Watson sending balls off the hardwood. The Pitt commit had 24 kills in the regional final and followed with 19 more in the state title match.
Freshman Boyana Pesic tallied seven kills for the Gaels, while Williams and senior Carsyn Stansberry had six and five, respectively.
Watson said the team’s adjustments caught Coronado off guard.
“I think it definitely worked because we were kind of getting in their heads,” she said. “They didn’t know when I was going to go or when I wasn’t.”
Cougars outside hitter Julie Beckham had five kills and an ace in the first set, which Coronado nearly won.
By the second set, the Gaels’ adjustments were too much to overcome.
Durango repeats in 4A
Winning a championship is supposed to be difficult, but Durango made it look easy.
Senior Angelina Guerrero had 18 kills, 12 digs and five aces to lead the Trailblazers, the Lake League’s No. 1 seed, to a 25-13, 25-14, 25-15 victory over No. 2L Legacy at Sunrise Mountain for a second straight 4A state title.
Durango coach Nicole Murphy said the teams’ previous meetings made her job easier. The Trailblazers (26-10) went 2-0 against the Longhorns (19-18) in the regular season.
“When you see a team twice in a season, you pick up on the things they’re good at,” Murphy said. “So we came in super prepared.”
Murphy credited Guerrero and sophomore Taylor Anderson (13 kills, 10 digs, two aces) for their leadership, noting they will long be remembered for helping Durango claim consecutive championships.
“Last year’s championship was different than this year’s,” the coach said. “Last year was the first time, so it meant a lot. This year was special for different reasons. Going back-to-back, you kind of leave your mark and create history.”
Natalia Chomakos added 10 digs for Durango, and teammate Aracelli Hernandez finished with 34 assists.
Other title games
■ No. 1S The Meadows 3, No. 2S Moapa Valley 0: At Sunrise Mountain, the Mustangs (21-5) cruised to a repeat 3A championship with a 25-18, 25-13, 25-13 win over the Pirates (25-12).
■ No. 1S GV Christian 3, No. 2S Lake Mead Academy 0: At North Valleys, the Guardians (33-5) rolled to the 2A championship with a 25-22, 25-14, 25-21 win over the Eagles (19-6).
The victory offered redemption for GV Christian, which lost a heartbreaker to North Tahoe in last year’s final.
■ No. 1S Pahranagat Valley 3, No. 1W Smith Valley 0: At Sunrise Mountain, the Panthers (18-7) completed a 25-20, 25-23, 25-15 sweep of the Bulldogs (24-11) for the 1A state title.
Jeff Wollard contributed to this report.
