Gorman sweeps Coronado for 5A volleyball region title — PHOTOS
Bishop Gorman’s girls volleyball team used a starting lineup Saturday that coach Gregg Nunley said he’s rarely used this season, if at all.
No matter the lineup or where Nunley positioned his players, the Gaels showed they are a heavy favorite to defend their Class 5A state title.
Bishop Gorman, the Desert League’s No. 1 seed, swept Mountain League champion and No. 1-seeded Coronado 25-15, 25-15, 25-23 at Coronado in the 5A Southern Region title match.
“The kids are so comfortable with what we do in practice and what we do in matches that we’ll tell them to do something completely unusual, and they’re like, ‘OK, we’ll do it,’” Nunley said. “They’ve set a goal, and they’ll get it done.”
Both teams advance to the state tournament at Spanish Springs High School in Sparks. Gorman (27-8) will be the South’s No. 1 seed and face Reno High in a state semifinal at 7 p.m. Friday, and Coronado (29-5), the South’s No. 2 seed, plays Northern champion Bishop Manogue at 5 p.m.
“It feels great, but it’s not necessarily our No. 1 goal,” Nunley said. “Super proud of them for keeping focused when it got a little bit away from us in the third set, but they’re so used to me not calling a timeout … and they see the problem, figure it out and find a solution.”
Ayanna Watson led Gorman with 24 kills, and Trinity Thompson added 43 assists. Brooklynn Williams, whom Nunley moved to play middle blocker from her usual outside hitter position, contributed 12 kills, four aces and a pair of blocks.
“The energy was really intense, and it was super competitive,” Williams, a UNLV commit, said. “I felt it from everybody … All season I played outside but I was at middle for this game, and I felt like the transition was pretty swift for me. I’ve been working at practice, and I really enjoyed it.”
Things got tight for Gorman in the third set. The Gaels led 14-7, but Coronado kept chipping away.
The Cougars got within a point, but Watson recorded a kill — which was originally ruled a point for Coronado before the referees determined it grazed the head of a Cougars player — to keep the Gaels ahead. Watson recorded her final kill on match point.
“She’s becoming confident in herself and realizes that leaders on teams and great players, help the people around them become great players too,” Nunley said of Watson, who has committed to Pitt. “She does that every day in practice. She does it in the matches. She’s the perfect example of great players making the players around them better.”
Gorman used a 10-2 run to close out the first set. In the second set, Williams and Thompson, a Pitt commit, controlled the net, and their defense led to a few blocks that gave the Gaels an early 7-2 lead, and they cruised to the set win.
“It gave us a lot of momentum and really helped us continue,” Williams said. “(In the third set) we were able to keep our composure no matter what. We lost some points and it was tight, but we were able to come through, and that’s how it’s always going to be on our team. We stayed strong in those moments, and it said a lot about us.”
UNLV commit Julie Beckham had 15 kills for Coronado, and Rachel Purser added nine kills.
— No. 1M The Meadows 3, No. 1D Moapa Valley 1: At The Meadows, Piper Kennedy had 16 kills and 13 digs to help the Mustangs (19-5) to a 25-17, 25-19, 24-26, 25-20 home win in the 3A Southern Region title game.
Both teams advance to the state tournament at Sunrise Mountain. State semifinals are scheduled for 3 and 4:40 p.m. Friday.
Sydnee Clark added 12 kills and six digs for The Meadows, which won the 3A state title last season and will be the South’s No. 1 seed at the state tournament. Moapa Valley will be the South’s No. 2 seed.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.