SUNRISE REGION: Versatile Relle blocks Cougars, powers Silverado to region title

Defense and passing are underrated elements in volleyball, but Silverado senior setter Dakota Relle put on a clinic in both areas Friday.

Relle compiled 26 assists, three blocks and three aces to lead the Skyhawks to a 25-20, 25-23, 25-7 sweep of rival Coronado in the Sunrise Region championship match at Legacy.

“I remember last year, we dropped this match to Coronado, and I didn’t want to drop it two years in a row,” Relle said. “Our whole team stepped up — the passing, the blocking, the digging. Everything was just clicking tonight.”

Relle consistently challenged shots by Coronado’s Brandon Dau, blocking or altering almost everything the Cougars standout fired over the net.

When Relle wasn’t posting up for a block, he challenged each kill attempt and altered several swings into the back line.

“I just find the ball and make sure my hands are pointed toward the court so it just drops,” Relle said of his block technique. “Our team was pumped up. All of us wanted it super bad, and we were all on the top of our games.”

Both teams advance to the Class 4A state tournament, which begins Tuesday at Chaparral.

“I’m excited,” Relle said. “I’m really pumped for next week’s state playoffs. But we’ve got to enjoy this moment while it lasts.”

Relle also kept Coronado off balance by setting up multiple hitters. Kyle Divicino had 10 kills. Ruben Jackson added eight and Curtis Hadland had six kills and two aces for the Skyhawks (19-2).

“(Relle) set the ball well, but I think the key was that we passed the ball well,” Silverado coach Kevin Schwallie said. “We gave him opportunities to put the ball where it needed to be.”

Silverado led the first set throughout, but Coronado (16-5) battled in the second. Austin Moiseyev put down five kills and an ace in a 9-2 run to tie it 13-all, and a kill by Dau put Coronado ahead 16-15. But Silverado used several rallies to get the Cougars stuck at 23, and the Skyhawks won the set with four straight points, including a kill and block by Hunter Witt.

“We’ve been talking for a couple of weeks about diving on the floor, being willing to sprawl out and make the plays, and give a little extra effort,” Schwallie said. “I think tonight was the first night we were ready to dive and do what we needed to get the ball up. Our defense was what won it.”

Relle took over in the third set, serving three aces on eight straight trips to the service line to set up match point.

For Coronado, Moiseyev had nine kills, Dau eight kills and Tyler Cucullu six along with two aces. Connor Stephenson dished out 24 assists.