McKayla Ferris had 11 kills and six digs helped pace No. 8 Basha to a home victory over No. 9 Rincon 25-15, 25-11, 25-19, in the first round of the Division I girls volleyball state tournament on Tuesday night.
After winning the first game, the Bears took control of the tempo in the second game and never let up. They were led defensively by Taryn Marton, who finished the game with 14 digs to go with her six kills.
Madison Bickle and Rachel Brugman each chipped in with six kills apiece for Basha, while Brugman also added 4 aces.
With the win, the Bears advance to the second round to play at No. 1-seed Horizon on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Hamilton 3, Mountain Pointe 0: The Huskies' Brittany Thomas and Lauren Jacobson each had 11 kills, while teammate Roxy Lake finished with 27 assists to lead host No. 2 Hamilton to a 25-22, 25-12, 25-10 win. The Huskies got off to a slow start in game one, but once their nerves subsided, they controlled the match the rest of the way. Hamilton will now host No. 7 Centennial in the second round on Thursday.
Gilbert 3, Tucson 0: After having to fight back to win games one and two, No. 5-seeded Gilbert used a total team effort led by Lauren Hicks in order to defeat No. 12 Tucson and advance to the second round of the Division I tournament. The Tigers will be the underdog when they travel to No. 4 Mountain Ridge on Thursday.
Mountain Ridge 3, St. Mary’s 0: The season came to an end for No. 13 St. Mary’s as it lost on the road to No.4 mountain Ridge in three straight games, 25-8, 25-20, 25-20. The Mountain Lions will play their next game at No. 5 Gilbert.
Horizon 3, Kofa 0: No. 1 Horizon cruised to a three-game victory over No. 16 Kofa, 25-12, 25-9, 25-8. They will now face a more formidable foe when they host No. 8 Basha, Thursday.
Notre Dame 3, Canyon del Oro 0: The Saints showed No. 15 Canyon del Oro why they are the second seed in the Division II tournament, easily beating the Dorados in three games, 25-21, 25-9, 25-14. Notre Dame’s Genevieve Pirotte led the team with 20 kills, while teammate Megan Sullivan added 10 kills. The Dorados move on to face No. 7 Cactus Shadows at home on Thursday night.
Paradise Valley 3, Catalina Foothills 0: In only three games, the No. 9 seeded Trojans left No. 8 Catalina Foothills with a 25-23, 25-12, 25-20 upset victory. Paradise Valley will hit the road to take on No. 1 seeded Flagstaff, Thursday, in the second round of the Division II tournament.
