By Rebecca Daly
Lead Volleyball Writer
It is early in the season for high school girls volleyball in Arizona, but the Tuesday night matchup between Liberty and Perry should be nothing short of exciting.
The last matchup between these two teams was last season at Perry High School, where Liberty took home the win. However, the Pumas went on to be runners-up in last year’s AIA Girls Volleyball 6A State Championship. Both teams are going into the game with a 2-1 record.
Liberty had a tough start to the season getting swept in a loss against Xavier Prep. However, the rocky start did not hinder the Lions. The team, led by head coach Chris Brown, had a quick turn around, sweeping its next two opponents.
There are some parallels between Perry and Liberty this season. Perry started the season strong, sweeping both opponents in the first two games. Prior to playing in the Tournament of Champions last week, the Pumas were swept in its first record loss of the season against Corona del Sol. New head coach Andrew Yamashiro has to lead the team by regaining momentum with the home-field advantage Tuesday night.
Look out for the talent in this game on both sides of the net. The Pumas have a couple future college athletes on the squad. Middle blocker Kenna Cogill will be continuing her volleyball career at the University of Oregon next year, as well as outside hitter, Avery Stones, who verbally committed to Kansas State.
The Pumas have to watch out when Haley Shinske is behind the net, where she has attained 10 of the Lions’ 16 total blocks this season. Outside hitter Meadow Hobbs accounts for more than a quarter of Liberty’s total kills.
With a close matchup on the way, only one of the teams can keep its winning record tomorrow night.
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