Volleyball: Silverado, Green Valley to face off

Travis Massey

Friday, Nov. 3, 2000 | 11:14 a.m.

With a state berth in its pocket, Green Valley's volleyball team turned its focus toward another matchup with rival Silverado in tonight's 4A Sunrise Region Tournament final.

The Gators earned their spot in the championship with a 15-5, 15-5, 15-9 victory over Valley Thursday night at Chaparral High School.

The Gators (21-1) are going into today's 5 p.m. match with bated breath in hopes of gaining the region's No. 1 seed over Silverado (20-2).

The teams are no strangers on the court, meeting for the fourth time this season. The Gators lost one of the three previous meetings in a nonconference match at the Las Vegas Invitational, sweeping their two league meetings with the Skyhawks.

"It's going to be a much faster-paced match," Green Valley coach Erin Hill said. "You'll see both teams very crisp and ready for the regional match."

The Gators are ready for the next challenge.

"We are pretty excited to be going to state," said Erika Twesme, an outside hitter for the Gators. "But we're not done yet, we're coming out tomorrow on fire."

On Thursday, the Gators held onto the chance to go state for the 10th consecutive time in the school's 10 years of existence. Serving up four aces in a five-point stretch in the second set, Emily Macy dominated on offense to set the pace for the game.

And according to Macy, things can only get better. "We need to communicate more and be more aggressive on the court. There is always room for improvement."

Macy also had eight kills, Jennifer Todd added seven kills and Katie Swart chipped in six kills and blocks in the win. Kelsi Thoman, the Gators' setter, put up 26 assists to aid in the battle against the Vikings.

Silverado also advanced to the state championships, beating Las Vegas 15-12, 15-5, 15-9 Thursday.

In 4A Sunset Region action Thursday at Clark High School, Centennial defeated Cimarron-Memorial, 15-12, 10-15, 15-6, 15-10, while Durango downed Palo Verde 15-4, 12-15, 15-4, 15-9.

The Bulldogs (18-3) and Trailblazers (18-1) both advance to state, and will play for the region's top seed tonight at 7, also at Chaparral.