Wildcats keep Bonanza off-balance, win title

Tim Mullin

Thursday, May 19, 2005 | 9:44 a.m.

After giving up three consecutive points to Bonanza in Game 4 of the 4A state championship, Las Vegas High volleyball coach Sue Thurman called for time with the score 24-21 still in her favor.

The first play out of the timeout, Vegas setter Willie Farias set up senior Craig Pickett on the left side, who slammed the ball down the middle to give the Wildcats the point, the game and the state title with a 3-1 victory, 25-27, 25-23, 25-21, 25-21.

Pickett, the Wildcats' senior leader, played "his heart out" at the net, Thurman said, to finish with a game-high 20 kills.

"I was just making sure that I took the balls off the set, but it was all Willie," Pickett said.

Just like in their semifinal match, an early deficit brought the Wildcats to life.

After allowing Bonanza to spike through their defense in the first game, Vegas made the necessary adjustments and took the following three games.

"They beat us by tipping -- they are smart hitters," Bonanza coach Bob Bertolani said. "They played a great game."

The Wildcats pushed through Bonanza's block by tipping the ball over and keeping the Bengals off their feet.

"They have a good block, but we pushed through it and did it," Vegas junior Brandon Matthewson said. "(Tipping is) something we learned on the run and we did."

The Wildcats kept the Bengals off-balance by effectively moving their attack from side-to-side and confusing the defense.

"It's things we've practiced throughout the year," Thurman said. "Try something different, I tell them. They don't know (what they should do) until they are in the air and they see where the blocker stands and where to hit it. They have a couple choices they need to make and so they need to make the best decision they can, which they did."

Vegas' benefited Wednesday from its season-long work on adjusting to taller opponents.

"Throughout the year when we faced big blocks, we learned we had to adjust, and do some different things without just blocking all the time," Thurman said. "It all came together."

The momentum shifted in Game 3.

The Bengals came out firing, taking an early 8-3 lead, but after a Vegas timeout, the Wildcats went on a 20-8 run, characterized by fluid passing and solid kills, to take the game.

The Wildcats stuck to their game plan. Thurman said she knew Bonanza was going to get some great hits in, but she told her players they needed to "keep their composure when it happened and say, hey, great hit, and move on to the next play."

They listened. On numerous occasions throughout the match after a Bonanza kill, the Wildcats came right back with a few of their own.

The win gave Las Vegas its first-ever volleyball title, and its first championship since the Wildcats won the state wrestling title in 2002.