Dragons fire past Rancho to advance to semifinals

Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008 | midnight

After waiting five years to get to the playoffs, the Del Sol Dragons volleyball team was out to prove itself Monday night. The team brought along the band, cheerleaders and plenty of energy as it took down Rancho, the top-ranked team of the Northeast Division, 25-17, 25-11, 25-20 and advanced to the region semifinals.

"I have been waiting so long for this," said senior Kadie Miller, a four-year volleyball letterman. "The past three years, people have kind of shown up and supported us but this year, it's different because they realize we're a great team. It's not just our football team that rocks."

The support from their fans might have been what pushed the Dragons over the top. After falling behind early in all three games, the Rams (14-7) had a hard time gaining back momentum with their own gymnasium filled with cheers for Del Sol (15-11).

"I think they were very intimidated," Dragons coach Albert Ronquillo said. "When we walked in with the band, their players and fans looked a little shellshocked. That gives us a lot of energy."

The Dragons claimed their first trip to the playoffs with a fourth-place finish in the Southeast League after coming up short previous years. The team's seniors, led by Miller and her twin sister, Karie, weren't going to miss out again.

"I have four seniors who were with the program last year when we missed the playoffs by one game and they didn't want that to happen again," Ronquillo said. "They made sure everyone had the same goal in mind. It's been such a good group. They care about each other and I think that shows when we play."

Despite holding the higher seed, the Rams looked more like the underdog in the sweep.

Led by senior Bryana Chavez, Del Sol dominated up front and put together multiple scoring runs. Trailing 18-20 in the third game, the Dragons knocked out seven straight to finish off Rancho.

"They brought a lot of energy and we said we couldn't let that distract us," Rancho coach Allegra Derzon said. "They're a team we have to look out for. That Southeast region is really strong. We don't play tough teams as consistently as they do and sometimes it's hard to get in a groove."

The Dragons move on to face Silverado in the semifinals on Thursday. The Skyhawks defeated Valley 25-11, 25-9, 25-14 on Monday.

Their fans will follow the Dragons to Thursday's semifinal match-up.

"I think it shows that all sports are important to us," said Del Sol athletic director Anne Arbor. "The band and cheerleaders are there for football why shouldn't they be here? When you're successful, people should support you."

Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or brett.okamoto@lasvegassun.com.