Pictured: (Photograph by MVHS Student Merry Manson) Mustangs gather for a final round of teambuilding before the game

KAYENTA- It was packed house for the Mustang volleyball team last night as the Mustangs took on the Ganado Hornets for their first 3A Conference contest. It was expected to be a tough game as the Hornets were ranked number one coming into the game in the Arizona 3A Class powerpoint rankings.

With a number one ranking and a 4-0 record the Hornets came out looking to hand the Mustangs their first loss of the season. According to Hornet Head Coach Bah Katenay, defeating the Mustangs was one of the goals the team wanted to accomplish this year.

The first set started with two quick aces by the Hornets and seemed to have the Mustangs back on their heels. However, the Mustangs answered and took a 12-8 lead causing Hornet Coach Ketanay to call timeout. It didn’t seem to help as the Mustangs kept the momentum by going on a 7-point run before the Hornets were able to bring them to a brief halt, 19-10. The first set ended with the Mustangs winning the first set, 25-17.

The Hornets started strong in the second set but fell behind, 9-4, forcing another timeout by Coach Katenay. It didn’t help as the Mustangs jumped to a 14-4 advantage behind the play of Bradley Nash and Mariah Gilmore. Mustang Rachel Chief nailed an ace late in the set bringing the score, 20-8. With the momentum in the hands of the Mustangs the Hornets were unable to mount a comeback as the Mustangs came away winning the second set, 25-12.

 Down two sets and on the brink of losing the game the Hornets fought back in the third set and played their best game of the night. Ansake LaFrance kept the Hornets competitive as they played tough notching the score, 8-8. It was a battle as both teams refused to back down until Monument Valley Coach Lucinda Nash called a timeout as Ganado closed the gap, 19-17. Following the timeout the Mustangs went on brief run before finishing the Hornets, 25-22, and taking the first conference game of the season.

When asked about what she said to the team before the game to inspire them, Coach Nash said, “I told them that Ganado was the number one ranked team.”

“We’ve played better than that, we’ve prepared for this game but the girls didn’t show up tonight,” said Hornet Head Coach Katenay. When asked about Monument Valley, Coach Katenay said that the school was one of the top teams in the state with a good program.

As for the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) powerpoint rankings, the (4-1)Hornets dropped to third following the loss to the Mustangs. The (5-0)Mustangs sit in the second position behind Tuba City who also hold a 5-0 record. The Mustangs will take on the Warriors next week on September 23 at the Warrior Pavilion.

The Mustangs will prepare for the Page Invitational where it is possible that they may meet the Hornets again. The all-day tournament is scheduled for Saturday, September 20. As for the Hornets, they will prepare for a match-up against conference neighbor Window Rock Scouts on Thursday, September 18 before heading to the Page tourney.