2025 AZ HS Volleyball: Thrilling Tournament August Showdowns

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2025 high school volleyball season kicked off with a bang this weekend as teams from across the state battled in four major tournaments spanning divisions 1A through 6A. From the intense rallies at the House of Payne to the high-level competition at the Longhorn Invitational, the energy was unmatched. The Wolves Classic showcased emerging talent, while the TUSD Invitational brought fierce competition and thrilling finishes. Across all levels, fans witnessed phenomenal showings that set the tone for what promises to be an exciting season ahead. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's take a deep dive into the winners and standouts. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">House of Payne Winner: Corona Del Sol </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The House of Payne tournament hosted by Chandler High School once again lived up to its reputation as one of the premier events in Arizona High School Volleyball, showcasing elite-level talent from 6A and 5A across 15 powerhouse programs. Participating teams included Corona del Sol, Hamilton, Highland, Millennium, O'Connor, Casteel, Desert Vista, Perry, Pinnacle, Higley, Westwood, ALA Gilbert North, AZ College Prep, Mesa, and Queen Creek.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Final Four featured perennial powerhouses Corona del Sol, O'Connor, Highland, and Hamilton. In the semifinals, O'Connor edged out Hamilton in a thrilling three-set match (23-25, 25-23, 15-8), while Corona swept Highland in two tightly contested sets (25-23, 25-16).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The championship match brought the heat, with O'Connor and Corona del Sol battling point-for-point. O'Connor's [player_tooltip player_id='882559' first='Sami' last='Mondino'] was nearly unstoppable, hitting an outstanding .500, while standout sophomore libero [player_tooltip player_id='882564' first='Annabell' last='Cummings'] anchored the defense with 19 digs. But it was senior middle [player_tooltip player_id='502333' first='Hayden' last='Conner'] who stole the show, dominating the net on both sides of the ball and earning MVP honors after leading Corona to a hard-fought victory (25-16, 25-25, 15-11). With so many talented teams and standout performance, it's foreshadowing an exciting season!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Congrats to all of the All Tournament Team Selections!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Ella Greg- Perry High School</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='775765' first='Emerson' last='Ortiz']- Desert Vista</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='808498' first='Camryn' last='Thruston']- Highland </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='502333' first='Hayden' last='Conner'] - Corona Del Sol</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='806786' first='Mikayla' last='Haner']- Hamilton </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='827057' first='Leylah' last='Duran']- O'Connor</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='809025' first='Marianne' last='Garcia'] - Millennium</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='808215' first='Kamille' last='Scott'] - Casteel</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Longhorn Invitational Winner: Gilbert Christian High School</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Payson High School's annual Longhorn Invitational brought 25 teams from all over the valley with competition spanning from 1A - 4A! Some talented squads got to debut their teams including AZ Lutheran, Scottsdale Christian, Camp Verde, Horizon Honors, Northland, Paradise Honors, Benjamin Franklin, Fountain Hills, Campo Verde, North Valley Christian, Gilbert Christian, Northwest Christian, Chandler Prep, Veritas and Pusch Ridge. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gilbert Christian advanced to the championship match with a hard-fought victory over Northwest Christian, winning 21-18, 17-21, 21-19. Campo Verde earned their spot in the final by defeating Payson 25-18, with Payson ultimately finishing in fourth place. In the third-place match, Campo Verde topped Northwest Christian 25-16, securing second place and leaving Northwest Christian in third. Gilbert Christian went on to claim the championship with a convincing 25-15 win over Campo Verde.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Congrats to those who made the all tournament team: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='874841' first='Morgan' last='Meyer'] (Campo Verde), [player_tooltip player_id='806073' first='Kaya' last='Olafson'] (Scottsdale Christian), Maddie Johns (Payson), and [player_tooltip player_id='552844' first='Sienna' last='Cathey'] (Gilbert High School) </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Wolves Classic Winner: Estrella Foothills High School</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Great competition up at the Wolves Classic hosted by Estrella Foothills High School. Teams included Valley Vista, Kingman Academy, Odyssey Institute, ALA - West Foothills, Prescott, Trivium Prep, Kingman, South Mountain, Heritage Academy Laveen, Desert Edge, Tonopah Valley, Buckeye Union, Carl Hayden, Gilbert, Estrella Foothills, ALA - Ironwood, Willow Canyon, West Point, and Parker.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The final 4 consisted of Trivium, Odessey, Willow Canyon, and Estrella Foothills. Trivium got paired up in a fierce battle against Estrella with coming out strong with an impressive lead in the first set 25-20 led by Senior [player_tooltip player_id='882705' first='Petra' last='Zepeda'] with an impressive 16 kills for the match. However, as the 4A State Champs, Estrella knows how to fight back as they were able to secure their spot in the finals with a victory of 25-21 in the second set and 15-11 in the third with [player_tooltip player_id='874832' first='Sadie' last='Snyder'] raking in 11 digs and 12 kills.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The next semi final match up was Odessey vs Willow Canyon. Shia Chancelor led her team to victory with 9 kills to kick off her final season. They took the next spot in the championship with impressive dominating scores of 25-12 and 25-14. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the finals, Estrella proved they know what it's like to finish on top. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">TUSD Invitational: Catalina Foothills</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>12 Schools from around the state competed in the TUSD Invitational hosted by Tucson High Magnet School. Sahuaro, Palo Verde Magnet, Pueblo, Marana, Catalina Foothills, Nogales, Tucson, Tanque Verde, Buena, Rincon/University, Mountain View Marana, and Sabino made up the competition.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the end, Catalina Foothills defeated Tanque Verde with scores of 25-17 and 25-18. With standout performances from [player_tooltip player_id='882702' first='Alivia' last='Sutton'], senior OH leading the team with 6 kills to secure the TUSD 2025 Championship title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"align":"center"} --> <p class="has-text-align-center"><strong>Prep Dig AZ scouts will be at the Nike Tournament of Champions and the Small School Invitational On September 6th and 7th! </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->