The Fountain Hills High School volleyball team (19-12) bounced back after a two-game losing streak and won five games in a row last week. The Falcons have three big games left with major playoff implications in the balance, and they host No. 11 Camp Verde in the first of those big games tomorrow, Thursday, Oct. 13, at 6 p.m.

The Falcons came into last week with a full head of steam. They were coming off two losses to Scottsdale Christian Academy and Northwest Christian, but they beat Bourgade Catholic 3-1 on Monday, Oct. 3.

Sophomore Zoe Kohoutek led the Falcons with six aces against the Golden Eagles. Kohoutek served four aces in the first set and the Falcons cruised to a 25-7 victory.

“One of my biggest strong points is serving,” Kohoutek said. “It’s something you can focus on yourself, and on what you can do for the team.”

The Golden Eagles struggled to return the Falcons’ serves in the second set, and the Falcons easily claimed another 25-7 win. Junior Bella Garman had two aces in the set, and junior Sophie Wickland added another three.

The Falcons ended the night with 20 aces, but also 18 missed serves. They only missed five serves in the third set, but the Falcons made enough mistakes elsewhere on the court that Bourgade Catholic stayed in the game. The Golden Eagles edged out a win in that set, 25-23.

“When we get the mindset that we’re going to win no matter what, we put ourselves in a position to beat ourselves,” head coach Olivia Long said. “That’s what happened there.”

Long told the Falcons in the huddle before the fourth set that they were much better than how they just played. The Falcons also played the third set without their two tallest players, Wickland and sophomore Jocelyn Bloedel, but they played the next set and the Falcons won 25-10 for the overall victory.

The Falcons played down to the level of the 1-11 Golden Eagles in that third set. The Falcons nearly made a similar mistake last Wednesday, Oct. 5, against Camp Verde. The Falcons won the first set 25-23, but then won the next two sets more comfortably, 25-15 and 25-19.

The Falcons beat Chino Valley 3-0 earlier this season, but they barely escaped winning the last two sets 27-25, 26-24 on the road. The Falcons did not want to repeat those close calls again.

“They got on us pretty quick, and that was a reflection of what we were just talking about with Bourgade Catholic,” Long said. “The girls just played better. They played more consistently since the first time we played them. Our passes were good, our serving game was a lot more consistent, our hits were placed where they needed to be, so all of that was a better level of play than the first time we played them, and then the first set even.”

The Falcons went on to compete in the Florence Invitational Volleyball Tournament this past weekend, and they had their best tournament performance of the season. The Falcons went 6-2, and only fell to Chandler Prep, the No. 3 school in 2A. The second time they played, the Falcons managed to win the first set against the Titans.

“They were really motivated this weekend,” Long said. “Some of the things we’ve been working on, as far as being mentally tough, they were able to overcome. Skill wise, they were playing really consistent. A lot of things that we’ve been working on throughout the season came into fruition this past weekend.”

According to Kohoutek, the Falcons have been working on their controllables in practice. They have also been practicing situations, like pressure serving, and they hope this training will help them against tough teams late in the season.

The Falcons are currently fourth in their region and No. 18 in 3A. They have five games left in their regular season, and only two of them are home games. The Falcons host No. 11 Camp Verde tomorrow, and then they’ll host No. 10 Scottsdale Christian Academy on Thursday, Oct. 20. The Falcons will travel to No. 3 Northwest Christian on Monday, Oct. 24.

“We just have to keep our minds focused toward the goal,” Kohoutek said. “Keep the score not that close and continue to work hard and not think we have it in the bag. We have to keep our minds focused on our goal of continuously winning.”

The Falcons will be without one of their best players against Camp Verde tomorrow. Bloedel will be out of town for fall break, according to Long, so junior Jeneya Boone and senior Liv Sopeland will see additional playing time in her absence. Bloedel will return for the next game on the road at Wickenburg on Tuesday, Oct. 18, at 6 p.m.

“It’s a pretty big match for us,” Long said about Camp Verde. “To give us that playoff shot that we’re hoping for, we kind of need this win.”