The Fountain Hills High School beach volleyball team traveled to Estrella Foothills for the first round of playoffs on Monday, April 18. The Falcons tried to shock the Wolves with four new pair combinations, but the Falcons ultimately lost 4-1.

Head coach Peter McGloin admitted that switching up partners was a risk, but he thought he put the Falcons in better situations against their opponent. He also said the energy and communication between the new partners during their first practice was great and encouraging ahead of the playoff match.

Junior Olivia Sopeland and freshman Lucia Kalmbach lost 21-17, 21-16 in the five pair, and freshman Kitrick Garman and sophomore Elliana Schulze lost 21-19, 21-9 at four. Freshman Jocelyn Bloedel and sophomore Sydney Boeshans lost 21-13, 21-15 at three, and senior Amaya Evans and sophomore Bella Garman lost in a three-set tiebreaker at two, 21-16, 13-21, 15-13.

The top pair of junior Mia Kohoutek and sophomore Sophie Wickland lost their first set 21-12, but came back and won the next sets 21-17, 15-12. Their season is not over yet, and Kohoutek and Wickland will compete in the Division II individual pair’s tournament.

Kohoutek and Wickland will play the second pair from Estrella Foothills next Monday, May 2, at Casteel High School at 5 p.m. The winner will advance to face the top pair from American Leadership Academy Gilbert North at 5p.m. on Tuesday, May 3.

The quarterfinals will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday after the second match. Semifinals and the final matches will also take place at Casteel High School and will be played at 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 5.

Kohoutek and Wickland finished the season with an 11-3 record, and Evans, Boeshans and the Garman sisters all ended with a 9-5 record. Seven other Falcons got varsity playing time, and nine of the 13 total varsity players ended with a winning record.

The junior varsity Falcons ended the season 9-1, with six matches against schools larger than 3A. McGloin was very pleased with the depth of his program this year, and it bodes well for the future.

“We are happy to have made playoffs this year with such a competitive field,” McGloin said. “There were some good programs this year that didn’t make it. Hopefully the first playoff experience for so many of the kids will pay off in the future. I think it will. Only two of the 10 players had been in a playoff game before, and those two, Mia Kohoutek and Bella Garman, played very well.”

The Falcons will lose Amaya Evans to graduation but keep every other player. Kohoutek and Sopeland will return for their senior year, and nine sophomores will be seasoned upperclassmen during the next beach volleyball season.