The undefeated Fountain Hills High School beach volleyball team has, for the second year in a row, won the state championship.

This past week saw the Lady Falcons play in both the semifinals and the finals against Chandler Prep and Valley Christian respectively.

On April 30, FHHS faced off against rival Chandler Prep in the semifinals, a rematch of last year’s semifinal showdown. The Lady Falcons playing the best they have this season, according to head coach Pete McGloin, and shut out Chandler 5-0.

On May 3 Fountain Hills traveled back to Mesquite High School to play against Valley Christian for the state title. The Lady Falcons won the championship 4-1.

Semifinals

Despite having reservations about how a Monday match, plus an unexpected long weekend, would affect the Lady Falcons, McGloin said the team was on top of its game.

“To me the Chandler Prep game was the peak of our play this season,” McGloin said. “We played the best Falcon volleyball of the year. Just so much positive intensity and focus from the team. Everyone was just ready to get after it.”

The Lady Falcons’ focus allowed them to win all of their sets in the five matches against Chandler.

McGloin believes that the energy FHHS was buzzing with that night came from the team’s own self-determination rather than their rivalry with Chandler.

“We were really concerned more about us,” McGloin explained. “We were just really loving each other and enjoying our own energy. We were blocking out all negativity, be it from the other team or the environment.”

Finals

In the championship match the Lady Falcons were able to secure the title in their first three pairs, as compared to 2017’s championship match where it came down to the last pair to clinch the title.

“Last year we won the first two pairs,” McGloin said. “We lost the next two pairs and then it came down to the last match. I think the girls remembered that from last year and thought we cannot feel too good about ourselves, we need to fight for every point.”

This match against Valley Christian, who went into the competition with a record of 14-1, was much more challenging for the Lady Falcons. McGloin pointed out that they could have easily lost all of their games, but it was the ability of the team to pick itself up when things got tough that won them the match.

“We won 4-1 but we could have lost every match,” McGloin said. “That is how close they were and how much the mental aspect, such as losing focus or getting down on yourself, will change the tide of the game. To show that mental toughness was impressive.”

Despite the match already being decided in the first three pairs, excitement was still high for the ones pair match-up.

“The match technically didn’t matter but there is a huge friendly rivalry between our ones pair and Valley Christian’s ones pair,” McGolin said. “Fountain Hills’ KC McMahon and Valley Christian’s Courtney Dyer have been facing off against each other for years. It is the only team KC has lost too in her beach volleyball career. So regardless of it counting for the championship, it was still an emotionally charged game.”

After winning the ones match, the Lady Falcons rushed onto the court to celebrate the perfect end to their perfect season.