Knights score upset

When the championship round of the Gila Valley Regional volleyball tournament rolled around Saturday afternoon at Raider Gym, there was no mistaking which team had already been on the court for two matches and which team was just getting started.

The No. 4-seeded Lake Havasu Knights were no worse for wear after defeating No. 3 San Luis and No. 2 Yuma High earlier in the day and continued to fire away at top seed Cibola for a 25-15, 26-24, 25-23 win over the Raiders to guarantee a spot in the 5A-II State Tournament, which begins Nov. 10.

“It seems like it hurts the team every year when they wait (to play),” Cibola coach Vivian Klee said. “We took them into the Gold Gym to play, but it’s not the same thing.”

While both team’s advancement into the state tournament didn’t appear to be in jeopardy heading into Saturday’s tournament, Havasu’s fate was more likely to be seriously challenged in the coming days. Sitting at No. 14 in the power rankings, the Knights (10-8 AIA) no longer have to wait and wonder.

“There was a lot of motivation to win this tournament,” Lake Havasu coach Marsha Becker said. “I knew they had the potential to play that way all season, and today they put it together and played very well.”

Havasu’s Rhannon Gardner led the way with 11 kills and and three aces, including the match-clinching point to complete their tournament run. The Knights also got a big day from Brooke Parriera and Korinne Runnke, who combined for 11 kills and four blocks.

Cibola’s Myliah Ramirez, Katie Davidson and Caitlin Rathbun each had five kills for the Raiders, who had won the two previous meetings with Havasu.

“Lake Havasu was really hitting, and they kept up their steam with this hitting machine they’ve got,” Klee said. “We keep telling them if they kept hitting they’d win, but we dumped the ball too much and they took advantage of it.”

The Knights took Game 1 handily behind five kills from Gardner. The Raiders trailed 11-9 after a kill from Brandi Badilla, but their deficit only grew after that point.

Game 2 stayed much closer the entire way as neither team kept more than a 3-point edge. Havasu won a series of points decided by long rallies down the stretch, but Cibola fought off three game points with kills from Katie Davidson and a Ramirez block. The Knights won the next point, though, and took a 2-0 lead in the match as Courtnie Rask’s serve was too tough for Elizabeth Nunez to handle.

“We did get a few breaks, but Cibola’s a good team and they battled us point for point,” Becker said. “I guess today was our day.”

Cibola had to rally once again in Game 3 to keep things close, fighting back from five points down to take the lead at 18-17 – their first since 2-1 - on Rebecca Lackey’s ace. It wound up being the Raiders’ final lead, as the Knights scored the next three points on a Parriera kill and two aces by Gardner.

Saturday’s results will not count toward the power rankings. The Raiders, (12-5 AIA) No. 6 in the power rankings, are still optimistic about hosting their first-round state match.

“They love playing a team like Lake Havasu that’s real competitive,” Klee said. “We can turn it around. They’ll come together.”