Jorge Ian Guajardo is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Corona del Sol for AZPreps365.com

 TEMPE – For two sets, Hamilton seemed poised to end Corona del Sol’s undefeated season, but a huge fourth set from the Aztecs launched them into a dramatic five-set set victory Tuesday night.

The Huskies (9-4) started strong, winning the first two sets, 25-18 and 25-23. The momentum started to shift in the second set when Corona senior middle blocker Hayden Conner, a Washington Huskies commit, scored 11 kills, part of her 26-kill night. 

“I knew we were down and I knew we needed the uplifting, especially after how we came out in the first set,” Conner said. “So, I knew I needed to go out there, be my best and tell my teammates that we can do this and give them the momentum to keep on going.”

The final three sets all went the Aztecs' way:  26-24, 25-15 and 15-11 in the decisive fifth set where Corona del Sol (14-0)  jumped out to a  5-1 lead.

Aztecs coach Ben Maxfield said he never doubted that his team could pull off the comeback.

“We always talk about how we know we're a good team, so if we're not playing well, just keep going and eventually it'll turn around, and fortunately it turned around in time,” Maxfield said.

After losing their momentum in the third set, Huskies coach Sharon Vanis  looked inward on her team’s performance.

“Well, you know what? You win or you learn, and I think we learned a lot about ourselves,” Vanis said. “I think when we lost the third game, we looked like we had lost the match, so we've got to get better. We've got to understand there are two more games.”

Conner led the Aztecs’ fifth-set performance as she registered five kills and a block to seal the victory. 

Helping set her up was teammate Adelyn Chang, who reached the 350-assist milestone by tallying 52 assists.

“The only reason I'm able to get these assists is this team,” Chang said. “Players like Hayden put away balls, manage balls, and so we're just good because the whole team can work together and put it away. So yes, I get those assists, but also it takes the whole team.”

Maxfield reflected on what it is like to defeat a rival school.

“Our school boundaries are next to each other, so we know each other well,” Maxfield said. “We have lots of respect for the other program, and we're both perennial top teams in the league. So, we’re used to playing these types of matches with them. It's really fun.”