Seth Schwartzberg is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Perry High School for AZPreps365

CHANDLER -- In the final match of the regular season, the Perry girls volleyball team won on the road in straight-sets Tuesday night against Chandler High School, 25-16, 25-13, 26-24.

After taking the first two sets with ease, the Pumas (10-6, 4-4) came out in the third set and looked like a whole different team, and not in a good way.

“We took our foot off the gas a little bit,” Perry coach Andrew Yamashiro said about that third set. “They deserved what they got in a sense that they were in that set and we just weren’t consistent.”

Starting the set off, the Pumas went on a 4-1 run and it looked like it was going to be another quick set, but the Wolves (2-14, 0-8) weren't backing down that easily.

Some back-and-forth kept the Wolves within a close distance to the Pumas, before a 5-2 Wolves run eventually tied the teams at 16. 

Chandler continued to win the set, scoring the next two points and going up 18-16, before Perry answered right back with a 4-1 run to put them back ahead, up by one. 

This back-and-forth continued all the way till the end of the set when the two teams found themselves tied at 24 and each needing two points to win the set. 

That didn’t seem to sit well with the Pumas because Perry scored the next two points to win the set, 26-24, and win the match in straight sets. This marked the second-straight win for the Pumas, who now head into the playoffs.

“There were moments when me and my teammates were messing around after an ace, “ junior outside hitter Kalista Fuller said about the team’s confidence during the match. “We hit a certain celebration, and if we are losing, we don’t do it, so when we are in control, we can feel the energy.”

In a win like this, there is almost always a stat that stands out, and tonight, that was their errors, or lack-there-of. In the first two sets, the Pumas had just six errors in each set, leading to the massive margins in the wins.

“It feels good to end on a high note,” Yamashiro said. “Now, we have to mentally prepare ourselves for the next playoff match and hopefully make sure that we are putting ourselves in a good situation.”

With one of their top outside hitters out of the match with illness, Yamashiro looked to others to step up and take on a bigger role in this match.

“A lot of kids are stepping up,” Yamashiro said. “We had a DS (defensive specialist) go in, who served a ton of points and she was limited in playing time, but she stepped up big for us this match.”

At the top, Fuller helped lead the Pumas with a team-high 12 kills and added two aces on top of that.

Others like Johanna Helie, Kaitlin James and Braeley Norton were also huge factors in the win for the Pumas. Heile led the three with seven kills, with James right behind her with six. Norton’s help came at the service line, leading the team with four aces.

On the other side of the court, Chandler coach Tracey Rodarte was very emotional following the game, seeing so many of the girls she has been with for the past three years play their final game with her.

“Seven of the nine seniors have been with me since they were sophomores,” Rodarte said in tears after the game. “I think that leadership and the foundation they built, through all those years, built a foundation and now, we can just grow from there.”

Next, the Pumas will get ready for the playoffs and focus on making a run for state.

“Win,” Fuller said about heading into the playoffs. “Aggression, competitiveness, anything you can think of, just winning.”