The Trojan Beach Volleyball team had the start to the pair's tournament on Monday, May 5^th. Juniors Haydyn Gerard and Emma Smith, the 1's pair, got a tournament berth and were slotted to play against Salpointe Catholic at Casteel High School at 5:00 PM.

Looking back at the season the team record was 11-4. Emma and Haydyn started off the season on a high note with a win, sweeping the Agua Fria Owls with scores of 21-10 and 21-8. They continued their reign of victory against Scottsdale Prep and River Valley as well.

When it came to the state matchup, Haydyn and Emma battled hard against Salpointe Catholic's 2's team, but sadly they lost with scores of 18-21 and 20-22. Not only did they have to battle Salpointe, but they also had to compete against the weather too. It was cold, rainy and extremely windy, so it made it challenging.

Salpointe's overall record was 15-2 going into the tournament and were one of the top schools in DivisionII for beach volleyball. Salpointe had one good blocker, but they were a very shotty team. Defensively it was the best game our girls had had all season. Emma said, "It was such a good game and even though we lost we kept perservering, and God gave us the strength to keep going". They fought through until the end making sure it was the best they could be and overall, they had fun.

Even though our girls lost to Salpointe, it was a close game, and it was still really fun to watch. Haydyn said, "I'm really proud of Emma and I, we played really well, and I've been so blessed to have her as my partner this season! I'm thankful for our coaches, Erica and Tracy, and I can't wait until next season."

This was a good match to wrap up the season for the girls and they can't wait for next season. Make sure to come out and support the Trojans!