Jaden Taylor is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism Student assigned to cover Highland High School for AZPreps365.com

As the road gets thinner and thinner on the way to the end of the season, the aura of a state championship trophy gets closer to the forefront of team’s minds. For a lucky few, that piece of hardware will be sitting on their desk by November’s end. But for most, it’s always a look to next year.

For Highland High School’s girls’ volleyball team (29-10, 11-5), the opportunity to make it past the first round is something no current player on the team has had the luxury of seeing. As the team makes its fifth straight postseason appearance on Thursday (Nov. 2), the group will look to make its first 6A quarterfinal appearance since 2020.

“My biggest goal this year was to just make it past the first round,” senior outside hitter Zoe John said. “And if any team can do it, this year's team is the team to do it.”

In recent years, luck has not gone the Hawks’ way. In back-to-back seasons, Highland was eliminated by Sandra Day O’Connor as the Eagles were headed to its first state title appearance in 2021. This year it will be eighth-seeded Hamilton Huskies, who have made the state championship game in each of their last three seasons. The Hawks will head to Hamilton High with first serve at 6 p.m.

“They're really great,” head coach Tait Neilson said. “They're in the position they're in because they're really good. We’re going to have to be firing on all cylinders and be doing the things that we preach and do them well, every single point.”

Going up against a recent powerhouse in Arizona high school volleyball and a team they’ve split matches against this season, Neilson queued in on a big part of the team's game.

“The serve and receive, that’s huge,” Neilson said. “Every team wants to win that battle; we got to be good there.”

Along with the passing this season, the depth of hitting has been a weapon for the Hawks. Captained by John’s 6A second-best 419 kills, Highland has eight different attackers averaging at least a kill per set.

“You can trust everyone that’s on the court, and you can run so many different things,” John said. “We run a different play every time and I think it just keeps our offense really sharp and the other side guessing where it’s gonna go.”

Experience against top competition will also be an asset for the Hawks who have played 16 matches this season versus current tournament qualifiers. Along with their experience against top opponents, the team is driven by a group of seven seniors.

“It's nice to have seniors that have done playoff situations and played in playoff matches,” Neilson said. “There's no way to simulate that, you just have to experience it. And no matter how good a player is, you just never know how they're going to react in that first playoff match.”

In what could be her last match with her teammates, senior Alyx Daugherty discussed the high-pressure environment that comes with tough opponents.

"It just makes you just want to ball out because every point is a battle,” Daugherty said. “It makes your adrenaline go pumping and it just makes you want to just have fun and play for every ball you can.”

To take down a state and national powerhouse while also turning the tides on his team’s recent playoff fortunes, Neilson asked two questions of his team.

“Can we bring the enthusiasm, and can we be locked in?” Neilson said. “If we can do that along with some tactical stuff, then you give yourself a shot.”