Josh DeLuca is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Hamilton for AZPreps365.com

Hamilton High School loses its first regional game of the year to Perry High School in a match that saw Perry sweep Hamilton in 3 sets 25-17, 25-21, 26-24 and inch closer to the regional lead. 

Hamilton was going into the match undefeated in the region with five straight region wins, but its momentum was stopped by Perry's explosive offensive performance. 

Head Coach Sharon Vanis emphasized that today's loss was a learning experience and the team needed to improve particularly in their serving and defense. 

“They’re very offensive. We didn’t serve very aggressively, so they had the advantage the whole night,” Vanis said. “If you don’t serve aggressively against an offensive team like that, you’re going to struggle.” 

Despite the loss, Hamilton still showed positives that the team is hoping to build off of for the remainder of the regular season and going into playoffs. 

The Huskies currently are ranked No. 8 in the AIA 6A Conference and ranked No. 11 statewide in Arizona.

Senior team captain outside hitter Raegan Richardson continued to shine and keep building on an amazing season leading Hamilton in kills and blocks. Richardson had 15 total kills and three blocks in just three sets along with a good defensive performance in the back row.

Richardson’s impressive performance on the court highlighted the team's potential and served as a reminder of the team's capabilities when they all play together. 

“I don’t think we played to our full potential as a team, but we should stick to our game and come out even stronger next time and finish out the season strong,” Richardson said. 

Hamilton played closer in each match with the third set being tied 24-24, but the deficits they created ultimately caught up with them, leading to missed opportunities for victory. 

Outside hitter, Nia Curry pointed out the importance of not starting out slow and setting the tone at the start of the match.

“We bounced back after losing the first set, and I think we played our best in the third set, showing we have it in us and know our potential, but we can't have slow starts,” Curry said.

Curry was sure that the team can win next time they see its regional opponents after fixing minor things on the Huskies side of the court.

"We need to focus on our side, keep the energy up, and maintain positive talk throughout the game," Curry said.

Looking ahead, the team is focused on getting better and capitalizing on the lessons learned to ensure a strong finish to their season before playoffs begin. 

Hamilton High School is 5-1 against Perry in region matchups in the last three years. Both teams have fought for second in their region against Xavier College Prep, who have claimed region wins in the past two years. The Huskies last region title was in its 2021-22 season

Hamilton (21-15, 5-1) will play against Chandler (1-30, 0-5) this Monday, October 28th at home in its second to last regional matchup of the season.