Jack Connolly is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Chandler Prep for AZPreps365.com.

CHANDLER -- The Horizon Honors volleyball team spoiled Chandler Prep’s Staff Appreciation Night, stifling the Titans in five sets Tuesday night and boosting their playoff hopes.

The Titans took the first set 25-19, then dropped the second 25-22, but countered in the third, 25-21, to take a 2-1 lead. Staging a playoff push, the Eagles pulled out victories in the fourth and fifth sets, 25-22 and 15-12, to steal a victory on the road.

“When we went down big in the fifth set, we knew we had to rely on each other,” senior outside hitter Makayla Aaron said. “We had to stick together in that situation.”

Back-to-back aces by sophomore setter Bria Ames and kills by sophomore opposite Grace Yates and her younger sister, freshman middle hitter Madeline Yates, put the Titans up 4-0 to start the fifth set, forcing Horizon Honors coach Amanda Bors to burn their first timeout.

The Eagles responded by committing four errors during the next 11 points. On the ropes, trailing 10-5 in the decisive fifth set, Bors needed an answer. Eagles middle blocker Audrey Anglada picked the Titans apart in the first four sets, leading all players with 19 kills. However, Chandler Prep silenced her in the closing set. Horizon Honors needed another player to step up.

The Eagles found that impact player in their captain, senior outside hitter Makayla Aaron. With no timeouts remaining and their hottest attacker of the game cooling down, Aaron took over for the Eagles.

An Anglada kill ignited the match-winning 10-1 run to stun the packed crowd at Chandler Prep. Aaron had five of 10 kills on the night during the surge, including the clincher.

“We’ve been in a lot of fights all season,” Bors said. “I’m incredibly proud of our entire team’s effort tonight. It took everything we had when our backs were against the wall to pull it out tonight.”

Ames started the match with an opening-serve kill for the Titans, who jumped out to a 10-3 lead. The Eagles started the match with two service errors, two attacking errors and a line violation in that span before ripping off a 9-3 run to cut Chandler Prep's lead to 13-12, prompting Titans coach Courtnee Oglesbee to call the Titans’ first timeout.

The Titans held on to win the first set 25-19, thanks to five kills in the first set from Madeline Yates.

The second set came down to the wire. Both teams battled for momentum throughout the set. The Titans led 22-20, but then the Eagles closed the second set on a 5-0 run to even the match 1-1.

The Titans’ kryptonite was the service line, missing seven serves in the second set in a three-point defeat.

“It came down to a lack of focus,” Oglesbee said. “We have potential, but we weren’t able to fully execute tonight.”

The Titans blew open the third set with a 23-13 lead, but Anglada propelled her team back into the match with four consecutive kills and seven of the Eagles’ final eight points, but the Titans won the third set, 25-21.

Anglada carried the hot hand into the fourth set, erupting for seven of her 19 kills en route to a 25-22 Eagles win to force a fifth set.

“We put them on edge at the end of the third set,” Anglada said. “We were ready for a fight, and it came down to who wanted it more.”