Bishop Gorman looks to stay on top in 5A girls volleyball

Like astir girls volleyball teams successful the valley, Bishop Gorman manager Gregg Nunley has had to rebuild his squad from the past afloat play successful 2019.

Those Gaels won their 2nd consecutive authorities title and 3rd successful 4 years and were replaced by a halfway consisting mostly of freshmen for the shortened outpouring season.

But Gorman hasn’t had to regenerate its setter, the astir important presumption connected the floor. It returns Caroline Edgeworth, who acceptable an NIAA all-class grounds for assists successful a play successful 2019 with 1,474, and her 122 aces were 3rd each clip successful a Class 4A season.

“She would marque each the coaches successful the authorities consciousness a small much comfortable,” Nunley said. “She has each the acquisition of being successful the authorities final, winning championships and playing the high-level volleyball she does each year. It makes it easier to enactment with immoderate of our younger players due to the fact that I don’t person to interest astir her.”

The Gaels mislaid two-time Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year Tommi Stockham disconnected the 2019 squad and 2 much standouts successful mediate blocker Julianne Carlat and extracurricular hitter Taylor Jefferson aft the outpouring play successful which they finished 7-0.

Nunley expects 2 sophomores to capable those roles successful 6-foot-3-inch Ashley Duckworth successful the mediate and extracurricular hitter Leilia Toailoa. He said Duckworth is “young but truthful precocious up determination and has a beardown arm,” and Toailoa “is ace amusive to manager and precise athletic.”

The Gaels astir apt volition beryllium the favourite successful the caller 5A until idiosyncratic knocks them disconnected their perch, but the different 9 teams successful the Southern Region anticipation to bash conscionable that.

Shadow Ridge was the past squad different than Gorman to triumph a authorities crown, erstwhile it knocked disconnected the Gaels successful 5 sets successful the 2017 rubric match.

Coach Jo Makaiwi said her squad is afloat of players who are alert of the program’s past and are acceptable to enactment their stamp connected it.

“The girls person been ready. We had a small outpouring intramural clip successful May, and we had each of them retired determination to play,” Makaiwi said. “They person been playing nonstop since June of past year, and they’ve been committed each summer.”

Durango reached the 2019 authorities rubric lucifer and has a caller coach. Palo Verde reached the authorities semifinals and is ever pugnacious due to the fact that of its scrappy benignant of play, and Foothill volition beryllium bolstered by adding mediate blocker Kate Prior, who helped Boulder City to a 3rd consecutive 3A authorities crown successful 2019. Faith Lutheran faced Gorman doubly during the summertime and took a acceptable some times.

“It’s caller and breathtaking and different situation to effort to overcome,” Nunley said of the caller 5A. “Hopefully we tin get immoderate pieces unneurotic and bash immoderate things successful 5A we did successful 4A. But we don’t cognize what’s going to happen.”

Rancho, led by left-handed elder Leah Miller, was the lone squad that reached the 4A authorities tourney successful 2019 to enactment successful 4A and should beryllium 1 of the favorites. Boulder City volition spell for a 4th consecutive 3A crown.

Contact Jason Orts astatine jorts@reviewjournal.com. Follow @SportsWithOrts connected Twitter.