The Catalina boys volleyball team opened the Star on Friday and noticed itself listed in second place in the 4A Gila Region.
If the Trojans wanted to take over first place, they had to go through Santa Rita.
They got their showdown and reached their goal Monday after sweeping Santa Rita 25-21, 25-14, 25-20 to stand alone atop the Gila standings.
"We saw that we were the second team listed, and nobody on the team liked that," Catalina coach Heather Moore-Martin said. "We wanted to make an impression upon Santa Rita and let ourselves know that we can be No. 1."
Setter Jared Simte led Catalina (17-9, 3-0) with 19 assists and two aces, and Esdras Bautista chipped in a match-high 11 kills in the victory.
The Trojans' adept service and passing games kept Santa Rita at a distance throughout. Eagles coach Scott Snider lauded Catalina's back-row defense as the difference-maker, and Moore-Martin noted that her front-line blockers kept Santa Rita's big hitters out of sync.
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"Whenever they came at us with some big heat, we got a touch-block on it and had some stuff-blocks, too," Moore-Martin said. "It always makes a hitter second-guess himself when he gets stuffed."
Each team plays Thursday, followed by two more weeks of regular-season play.
Santa Rita (10-7, 3-1) entered the match No. 3 in the Class 4A/5A-II power rankings, which helps determine state playoff entrants. Catalina jumped from 10th to eighth with the victory.
The teams will meet April 22, in the season's last week, at Catalina in a game that could determine the regular-season region champion.
"We hope we can start to play at their level and steal one at their place," Snider said. "It will take some hard work to do that."
● Cienega 3, Rincon/University 1: At Cienega, the Bobcats' all-star junior tandem of Andrew Christ and Kimo Rand paved the way in a crucial 4A Kino Region victory.
Christ had 16 kills to lead all players, and Rand had a match-best 33 assists. Cienega (14-8, 4-0) stayed in a first-place tie with Sahuaro (15-2, 4-0) in the Kino standings.
The two first-place teams play at Sahuaro on Thursday.
Baseball
Baseball returns to Hi Corbett Field on Saturday. Tucson High, bumped from its home at Cherry Field this season because of flood basin renovations, will host Sierra Vista Buena at 7 p.m.
The Badgers also play Salpointe Catholic at Hi Corbett on April 19. Admission is $3.
Tucson's other home games this year are at Palo Verde Park.
Another Tucson golf course to close
