Caden Adams is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Skyline High School for AZPreps365.

The Skyline Coyotes squared off against the Red Mountain Lions in 6A East Valley Region girls volleyball action on Wednesday.

This marked the first of two encounters scheduled for the season between the two teams. For this particular match, Red Mountain enjoyed a home-court advantage, while Skyline will host Red Mountain on October 25th.

The home-court edge appeared to favor Red Mountain, which clinched the victory in four sets, with scores of 25-23, 25-16, 15-25, and 25-13.

Both teams began the game with a lack of precision, encountering challenges in keeping the ball inbounds during serves and spikes, struggling to evade defenders attempting to block, and displaying communication issues seen on both sides of the net.

Throughout the game, both teams exhibited strong net presence, with Skyline recording 11 blocks compared to Red Mountain's nine.

Skyline (7-11, 1-6) faced initial difficulties finding its rhythm in serving and spiking accuracy, but the Coyotes rallied after losing the first two sets, displaying a surge of energy that led to their win in the third set.

"Playing with energy and believing in each other," emphasized senior Stella Tukia when asked about what they've been focusing on this season.

In the fourth set, Red Mountain's coach made a critical adjustment that turned the tide in its favor. Despite a competitive start with Skyline leading 12-10, Red Mountain senior Olivia Seutter unleashed powerful spikes, propelling Red Mountain (13-13, 2-4)  on a decisive 15-1 run to win the final set 25-13.

One standout player for Skyline was senior libero Brianna Anderson. In addition to her relentless pursuit of any ball that came near her area, she set up her teammates for spike opportunities that resulted in eight kills.

When asked about their aspirations for the remainder of the season, Anderson's response was simple:

"Win."

Assessing the final five games of the season, assistant coach Jane Tukia stressed the importance of composure and precision in play.

"Avoiding hitting the ball into areas with defenders, placing the ball in smarter spots, make sure we go back to the drawing board just to make sure they know where the openings are and have more intentions of ball placement," Coach Tukia explained.

Skyline senior Avery Wiltbank expressed her determination along with her fellow senior teammates, emphasizing the need to, "finish the season strong" and "give it our all."

Looking ahead to its next game against the 3-8 Dobson Mustangs, Skyline hopes to improve its ability to identify open spaces on the court and execute powerful shots with the intent of finding those areas.

It's worth noting that the Coyotes and the Mustangs previously faced each other this season, with the Coyotes securing a three-set-to-one victory on Thursday, September 21st, at Skyline High School.

The final game of the season is set for October 25th at 6 p.m. when Skyline and Red Mountain will have a rematch at Skyline High School. This game holds significance for Skyline as it provides an opportunity to even the season matchups at one win apiece.