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Bishop Gorman rallies to beat Shadow Ridge in 5 sets

There’s a certain point in every volleyball match, Bishop Gorman’s Tommi Stockham and Kylie Gibson share a look with one another, and it means one thing.

“Take over,” Stockham said. “That’s just the point we know.”

Thursday night in a crucial Sunset League showdown at home against Shadow Ridge, that point came in the fourth game, with Gorman trailing the Mustangs 2-1. Trailing 5-3 early on, Stockham and Gibson accounted for 10 points during an 18-10 run.

The Gaels had seized momentum, and went on to defeat Shadow Ridge in five sets, 25-18, 27-29, 21-25, 25-22, 15-10.

“We needed a five-game match, we haven’t had one all year, we’ve only gone four once,” Bishop Gorman coach Ed Van Meetren said. “And it was a great match all the way through. It could have gone either way at any given time. They needed it the same way we did. It was a good match, and it was a fun match.”

In the fifth and decisive set, the Gaels (17-7, 7-0 Sunset League) fell behind early, as Shadow Ridge established dominance early at the net to take a 4-1 lead. The teams traded serves twice, and with Shadow leading 6-3, the Gaels got the spark they needed when Ashley Brennan’s kill sliced through Shadow Ridge’s defense.

Gorman used a 7-1 run to take a 10-7 lead, while a huge block by Gaels setter Sydney Lobato on Shadow Ridge’s Kizzy Rodriguez made it 13-8.

But Rodriguez’s powerful kill, and Natalie Nihipali’s block on Gibson brought the Mustangs (20-10, 6-1) within three, at 13-10.

But, fittingly, Gibson and Stockhom answered with back-to-back kills to seal the win.

“We help each other a lot, we both play the same position, we both play with the same club, so we basically help each other out a lot,” Gibson said. “(This win) was so important to us, especially how we barely beat them last year, I feel like it meant a lot to the returning players, too.”

It was the only meeting of the season between the two, but both Van Meetren and Shadow Ridge coach Karissa Guthrie know a potential postseason match is always likely, as they’ve met in each of the last five regional tournaments, including the last two championship matches.

“Over the last three or four years it’s pretty much boiled down to us,” Van Meetren said. “We’re the best two teams in Southern Nevada, and I think we both showed it all year long. It’s always a fun match and we need more of these.”

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