An exhausted Rebeka Barney lay sprawled out on the court at Peoria High School with only a gym bag supporting her head. It was an image that said it all after three highly intense and emotional sets between Thatcher and Pima on Friday night.

The 2A East region rivals met in the quarterfinals of the state volleyball tournament, and the match was a sight to behold. Barney, a junior setter for Thatcher, was trying to regain some energy after the Eagles held off a magnificent effort by Pima to win 25-17, 25-22 and 25-20.

“It’s always hard to play somebody three times in a season because if you’ve won the first two times, you’re the one with the target on your back,” Thatcher coach Krista Brown said. “Pima had nothing to lose, and they played excellent volleyball tonight.”

Thatcher's Stephanie Norton tips the ball in a match against Baboquivari on Friday at Peoria High School. Photo by Brian Wright

Pima was the team that hit the court with more composure at the beginning of the match. The Roughriders held a 5-1 lead after the first six points of the first set. The Eagles always had an answer when their backs were against the wall, but Pima put a good scare into the No. 2 overall seed at the 2A state tournament with an inspired performance.

“Everybody played well. I was proud of the girls,” Pima coach Gerald Hekekia said. “They gave all they could, and they were enjoying themselves.”

One could observe disappointment on the Pima players’ faces after the match, but one could also tell that they were proud of the way they played. The Roughriders held their heads high as they walked off the court.

The second set was closer than the first, and Pima senior Corley Lines was a big reason why.

“Corley was having a blast,” Hekekia said.

Lines routinely gave up her body to dive on the floor for a dig, and she also hit the ball hard and accurately, which resulted in several kills.

“She had an excellent game. She killed us on the line a lot,” Brown said of Lines. “We had a hard time blocking that.”

Thatcher led 24-18 in the second set, but Pima didn’t flinch and closed the gap to 24-22 before Thatcher junior Heather Lucero put away a kill down the sideline.

Lucero and junior Rachel Orr hit the ball exceptionally well, and the kills kept on coming from them, senior Chelcy Motes, junior Macey Jorgensen and others.

“We blocked. We hit with them. But they’ve got so much more power than we do,” Hekekia said of the Eagles.

Brown was glad her team was pushed because she said it was good preparation for the next day, when Thatcher knew it would be facing tougher teams.

And despite a fever that plagued her all day, Barney kept the offense flowing with her sets and also provided some key tips for points when Pima wasn’t covering the floor.

Brown said Barney has improved reading the play to where she knows exactly when and where to tip an opponent if needed.

Earlier in the day, Thatcher won its first match 3-0 over No. 15 seed Baboquivari. The scores were 25-5, 25-8 and 25-12. Pima lost its first set to No. 10 Phoenix Bourgade Catholic but rebounded to win three sets in a row and advance to the quarterfinals.