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Yuma Catholic volleyball just won its first state bracket match. Next up: the No. 1 seed.
The Shamrocks swept Blue Ridge at home Thursday night. Saturday morning, they get top-seeded Gilbert Christian.
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Thursday night, at Carol McElhaney Oden Gym, Yuma Catholic's volleyball team did something the program had never done.
It won a match in the state bracket.
The eighth-seeded Shamrocks swept No. 9 Blue Ridge in the first round of the 3A state tournament: 25-13, 26-24, 25-22.
KYMA called it the first postseason win in program history.
The fine print on "first"
This matters to the people who were there before, so here it is.
Yuma Catholic has won play-in matches. Last November, the Shamrocks swept ALA-Ironwood at home in a 3A play-in, then lost to Florence in the first round. In 2020, they swept Tonopah Valley in a play-in, and the Yuma Sun noted at the time that the program had never won a non-play-in game.
Play-ins decide who gets into the bracket. Thursday was the bracket. On that side of the line, as far as the public record shows, this is the first win.
Who did it
According to KYMA's match report:
- Payton Enders, junior outside hitter: 18 kills, 8 digs, 3 blocks, 2 aces
- Sadie Estes, senior: 10 kills, 17 digs, 4 aces
- Gwen Thrower, junior opposite: 8 kills, 6 blocks
- Zoee Gonzalez, junior setter: 28 assists, 6 aces, 2 kills
- Audrina Payan, junior: 25 digs, 5 assists, 2 aces
Bella Koehl served the ace that ended it.
The team put up about 10 blocks, its most in a match this season. That's how you win a second set 26-24.
Look at that list again. Four of the five are juniors.
The coach
Averi Nicewander played at Yuma Catholic herself. KYMA reported that when she took over the program, she set a goal of making history. This season, she told her players to "make history."
They did.
Saturday
- Who: No. 1 Gilbert Christian
- What: 3A state quarterfinal
- When: Saturday, Nov. 7, 10 a.m.
- Where: Mountain Pointe High School in Phoenix
Win, and the Shamrocks are in the final four. Either way, Thursday is already in the books.
Where this comes from
- Yuma Catholic makes program history with first playoff volleyball victory, KYMA, Nov. 5, 2026. Reporting. Source for the venue, seeds, player stats, the closing ace, the blocks total, the coach's comments and Saturday's match details.
- 2026 AIA 3A girls volleyball state championship bracket, AZPreps365. Official AIA bracket. Source for the score, seeds and the quarterfinal date, time and site.
- Shamrocks surge back for 3-0 sweep, earn tournament spot, Yuma Sun, Nov. 2025. Reporting. Source for the 2025 home play-in win over ALA-Ironwood.
- 2025 AIA 3A girls volleyball state championship bracket, AZPreps365. Official AIA bracket. Source for Yuma Catholic's first-round loss to Florence.
- Yuma Catholic volleyball results, MaxPreps. Results database. Source for the 2025 Florence result.
- Shamrocks advance to first round of 3A state playoffs, Yuma Sun, Nov. 2020. Reporting. Source for the 2020 play-in win and the note that the program had never won a non-play-in game.