Lady Phantoms matched up against Ash Fork, St. Michael's

The Lady Phantoms varsity and JV volleyball teams were on the road last weekend for non-league games against Ash Fork and St. Michael's.

While the varsity girls pulled off one 25-21 win against Ash Fork, they used the opportunity to hone some skills, according to Head Coach Jim Baum.

"We mixed things up a little bit and let the girls try out some things we were working on," he said.

For example, he said, the team worked on a move called the quick.

"It's a fast-paced set and hit from the middle," he said. "It works quite effectively when there are a lot of bigger girls on the other side."

The weekend's standout player was Arielle Schoblom who emerged as both MVP and most-improved for both varsity and JV squads.

"She took to it like a duck to water," Baum said. "She was pretty amazing in what she was doing, moving and passing. She played a strong middle."

Yolanda Bitsui also delivered against St. Michael's with a lot of aces on serves.

Serving is one area that will get attention in the coming week as the Phantoms prepare for this weekend's league games against Mogellon and Northland Prep.

The regional finals follow the week after that.

"After St. Michael's we all talked about what we need to improve on," Baum said. "They are doing well on all aspects except serving and digging hard hit serves out."

Overall, the team has topped last year's performance, with 19 wins this year, 16 more than last year.

Baum said that Megan Timeche, Lizzy Tobin and Jessica Shields still stand a good chance of topping some records by season's end.