‘I think we were humbled.’ Skyview volleyball flips the script after rare conference loss
Nina Ferraro will get only one season to play with the Skyview High volleyball team. But she’s definitely making the most of it.
The foreign exchange student from Sao Paulo, Brazil, helped the Hawks win their 14th straight district championship, sweeping top-seeded Owyhee 25-19, 25-23, 25-14 in the 6A District Three Tournament on Thursday at Capital High.
Ferraro, a junior setter, dished out 34 assists with 10 digs as Skyview avenged a five-set loss to the Storm earlier this season.
“She’s such a stud. She’s such a great kid,” Skyview coach Kevin Murphy said. “The kids love her. She’s probably the one kid that has the same demeanor. You would never know if the score is 25-0 or 0-25 in your favor. She is just stoic, calm, has a great presence about her, which I think makes her a great setter.”
Ferraro was dealing with an injury early in the season, limiting her play. But as the season progressed, she stepped into setting duties full time, and the Hawks have thrived as a result.
“I’ve enjoyed her so much. She’s such a sweet girl,” Skyview junior outside hitter Bellamie Beus said. “She’s such a light on our team. Her positivity and just her attitude overall really calms us all down and keeps us all steady and composed.”
Skyview had won four consecutive state championships between the 5A and 4A classifications, but the Hawks only returned three players from last year’s squad. They were picked to finish second in the 6A SIC in a preseason coaches poll, and a loss to Owyhee in September gave opponents hope the dynasty might finally come crashing down.
“For lack of a better word, I think we were humbled, definitely,” Beus said of the loss to Owyhee. “I had never lost a conference game in my high school career, and losing that game was really tough. It was a super, super competitive game. I don’t want to lose any game, but that was the game that I did not want to lose, and we did.
“So I feel like it lit a fire under us, and we came back better, way better.”
Beus, who is committed to Kentucky, has started for the Hawks since she was a freshman, and she’s been the anchor on the team the last two seasons. She racked up 20 kills and 10 digs against the Storm on Thursday, including a run of six straight kills in the second set that helped rally the Hawks from a four-point deficit to the 25-23 win.
“She’s just a competitor. Just refuses to lose type of thing, just gets after it,” Murphy said. “Somebody blocks her, she just comes back harder. She just competes. Never backs down. Tough as nails.”
Beus played the championship game with a dislocated finger after sitting out Monday’s semifinal match. Murphy contemplated resting her for the title game as well, but Beus wasn’t having it.
“After tonight, seeing how we just came together as a team and took over this game, I feel like we have a very good chance at taking this title,” Beus said.
The Hawks and Storm advance to next week’s state tournament, which runs Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 at the Mountain America Center in Idaho Falls. Centennial and Eagle also qualified for state, and Rocky Mountain can advance with a win in a play-in game Saturday.
This story was originally published October 24, 2024 at 9:48 PM.
