FLAGSTAFF — The second half of Arizona’s high school volleyball season is nearing, and No. 1-ranked Flagstaff appears to be the favorite to hoist the 4A state championship trophy in November.

It’s been more than a decade since the Eagles won the title, winning back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013 when they were in Division III.

They already have four wins over the top 10 clubs in the Power Rankings, including No. 6 Thunderbirds (August 28, 3-1) and No. 4 Estrella Foothills (September 4, 3-1). (1 win, 1 loss) and 10th place ALA Queen Creek. (September 10, 3-0) and No. 8 Prescott (October 2, 3-0), the Eagles have definitely made a leap forward.

They defeated No. 15 Arcadia 3-0 in mid-September, avenging a 3-1 loss to the same club that eliminated Flagstaff from the 4A state playoffs earlier in the season. And expectations for this year’s club are just as high, if not higher.

“I think we’re very strong this year. We have a strong group of players. We have three guys on the front row who can dominate and finish the ball. We have a chance to win state this year. It’s expensive,” senior outside hitter Sophia Krasner said, adding it will be a completely different team this fall.

“I don’t think last year’s team was as strong as this year. We have an older team than last year, so we’re ready to win,” said Krasner, who ranks second in kills on the year with 72.

Flagstaff (18-1, 5-0, 4A Grand Canyon) has only one game this season, a 2-1 loss to Centennial, ranked No. 4 in 5A, in the September tournament, and is 10-0 in 2018. He has a perfect record with no losses. There are 7 more PowerPoint games.

“I think we’re where we want to be in terms of ability. We’re playing well, we’re playing good ball,” longtime head coach Beth Haglin said. “We still have a lot of things we have to continue to work on to get better. We’re playing in our area right now, but we’re not going to be touring the area, and we’re playing in Prescott, Bradshaw, and others. will be challenged by the team.”

Haglin, who led the Eagles for nearly 40 years in two different tenures as coach, pointed to a potential lack of leadership last season as the reason the Eagles didn’t reach the peak he expected, but this year seems to have hit home early on.

“We’re going to learn that this year and continue to strive to be a solid unit,” Haglin said.

A big reason why the Eagles have been so excited lately is the return of junior Lily Hartman. Hartman left the program after his freshman year and moved to Wisconsin, but returned this summer and now leads the club in kills (157) and aces (23) in 2024.

“She’s a great kid to have in our program and she works very hard. …We look forward to having her for at least another year, but she’s doing great this year. He’s contained, he’s working hard and he’s hitting the ball hard,” Haglin said. “She plays smart and the girls can definitely learn from her.”

Hartman, who is already committed to California State University, San Bernardino, believes the sky is the limit if the team encourages each other and everyone stays connected.

“With each tryout, we just got better and better. All of our hitters are connecting with our setters, and even our freshman setters are getting much better. All of these connections are being made and we have a solid team. I feel like that,” Hartman said. “We all have our moments, but they come together quickly.”

Brian M. Bergner Jr. has covered professional, college and high school sports for more than 20 years. Follow him on X (@AzPreps365Brian) or Facebook (@Five2MediaWorks). Have a story idea? Email Brian at bbergner@azpreps365.com.