The Wolverines currently share the top seat in the league with rival Liberty High - until Nov. 9, when the two teams duke it out again for the title of league champion.
Carondelet went into last week's match with the clear purpose of revenge after falling to Deer Valley on Sept. 26. The Cougars earned the 22-25, 25-17, 25-22, 18-25, 15-11 victory but, with two losses, they still sit in third place.
"Carondelet outplayed us; it's pretty simple," said Deer Valley coach Lou Panzella. "As a team we didn't have our best match of the year. We struggled with passing the ball early in the match. But I was really proud of how we came back in game four."
Down two games to one, the Wolverines took an early 3-2 lead after which they never trailed en route to victory.
Senior middle hitter Achari Mainor was a force in every aspect, tallying 10 service points, three aces, 15 kills and three blocks on the night.
"Achari had probably the match of her career," Panzella said. "That was by far the best she's ever played."
Senior outside hitter Kendra Rowland did what she does best, plugging away on both sides of the ball for 23 kills and 19 digs.
Despite their disappointment, the DV players are looking forward to the next meeting when they can claim what they believe to be theirs.
"I told the girls before the game, a league championship is not going to be won or lost today," Panzella said. "We have (two) more league matches left. A lot can happen."
The JV team remains undefeated in the BVAL after its three-game win over Carondelet. The JV Wolverines earned the 23-25, 29-27, 15-13 match after winning their own Deer Valley Invitational the previous weekend.
For the players, the win over Carondelet was just as sweet the second time around.
"When we played them before they weren't as good," said sophomore Hayley Renshaw. "They definitely improved since last time. They were tough. We had to work hard."
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