Tucson, AZ — The Salpointe Lancers kept their undefeated season alive Tuesday night, grinding out a dramatic 3-2 road win over a fired-up Mica Mountain squad in a match that showcased just how tough the 4A Kino Region is shaping up to be this fall. Salpointe, now 15-0, had only dropped two sets all season heading into the match—but the Thunderbolts (13-5) pushed the powerhouse Lancers to the brink, coming within a few points of pulling off the upset in front of their home crowd. Mica Mountain, last year’s 4A Conference runner-up under head coach Amy Johnson, showed why they remain a serious title contender. Fresh off a strong 4-1 showing at the prestigious Epic Tourneys Girls Volleyball Invite, the Thunderbolts look battle-tested—and their upcoming trip to the Nike Tournament of Champions will only sharpen them further. But first, they’ll face a test at Sahuaro on Wednesday night. “We played some really good teams in Phoenix,” said Johnson. “We got better, got a lot of players in, which gave us valuable experience. But tonight? We just didn’t execute. No energy. We went through the motions, and it showed.” Salpointe, under second-year head coach Keith Rubio, came into the match riding the momentum of a championship run at last week’s Lancer Invitational. The team is headed to the Nike Tournament of Champions as well, but not before a key matchup with Ironwood Ridge looms on Sept. 30. Mica Mountain will host the Nighthawks—currently 5-1 in power-ranking matches—on Oct. 9 in what’s shaping up to be a critical showdown. Tuesday night’s five-set battle was anything but smooth for either side. Salpointe escaped with a 27-25 win in the first set, only for Mica Mountain to dominate the second, 25-13. The Lancers answered back with a commanding 25-14 third set, but Mica Mountain refused to fold, clawing back with a 25-23 fourth-set win. Salpointe finally slammed the door with a 5-1 run to seal the fifth set, 15-11. “Obviously, this is a big win—an exciting win,” said Rubio. “I saw a lot of resilience tonight. We’ve had a bit of a carousel at the setter position, and it started off rocky. But they stepped up and did a great job.” The opening set set the tone for the night’s drama. Tied at 21-21, senior Mia Bartfalvi delivered a clutch block and back-to-back aces to give Salpointe a 24-21 edge. But Mica Mountain’s Aubrey Necas wasn’t done—her kills sparked a 3-0 run to push the Thunderbolts ahead 25-24. A costly service error let Salpointe back in the door, and senior Caitlin Hurley connected with Ivy Allen for the set-clinching kill at 27-25. ---