Volleyball resurgence

The early years of the 21st century were tough for Mesa volleyball.

Although the T-Birds saw some success in the first half of the 2000s, things took a sharp downturn starting in 2006. Over the next ten seasons—from 2006 to 2015—Mesa posted a combined record of just 40-191.

That all began to change in 2016 with the arrival of new head coach Megan Taylor. A former standout player and assistant coach at Grand Canyon University, Taylor brought a winning mindset to MCC—and immediate results.

In her first season, she inherited a roster that featured nine freshmen among 13 players. The team was coming off a 4-20 campaign, but quickly turned things around with a season-opening win over Division I Yavapai. The T-Birds finished 14-10 and earned a spot in the Region I, Division II playoffs for the first time in many years.

Youth played a major role in the resurgence. While sophomore Breanna Scott led the team in kills per set (2.99), freshmen Leah Crist (2.33) and Raquel Valliere (2.18) followed closely behind. Both of Mesa's all-ACCAC selections that year were freshmen as well—Crist at middle blocker and Camy Cohn at libero.

With a year of experience under their belts, the T-Birds took another big step forward in 2017.

Mesa opened the season with seven straight wins and went on to finish 24-11, capping the year with a sixth-place finish at the NJCAA national championship tournament in Charleston, West Virginia—their first nationals appearance since 1980.

Three players earned all-ACCAC recognition: Crist, who also became Mesa's first NJCAA All-American since 2005 with a second-team selection; Cohn, named Libero of the Year and an honorable mention pick; and Paige Greenly, who also received honorable mention honors. The team also hosted and won the Region I tournament that season, defeating Scottsdale in the final.

At nationals, the seventh-seeded T-Birds opened with a 3-0 sweep of Iowa Central before falling to perennial powerhouse Parkland (Ill.) in the next round. Greenly earned a spot on the all-tournament team.

Mesa's momentum didn't stop there. Over the following two seasons, the T-Birds continued their strong play, recording 17-10 and 16-11 records—solidifying that Mesa volleyball's return to relevance was no fluke.