Girls volleyball: Bishop Gorman starts state title defense with sweep

Bishop Gorman held tryouts for its girls volleyball team three weeks ago, hoping to find the right group of individuals to win its second straight 5A state championship.

Coach Gregg Nunley then had to wait a long time to see how the Gaels would come together on the court.

Nunley got his answer Monday as Bishop Gorman opened the season by sweeping Foothill on the road 25-15, 25-23, 25-15.

“We’ve been champing at the bit to get on the court. It’s nice to stretch our legs a little bit. Try some new things. Getting a win is big. Now, we move onto the rest of the season,” Nunley said.

The Gaels used big performances from juniors Ayanna Watson and Trinity Thompson — who are both committed to Pittsburgh — to gain an early lead.

Thompson had six assists in the first set, four of which led to kills from Watson.

Thompson finished with a game-high 24 assists, while Watson had a game-high 13 kills.

Bishop Gorman, after a close second set, removed all doubt about the outcome by starting the third set on a 9-0 run. That stretch included four aces from Watson.

The Gaels got through the tense second set thanks to their lone freshman. Opposite hitter Boyana Pesic, who was Nunley’s first player off the bench, recorded six kills in the set to make sure the Bishop Gorman came out ahead. She finished with seven kills, a block and an assist.

The Gaels will turn their attention to the rest of the season now that they have their first game under their belt. Nunley said half of Tuesday’s practice would be spent setting goals for the rest of the year.

“I want them to be strong, independent, confident young women. From doing that, wins happen, and state championships happen,” Nunley said. “Winning championships is not necessarily my number one goal, but when push comes to shove, it’s always out there.”