Northland Prep Edges Piñon in Five Sets
Northland Prep rallied to win a five-set 2A North Region Tournament match against Piñon High School in Flagstaff.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Volleyball
Northland Prep defeated Piñon High School 3-2 in the 2A North Region Tournament, winning sets one, three and five. The match was played at Northland Prep in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Why it matters
The win advances Northland Prep in the 2A North Region Tournament, where the final two teams earn bids to the Conference Play-In Tournament for the State Championship. The result keeps the program in contention for a state berth.
Northland Prep took the match 3-2, winning sets one, three and five by scores of 25-16, 25-22 and 17-15. Piñon won sets two and four, 25-14 and 25-13, but could not close out the deciding fifth set.
The players
Northland Prep
Northland Prep is a Flagstaff, Arizona, high school whose volleyball program is majority underclass and led by a new head coach.
Piñon High School
Piñon High School is the Arizona high school that lost the five-set 2A North Region Tournament match to Northland Prep.
The details
Piñon played a scrappy defense, but Northland Prep limited the Patriots' scoring chances through foresight and by reducing its own mistakes. Northland Prep's starting middle blocker, Alana Begay Clark, suffered a severe thumb jam in the third set and played through the rest of that set before retiring at the start of the fourth; the Northland Prep lineup was adjusted afterward.
Timeline
- November 2, 2026: Northland Prep defeated Piñon 3-2 in the 2A North Region Tournament.
Season Trajectory
The win moves Northland Prep closer to the Conference Play-In Tournament, where the final two teams from the 2A North Region earn bids to the State Championship. The result is a step in a region bracket that determines which programs advance toward state.
Northland Prep's two-set comeback secured a region match win, and the adjusted lineup after Alana Begay Clark's retirement will determine how the team handles upcoming matches. Fans tracking the bracket can follow the region results to see which programs earn Conference Play-In bids.
The takeaway
Northland Prep's ability to win a five-set match with a shortened lineup shows depth beyond its starters. Tracking region results will clarify how this win affects the program's path to the state tournament.
Further reading
For more high school results, see Volleyball coverage across the region.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Azpreps365.
