by 
Seventh grade volleyball champions, Mountain Vista Lady Cougars. Debbie Mendibles | Submitted
Both the seventh-grade and eighth-grade Lady Cougars’ volleyball teams entered the season-ending Central Junior High League Tournament at San Carlos as the top-seeded teams.
Like many other athletic teams at all levels, the Lady Cougars were dressed in pink jerseys in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The eight-grade team reached the semifinals before No. 3-seeded Ray pulled the upset. But the Lady Cougars rebounded nicely to finish in third place.
The seventh-grade team, which went undefeated during the regular season, defeated San Manuel to advance to the championship game against Superior. The Lady Cougars completed their undefeated season and won the CJHL Tournament Championship in the process.
The seventh-grade Lady Cougars are: Angelita “Cat” Mendibles, Chyenne Valdez, Camryn “Pepper” Nielson, Yazmine Goga, Amy Soulé, Natalye Pinedo, Nathallia Valencia, Brenda Lopez, Genevieve Poskey, Haylee Powell, Rianna Bowser, and Mollie Miller.
Lady Cougars’ coaches are: Janice Vigil, Patty Ellis, and Monique Otero.
Congratulations to both Lady Cougars’ volleyball teams for having fantastic seasons!
Andrew Luberda began writing for Copper Area News Publishers (CANP) in February 2013 after working 15 years in Healthcare Financial Management. Andy covers sports for 11 high schools. His stories are published in Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner and Superior Sun, in addition to the San Tan Valley Daily PRSS and CopperArea websites. Additionally, he has written human interest stories and business profiles. In May 2012, he earned an AAS in Sports Management at Central Arizona College before graduating with a BS in Communication from Arizona State University in 2014. He and his wife, Kelli, have three sons – AJ, Kyle, and Kade.
by by