Central Spartans rally to win City Championship thriller over Southwest

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) - The Central Spartans needed every ounce of fight to come out on top Tuesday night, storming back from a 2-1 deficit to defeat the Southwest Eagles 3-2 and capture a city championship victory.

Central entered the night with an 18-12 record, looking for redemption after a prior loss to the Eagles. The Spartans started strong in the opening set, with junior Andrea Mejia attacking the left side of the Eagles' defense to give Central an early lead.

But Southwest quickly responded, tying the set at 19 after an ace from Erica Oceguera. Moments later, Kailani Hinshaw set up Kaydence Wiewel for a kill that silenced the Central crowd as Southwest took the first set and a 1-0 lead.

The Eagles continued to pressure Central in the second set. Alexia Romo set up Karen Perez for a powerful kill that tied the score at 11, and Hinshaw later delivered a left-handed kill that kept Southwest in control.

But the Spartans rallied behind senior Sara Morales, whose big attack in the middle helped swing the momentum back their way. With Maryanne Barrett setting up Mejia for back-to-back kills, Central stormed through the rest of the set for a 25-14 win to even the match at 1-1.

Southwest wouldn't back down, taking the third set to regain a 2-1 advantage, but Central refused to fold. Behind a balanced attack and tough defense, the Spartans clawed their way back to win the fourth set and force a decisive fifth.

In the final frame, Central sealed the comeback, winning the match 3-2 in dramatic fashion to improve to 19-12 on the season.

The victory not only avenged their earlier loss to Southwest, but also secured city bragging rights in what proved to be a five-set thriller.