According to the state's Class 4A/5A-II volleyball power points, Sahuaro is not considered Arizona's team to beat. But according to the Cougars, the seeding doesn't tell their whole story.

After sweeping Rincon/University in three games (25-17, 25-23, 25-19) on the Cougars' home court to take the Kino championship Thursday, several Sahuaro players talked about needing to reclaim the confidence they owned during their run as the No. 1 team in the state earlier this year.

"It seems like we had one bad match and then all of a sudden we're not the top team anymore," said Sahuaro outside hitter Josh Harner, referring to a loss to Sabino two weeks ago that eventually shifted the Cougars from the No. 1 spot to No. 2 in power points.

"But we have the same amount of wins as (current No. 1 Catalina Foothills) and played in a tougher region. We wanted to make a statement that we're still on top."

After cruising to a 25-17 win in the opening game, Sahuaro found itself trailing 22-21 late in Game 2 before the Cougars reeled off four of the next five points. Colin Kennedy capped it with a game-winning kill.

With the Cougars leading 20-16 in the finale, Harner laced two aces to stifle the Rangers' comeback bid.

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Sahuaro's Kyle Tatum, right, watches his spike sail past Rincon/University blockers during the Kino Region championship