Outside hitter Summer Tukua pounded 22 kills as Murrieta Valley beat Chaparral in five sets Monday, Sept. 21, to take sole possession of first place in the Southwestern League.

The Nighthawks won 21-25, 25-18, 26-28, 25-20, 15-10 at Chaparral, rallying from a set down twice. Murrieta Valley improved to 19-5 overall and is now 3-0 in five-set matches and 6-1 in deciding sets this season, according to the Press Enterprise.

Setter/right side Chandler Short added 16 kills and four aces. Nighthawk servers combined for 15 aces in the match, led by Makayla Tukua's five and Short's four. Maya Casey contributed back-to-back aces in the second set, and Celeste Kemle added a service ace in the fifth.

Makayla Tukua's aces came in each of the final three sets, helping Murrieta Valley claw back after dropping the first and third.

"This is the kind of match you expect in the Southwestern League … And we put ourselves through the ringer in nonleague play to make sure we were prepared for matches like this. We're young but these kids just find a way to win," coach Rochelle Short told the Press Enterprise.

Tukua is now one of three upperclassmen on a young Nighthawks roster. She was a freshman on the Murrieta Valley squad that won the 2024 CIF Southern Section Division 2 championship, defeating Palos Verdes 3-2. She told the Press Enterprise she has tried to pass along what she learned from seniors on that title team to a group that includes her sisters.

Short said the team's serving was the difference, particularly in the fourth set, when Murrieta Valley pulled away after trailing early.

Ella Johnson led Chaparral with 14 kills. Khloe Kemper added 12. The Pumas fell to 9-7 overall and 2-1 in league play.

Southwestern League play resumes Wednesday, Sept. 23, with a marquee matchup at Murrieta Valley. The Nighthawks host Temecula Valley, which won the CIF-SS Division 1 championship last fall as the league's No. 1 seed with an 18-3 record. Chaparral visits Vista Murrieta the same night.