The Santa Barbara Volleyball Club’s 18-Blue Team finished 3rd overall in the final SCVA Regionals tournament this past weekend.
Coach Liz Towne-Gilbert said that all of her players had strong performances in the tournament. Natalie Guerra and Sammie Brown were energetic while running the offense, while Aly Squires and Hadley Simmons controlled the middle to provide plenty of blocking and transition swings.
Towne-Gilbert also said that Sam Wopat’s arm-swing produced some big kills against Rancho Valley to help the squad win its pool, and that Mimi Cuttrell and Caitlin Racich both played solid throughout the day Sunday. Carly Wopat, meanwhile, put away some crucial kills in the middle against Long Beach.
“The most impressive part of the weekend was watching Katherine Keller and Emily Rottman control the back row with spectatular passing and digging,” said Towne-Gilbert. “Every ball a team hit there was a Keller or Rottman diving everywhere on the court to not let it go down on our side.”
The team will now prepare to compete at the Junior Olympics, which are slated for the first week of July.
The 17-Blue team ended the season with multiple players contributing in a variety of matches to ensure team success at the final season Regionals tournament.
Jordan Fuller and Jessica Ditmore took turns making perfect passes and incredible digs from the libero position. Rose Lewis did a great job spreading the ball and setting against the grain to multiple hitters, including go-to hitters Heide Vandenoever on the outside and Kelcey Chaffin out of all front row spots.
Grace Conner provided strong hitting and blocking in the middle, while Kelci Jones, Torrie Armstrong, Casey Harding-Brown, and Skyler Jacobsen contributed with timely hits, digs and serving. Overall, the team ended the season playing as a cohesive unit and fighting for every point, according to coach John Haroun.
