The Santa Barbara Volleyball Club’s 15-Smack opened the Southern California Volleyball Association regular tournament season by finishing in the top eight in Division 1 competition in Huntington Beach last Saturday.
The team placed second in pool play, and lost in the first round of playoffs to tie for fifth. In pool play, the team beat SVVC 15-Chris and Wave 15-Jackie, but lost to Bakersfield Jamba 15.
“Finishing second in our pool, we were able to end up in the top half of Division 1, which is a great way to start the season, “ said coach Jake Hong. “The team especially had a breakout match against Wave, when they were down 10-4 in the deciding third game,” Hong continued.
The 15-Smack chipped away at the opponent’s 10-4 lead making an 11-2 run to finish the game with a 15-12 match victory.
“Bailey Roach and Evanne Jimenez both did a great job as our defensive specialists with digs in critical moments in games throughout the day. Without their defensive efforts we would not have been able to have our come back win against Wave in the third game,” said Hong.
The team then lost a close playoff match to Mizuno Long Beach 15-Rockstar 19-25, 24-26. The team will remain in Division 1 for the next tournament.
In Division 4, the 15-Blue team finished the day 4-0 and will advance to Division 3. In pool play, the team beat Power Play 15-1, Coast 15-Colleen, and SCVC 15-Roxy.
“A solid effort from Chloe Richman really helped to take down SCVC 15-Roxy in a three-game match to clinch the top spot in pool play,” said coach John Sener.
In the playoff against Bakersfield 15-Judy, the team’s defense and consistent serving made the difference in the 25-20, 25-17 victory.
“Riley Klobucher came off the bench and made some nice plays in the back row, and our libero Holly Blair was a vacuum on the base line allowing our hitters Carly Yarnell, Grace Woolf and Anastasia Kunz to get some great swings,” Sener said.
He added, “I had told the girls in the morning they were the best team in the gym today, and they spent the day proving it.”
On Sunday in Anaheim, the 14-Smack swept its Gold Bracket pool in its last qualifying round going 3-0 in pool play.
“The team played solid all day…with some very remarkable moments. This is a very scrappy team on defense, and because of that we are learning to run a fast and varied offense,” said coach K.C. Collins. “The team has come a long way in just a short couple of months. We have become a very versatile team with the players continuing to improve every day, especially middles Emma Harrah and McKenna Goss, who connected on some quick hits for kills in the middle and came up with some key blocks for points. Each player has sharpened in her defensive ability and mentality, and our back row specialists Andie DeWerd and Dane Miller had an especially good read on the opponents all day.
“This mentality is really opening up the team’s overall game and the potential is huge.”
The team beat Moonlight Crashers 14-1, Wave 13-Abra and SCVC 13-Roxy all in two games. This outcome puts the team in Division 1 among the top 16 teams to start the season.
Competing in the Gold Bracket at El Camino College, the 14-Blue team went 1-2 to place third for the day and giving them a Division 3 start for the season.
The 14-Blues started the day with a close three-game loss to SMBC 17-Steven and then beat Elite VBC 14-Elite. They lost to the top seed Club Jamba 14-Jodi in two games.
“We were up against some tough teams but the team did a great job. Our defense was especially on,” said coach Kim Buktenica. “Tatum Vedder did an amazing job covering the back row and also hitting some crazy kills out of the back row. Erin Linehan was a key player for us, stepping up to pass back row and making some amazing plays in the front. Jackie McIntyre did a great job all over the court, front row, serving and defense. It was a great job by all the girls.”
Also at El Camino, the 13-Blue team finished with a 2-1 record. The team lost to Channel Islands 14-NeverGiveUp in a close three-game match, but then went on to capture two victories from San Gabriel Elite 13- Alliance and Rincon VBC 14-Surf.
According to Coach Malinda Reese, “Karissa Mertens led the team with her overall consistent play all day, and Peyton Shelburne’s incredible jump serve resulted in ace after ace on the day.”
The team will start in Division 14 for the regular season.
In Torrance, the 13-Smack team started its day in the Silver Bracket by beating Hawthorne 14s in three games. The sole win was then followed by a hard fought three-game loss to Club Green 14s and a two-game loss to Oaks 14-1 to finish its day with a 1-2 record.
The team placed third for the day and will start the regular season in Division 7.
The 12-Smack team, competing in Division 3, won all three of its pool play matches to take first for the day. The team beat Beach Cities 12-Del Rey and Club Jamba 12-Kathy in two games, before entering into a three-game nail biter against Mizuno Long Beach 12-Runbird. The 12-Smack pulled out the win 29-27, 13-25, 15-7.
“We were seeded second in our pool but pulled out a big three-game win at the end against the top seed to place first for the day,” said an excited Coach Erin Dohm.
Placing first will advance the team into Division 2 for the next tournament.
“The girls played amazing defense and never gave up. I was most proud of how supportive and vocal everyone was, whether on or off the court,” said Dohm.
