Passing made the difference for the Santa Barbara Volleyball Club’s 16-Smack team, as it survived a marathon day and took first place in Division 4 at a Southern California Volleyball Association Tournament in Huntington Beach.
“A little fatigue can set in when you play 12 games in one day but the steady passing really helped the team conserve their energy throughout the day to make it to the finals,” remarked Coach Greg Novak.
The 16-Smack defeated Power Play 16-1, 25-19, in the final and will move up to Division 3 for its next tournament.
Izzy Sagely hits down the line past the double block as SBVC teammate Emily Lunt looks on. (Photo by Jourdi DeWerd)
The team beat Nevada Jr’s in three games and 900Sq Ft in two games, while its sole loss for the day was to Rancho Valley in three games. The team placed second in pool and moved on to playoffs beating Legacy in two quick games. In the one-game match semi finals, the 16-Smack defeated Westlake 25-20.
“Izzy Sagely had an incredible day playing outside,” Novak said. “She managed to hit at a .375 after receiving over 100 sets … Izzy really made a difference in the games.
“Emma Craine really showed her leadership skills as libero, while Emily Lunt contributed to the defense as well as the offense by tallying points with the back row attack. Emma Mascari did a good job spreading out the defense and it really showed with our middles receiving a good percentage of the kills. It was a long day but I’m sure the girls were able to sleep with a smile as they made their long trip back home.”
On Saturday, the 14-Smack team finished third overall in its first SCVA Mandatory tournament of the season at the American Sports Center. Entering as the seventh seed in Division 1, the 14-Smack opened up with wins over Club West 14-Elite and Newport Lightening. The final match in pool play was against the No. 2 seed San Gabriel Elite 14-1. In an intense, competitive match, the 14-Smack lost 24-26, 22-25.
“They were a tough team, but we were able to take advantage of some of their weaknesses and have a lead most of the way, we just couldn’t finish it,” commented Coach K.C. Collins. “Anika Wilson was our kill leader for the match, while she and Dane Miller led in digs and playing remarkable defense.”
The second-place pool finish put them in the top 8, and the team beat T-Street 14-Special K, 25-14, 25-14, in the first round of playoffs to advance to the final four. The team then met up with a very polished Club Jamba 14-Jodi for a one-game match. Jamba jumped out with a seven-point lead to start the game and didn’t look back until at 12-18 Hilary Bean came off the bench to spark a comeback.
“Between Hilary’s nasty float serve and some great defense and back row attacks on her part, we were suddenly at 18-18 and it was ‘game on’!” exclaimed Collins.
The teams then battled point for point with the 14-Smack subsequently losing 24-26 to tie for third place.
“This is an excellent finish for the team. Every player was able to contribute to the success of the day, and we saw some great teams and learned from them and gained a lot of confidence going into our next tournament,” said Collins.
The 14-Blue team, competing in Division 3 at El Camino, had a no show for its first match of the day gaining a forfeit. The team then lost to Coast 14-Sam, but beat Beach Cities 13-Gold to place second in pool play. The team entered into playoffs and lost to Sports Shack 14s 13-25, 25-15, 12-15, and will remain in Division 3 for the next tournament.
Coach Kim Buktenica said, “The playoff game was some of the best volleyball I have seen these girls play. Both Hannah White and Jackie McIntyre were on fire attacking at the net, scoring many points for us. Makayla Moore not only did a great job setting all day, but also recorded a handful of blocks. Also, our defensive players were all over the court picking up some tough balls. I was blown away at the team’s level of play in that match and can’t wait to see what more they can do.”
Ed Gover’s 13-Smack team finished in a thre-way for first with a 2-1 record in Division 7, and due to point ratio tie-breaker placed second for the day.
The team beat Sunshine 14-Westside and Commerce Crush 14-1 before losing to Sports Shack 14-LJ.
“Outstanding hitting by Chloe Allen and Kristina Garcia, and great setting by Phoebe Madsen and Allie Sundara,” commented Gover. “Emily Robertson’s passing and defense was also a key ingredient to our success for the day.”
The 13-Blue team, seeded first in Division 13, beat the third and fourth seeds in its pool (Tstreet 14-Cyndy and Arroyo 14-Dave), and then lost to the second seed (Club Green 14-Monique).
Due to another three-way tie breaker, the team finished first for the day and moves up to Division 12.
Coach Malinda Reese gave accolades to Ally Hodosy who led the team with her hitting, and Catherine Hogan who played amazing all around.
In Division 4, the 16-Blue team went 1-3 for the day playing some very close, competitive three-game matches that could have gone either way. The team opened up with a win over Power Play 16-1 (25-19, 18-25, 15-13), but then was defeated by San Diego 16-1 (27-25, 22-25, 13-15)and Long Beach 16-1 (15-25, 27-25, 8-15).
“Throughout the day we played well, but made just enough mistakes to not be able to finish with a win,” said Coach Lauren Rinderknecht.
The team then lost in the quarterfinals to SMBC 16-Andrea (23-25, 23-25).
“Everyone contributed and played well throughout the day,” Rinderknecht said. “Loren McFarlane blocked especially well and contributed offensively in the middle. Bella Taron and Marley Miller both came in at different times of each match and brought energy and intensity to the court. Even with the losses, I think we moved forward as a team and that the tournament was positive.”
In San Diego, the 18-Smack team placed in the top half of Division 1. The team started the day with two-game wins over Legacy 18-1 and Sunshine 18-Westside before dropping a match to Coast VBC 17-1 in three games.
“We played really well early on, and had an opportunity to win the pool,” coach Jason Donnelly said. “After being in control of our match against Coast 17-1, we let up a little bit and ended up losing in three games.”
The team placed second in pool and then lost the quarterfinal match to Coast 18-Ozhan (18-25, 22-25) to tie for fifth place overall for the day.
“Katy Villanueva has been playing a nice role for us training both as a middle and a right side, and when given the opportunity whether in the front row, or as a serving specialist, she’s been prepared to make a play,” Donnelly said. “Dani Rottman continues to fine-tune her offensive game, maintaining a really high level of ball control, and has made some key serves in crucial situations.
“Each tournament, the team continues to show some good improvements, but we are still going through the learning process of what it takes to be consistently competitive at a high level.”
The 18-Blue team went 1-2 in Division 5, to place third for the day and remains in Division 5. The team started out the day losing to Reef 18-Joe, but then turned it around to beat SoCal 17-Trestles in the next match. The team then dropped the third match to 951 Elite 18-2 Baden.
“We struggled with consistency for the first match and a half. We decided to shift the lineup around and we commend the girls for stepping up to their new roles and playing with renewed energy,” said Coach Jacky Yao. “We are looking forward to making a couple more adjustments in anticipation for the rest of this month’s grueling schedule.”
The 17-Smack team, competing in Division 3, lost to San Gabriel 18-1 and Golden West 18-Asics, and beat Club West 18-1 to place third in its pool. The team lost in the first round of playoffs to Surf City 18-Kevin, 22-25, 13-25.
