Green Star Coffee Shots, a local adult women’s volleyball team, won the title in the Women’s A Gold Division at the USA Volleyball Open Championships in Louisville, Ky.
The squad includes Westmont College women’s coach Patti Cook, who was named the division’s MVP. Other local players are former Dos Pueblos girls coach Ruth McGolpin, former UCSB standout Stacey Schmidt, Lisa Gera and Susan Croshaw,
Carpinteria High girls coach Katie Julian and her husband, Christopher, coached the team. The other members of the squad are Lacey Gera (Lisa’s sister), former Missouri and San Diego State player Lindsey Noll and former Northern Arizona players Megan Greene and Anna Gott.
The Coffee Shots defeated the Mad City Clams of St. Louis for the championship.
The Coffee Shots lost to the Clams in pool play and finished third in the pool. The team moved on to the challenge matches with the second- and third-place teams from the other pools.
After winning a challenge match on the second day, the team advanced to another round of pool play with the winners from other challenge matches and the first-place teams from pool play on the first day. Coffee Shots met the Clams again and beat them to finish first in the pool and earn a spot in the Gold Division.
The final day consisted of a double-elimination bracket to determine the Gold Division championship. The Clams and Coffee Shots matched up again and the Clams exacted revenge, sending the Coffee Shots to the losers’ bracket.
The Coffee Shots prevailed through two elimination matches to setup a rematch with the Clams for the championship. The Coffee Shots needed to beat Mad City twice. They prevailed in a best-of-three match, setting up a fifth meeting for the title.
The format called for a single set to 25. In a tight battle, the Coffee Shots claimed the gold medal with a 29-27 victory.
