The Santa Barbara Volleyball Club teams are participating in their final mandatory rounds of the Southern California regular season tournaments over the two weeks.
This past weekend…
The 16-Blue team had a good run on the day with 4-2 record and finishing 9th overall in division one. The team placed third in pool play, losing to San Gabriel Elite 16-Roshambo (25-21, 25-19) and TCA HB 16-Black 25-21, 25-23), and beating Wave 16-Chad (25-18, 25-20). The team then went the distance in playoffs by first winning the first crucial match against Temecula 16-Elite Tracy (25-19, 25-17) to stay in division one. The team then went on to beat Long Beach 16-Rockstar 25-13 and Wave 16-Brent 25-16 to win the lower bracket and place 9th overall.
“I was really impressed with how motivated the team was and how well they played throughout the entire playoffs,” said Coach Kat Niksto. “It culminated with a thrilling win over Wave, who is currently the 5th-ranked team in the SCVA.”
The 14-Blue team was close to winning its playoff bracket in division two. The team finished third in pool play, having lost to Club H 14-Kevin in a heated battle (20-25, 25-13, 15-8) and Epic 14-Bert (25-21, 25-23), and beating LAVA South 14-Adidas in another three-setter (14-25, 25-17, 15-9). Competing to stay in division two, the team defeated Rise VBC 14-Kris in a nail-biter (25-18, 20-25, 15-13) and moved on to beat A4 Volleyball 14-Purple (25-19). The team ultimately lost in the final round to Supernova 14-All Stars, 25-19.
Coach Lisa Gera commented: “The team is making strides over the course of the year. This tournament we played two teams we have lost to in the past. This time around 14-Blue showed lots of fight and determination and prevailed in both matches. Our offense was led by Kendall Williams on the outside and Kristine Fimlaid in the middle, who have improved their swings tremendously and are seeing results because of it. I’m really proud of the progress and improvement the team made this weekend.”
The 14-White team managed a third-place finish in its division 8 pool, fighting in close three-sets in every match. The team opened with a win over Saddleback Valley 14-Christian (25-12, 18-25, 15-7) but then subsequently lost to Starlings West 14-1 (26-24, 19-25, 16-14) and LAVA South 14-Black (26-24, 26-28, 15-10).
“Our two liberos, Bailey Steelman and Siena Pomerantz, helped keep us alive throughout the day with consistent passing and key digs,” said Coach Katie Dolge. “And Olivia Andrews was a force at the service line.”
The teams will all compete next at the Regionals tournament at the end of the month.
