5/2/2008

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

SBVC girls teams have been battling for bids to the Junior Olympics, and both the 14-1 and 15-Elite teams have already qualified in the. The 18-Elite and 16-Elite teams are working to get at-large bids through regional tournaments.

Jason Donnelly and Liz Towne Gilbert's 18-Elite squad won its pool in tournament play on April 20 before losing in the first round of the playoffs. The top-8 finish gives the team a solid footing to nab an at-large bid. Armen Zakarian stepped in for coach Dax Holdren with the 18-1s, and the team went 1-2 in pool play and will remain in Division 5.

In the club's next tournament, Chris Webb's 15-1s made it all the way to the finals before falling to Sport Shack 21-25, moving them up to Division 2. Webb noted the play of Morgan Riegert, Karina Evans, Lilly Hodges, Katie Shea and Hannah Warwick.

Molly Taylor's 15-2s went undefeated in their pool and moved up to Division 6, led by Arabella Weston-Smith, Sayde Terre and Krystal Van Der Ark.

The 16's teams had two tournaments back to back with another this coming weekend. 15-Elite (playing in the 16's division) coached by Jake Hong, finished 4th in their pool in the Mandatory No. 2 tournament. In Mandatory No. 3, the team placed 3rd in its pool and won two playoff rounds. Hong praised Aly Squires and Amy Lanski.

16-Elite, coached by Erica Menzel and Courtney Preston, unfortunately placed 3rd in its pool in Mandatory No. 2, and then went on to suffer an upset in its first playoff match. However, last weekend in Mandatory No. 3, they won their pool and will stay in the top division.

In Mandatory No. 3, Greg Novak's 16-1s won their pool, ultimately losing in the finals to move up to Division 3. Novak said that Jessie Ditmore, Torrie Armstrong, Grace Conner and Robin Zelko all stepped up.

Bart Kowalski's 16-2s placed 3rd in Mandatory No. 2, but then unfortunately placed 4th in Mandatory No. 3, and will move down to Division 7.

In April 27 action, K.C. Collins' 14-1s won their pool and the quarterfinal playoff, but lost to Long Beach 20-25 in the semi final match, finishing 3rd for the day. McKenzie Scarborough played well despite suffering from the stomach flu, while Lina Kleinschmidt and Ciena Colburn really showed off their improvement.

13-1 Team, coached by Roger Kuntz, finished 3rd in pool to remain in Division 4. Kuntz's special mention went to Katherine Crook for all around play. The 14-2s coached by Tina Brown finished 4th in pool and will move to Division 5.