by Adam Burns
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Thanks to a well-balanced attack, Dallas Skyline edged out Mizuno Long Beach Rockstar 2-1 (21-25, 25-20, 15-7) in the Triple Crown NIT 13U Elite Division Championship match on Monday afternoon at the Kansas City Convention Center.
And Skyline, which held an impressive 8-1 record over the President’s Day weekend, secured the title match victory after going down 1-0 to Beach.
But Skyline coach Katelyn Gill was not surprised by the comeback victory.
“We never really feel like we’re out of it because we have a group of girls that like to compete,” Gill said. “The core leadership of the team loves to compete and they do whatever it takes to win. So, with them, you never feel like you’re out of it.”
Beach, which finished with an impressive 7-2 mark, used a 9-5 spurt to earn a first-set victory.
In line with its coach, Skyline’s players were not concerned.
“We knew that we were still in it and we knew we could come back,” outside hitter Julianna Godbey said. “We just came back stronger and better in the second set.”
Skyline jumped out to a 6-1 lead to open its comeback in set No. 2. After Beach knotted things up at 13-13 and then again at 19-19, Skyline pulled off a 6-1 finish to tie the match at 1-1.
“We felt like we were a little passive and missed opportunities to close out the first set. We talked about maximizing our opportunities and put the pressure on them,” coach Gill said. “We made some slight lineup adjustments but we’re 11-strong so I’m really proud about how all 11 competed.”
Those adjustments paid off as Skyline earned a 6-2 burst to open the final set, which led to the 15-7 decisive set.
On the weekend, Godbey, who was named the division tournament MVP, credited her entire squad including all-tourney selections Finley Nguyen, libero, and Olivia Rylee, setter/RS, with the big win.
“I love playing with these girls. We played so well and fought really hard,” Godbey said. “I think we’re very diverse. If one player goes down or needs to be picked up, we have another to step in. We all have that drive, too.”
“They’re gym rats,” Gill said. “I’m proud of the work they put in — it just showed this weekend. The awards could’ve gone to any of them, but very proud of them.”
Gill agreed that the team’s balance played a major role in the successful weekend.
“We definitely believe that one of the greatest strengths of this team is the flexibility to run different lineups,” Gill said, “to lean on somebody new to score for us. We are a very strong 11.”
That strong 11 just provided Dallas Skyline with an NIT Elite Championship victory.
“If one player goes down or needs to be picked up, we have another to step in,” Godbey said. “We all have that drive, too.”
