by Michael Deleon
KANSAS CITY, MO -- One of the most anticipated tournaments at the beginning of each club season is the Triple Crown NIT because of all of the talent that will be under one roof. It brings together the toughest competition from all over the country. There are many storylines coming out of day one and we were front and center for one of them.
The 15u age group is always fun because it is unpredictable. Any team can go on a run at any time. Two of the teams in Power Pool A went to war on the court in their second match of the day. Alamo 15 Premier is fresh off of a championship at the prestigious Tour of Texas tournament a few weeks ago where they ran the table among the best squads in Texas. They looked to continue their winning ways against Coast 15-1 Rodrigo but it wasn’t easy at all. Both teams looked very springy in the warm ups and had tons of energy.
That energy transferred very nicely into the first set as both teams stood toe to toe in the middle of the ring and traded some heavy punches. It almost seemed as if every player was trying to one up each other and see who could get their head over the net higher. That is how much bounce was going on by both teams throughout Set 1. Alamo middle Charlie George played with such a high motor as she patrolled the net and transitioned from block to attack with quick tempos. Her swings were filled with a violent force that was unleashed onto the ball as she made contact.
No one could get more than a two-point lead throughout the entire first half of the set. Coast pin Summer Tukua played some rotations on the left and some on the right as she continued to punish the defense with attacks. Alice Burgett was dealing the ball to all of her Coast teammates. She had no problem running a solid 5-1 offense for Coast. Just when you thought the Californians were going to pull away in the middle of the set, Alamo’s setter/outside hitter Sydney Whisenton would come flying through the air as if she jumped on a trampoline to attack on the left side pin. The score continued to be tight as the set came to a close and Alamo pulled away for the four-point victory, 25-21.
Alamo was riding high off of the first set win and their fans were feeling it too. But then as Set 2 began, it was almost as if their wind was knocked out of them fast. They didn’t come out with the same energy that they ended the first set with and Coast made them pay. The offensive barrage from Coast middle Makenna Grieshaber and super 8th grader Baylee Wilson was just too much for Alamo to handle. Makenna had some amazing overpass kills that felt like they were worth more than one point. Their crowd erupted with emotion as the ball crashed to the ground. Miss Wilson was brilliant in the second set as she led all scorers. Although the score was 25-17 Coast, it felt like a rout.
Neither squad was going out without a fight in Set 3. They traded points back and forth again similar to set one and it was going to be a nail-biter. Piper Pease was putting up a wall on the right side and libero Sara Gonzalez had shovels for arms as she dug everything that was hit her way for Alamo. The rallies were long and everyone was on pins and needles to see who would end it. Claire Bolton came up huge with a block and a kill to give Alamo some cushion as they were up a few points toward the end of the deciding set. Kya Flores also played some amazing defense for Alamo all match.
The final score ended up being 15-12 with Alamo coming away with the victory. It was hard fought and we fully expect to see the same fight from both teams as they finish up the pool Sunday.
