September 29, 2023

Any tournament is unpredictable, but the opening day of the Nike TOC Southwest in Phoenix featured more than the average twists and turns as the unexpected ruled. Being the No. 1 team in a pool came with little safety, as top-seeded teams struggled. While a team like Cornerstone Christian TX – seeded No. 2 overall – managed to still hold seed despite losing, others were not so fortunate. Top-seeded Sierra Canyon CA, No. 3 Xavier Prep AZ and No. 4 St. Francis/Mountain View CA were the only No. 1 teams in their respective pools to go 3-0. It was chaos elsewhere. Fifth-seeded Sacred Heart Academy KY finished 1-2 and wound up in fourth place. It was among the most surprising results given the Valkyries own victories over both Assumption KY and Mother McAuley IL this season. However, those results meant nothing to Friday’s opponents, starting with Pinnacle AZ. Sacred Heart held a 22-20 advantage in the opening set but the Pioneers held firm and ended up sweeping, 25-23, 25-9. Sacred Heart’s chances of making the top two and advancing were spoiled by another upset loss. This time it was at the hands of Coronado NV. The Cougars have had a wild nine days. Last Thursday, Coronado upset nationally-ranked Lone Peak UT ahead of the Durango Fall Classic. Lone Peak went onto to finish in 10th place while Coronado came in 50th out of 64 teams. But the Cougars produced another big upset by beating Sacred Heart and then advanced to the top 16 after knocking off Pinnacle. Millennium AZ won the pool at 2-1, falling to Sacred Heart but already had first place clinched prior to the contest. Two more top seeds joined Sacred Heart in not advancing in No. 6 Corona del Sol AZ and No. 7 Lake Highland Prep FL. CdS was surprised in its opener by Sunrise Mountain AZ, which prevailed in three, 25-16, 19-25, 15-10. The Mustangs kept it up and finished 3-0 as the No. 3 team in the pool. CdS still had a shot at advancing but needed to win the 1 v 2 showdown against La Cueva NM. But it was La Cueva which had the upperhand, also winning in three, 20-25, 21-25, 15-9. Meanwhile, Lake Highland Prep was in a similar position after being upset in its first match of the day by Notre Dame Prep AZ. After taking the first set, Lake Highland was up 19-14 in the second set before the Saints rallied for the three-set victory, 22-25, 25-22, 15-10. After that one, it was Oak Ridge CA upsetting Queen Creek AZ in straight sets to create plenty of havoc in the pool. It eventually led to Lake Highland and Queen Creek squaring off to join Notre Dame Prep in advancing. Queen Creek swept, 25-21, 27-25, and wound up winning the pool based on its head-to-head victory over Notre Dame Prep, 25-17, 23-25, 15-12. Cornerstone Christian – which finished first at the Nike TOC Southeast tournament and is the defending champion here – overcame a close call after being upset by the No. 4 team in the pool in Horizon AZ, 29-27, 25-20. However, the Warriors were still able to hang onto first place after sweeping Sunnyslope AZ, 25-23, 25-20, to close out the pool. That’s because the Warriors finished in a two-way tie with Sacred Heart Prep CA at 2-1 but swept their meeting, 25-18, 25-12. As far as Pool 8 went, it came down to a clash between eighth-seeded Marymount CA and No. 9 Liberty AZ. Liberty finished first in the pool after a nail-biting victory, 25-20, 18-25, 15-13, but both teams advanced to the top 16. Here’s how the top 16 stacks up Saturday:   DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Kamille Scott SO RS Casteel AZ: Scott is a bit undersized but the lefty can get up. She also has a quick arm those two things combined made her a big part of the attack as the Colts went 2-1 and moved on. DyBorrah Johnson JR MB Casteel AZ: Johnson is another high-flyer the Colts lean on to produce. She gets off the ground in a hurry and the way she elevates is a problem for opponents as she can swing straight down. Mia Radeff SR OH Sacred Heart Prep CA: Radeff is part of the reason the Gators went 2-1 as the No. 3 team. She’s an aggressive attacker who can really bring it at times. Isabelle Marco SR S/OH Sacred Heart Prep CA: Marco – a 3-star Utah commit – is a gamer. She both sets and hits for the Gators. She’s a smooth disher who locates well. She’s also a heady attacker who provides her share of offense. Kendall Omoruyi FR MB Sunnyslope AZ: Omoruyi – a 5-star recruit – is a presence in the middle, even as a freshman. Her length and size are problematic on both sides of the ball and she can disrupt attackers with her blocking and in return send balls down over the block. Georgi Stein JR OH Sunnyslope AZ: Stein is a pivotal part of the attack. The 3-star Northern Arizona commit shoulders a load on offense. She’s a reliable scorer who can move the ball from sideline to sideline. Megan Fitch JR OH Cornerstone Christian TX: Fitch – a 5-star Texas AM commit – is among the top outsides in the field. She’s physical and the go-to on the left. Teraya Sigler JR OH Horizon AZ: Sigler – a 5-star Nebraska commit – was sensational in Horizon’s upset over Cornerstone Christian. She’s a big swinging, hard-hitting outside who can power balls past, through or off the block whether front or back row. Vivian Hickman SO OH Xavier Prep AZ: A 3-star recruit, Hickman was adjusting to a different role because Xavier was playing short-handed due to an injury. She normally sets and hits but was just doing the latter on Day 1. She keyed the offense as a six-rotation outside and helped the Gators go 3-0. Kaelyn