LIVT: Day 1 Show Stoppers
More than anything, the opening day of the Louisville Invitational Volleyball Tournament was one of what-ifs rather than any real upsets taking place. All top eight seeds advanced to Saturday’s quarterfinals, but it could have been a much different story had the two big what-ifs played out. Both top-seeded Mother McAuley IL and fourth-seeded Assumption KY dropped the opening sets of their final pool-play matches. It could have created huge waves on Day 1 but instead both rallied to win the final two sets and move on. It was St. Joseph OH pushing Mother McAuley to a decisive set, while Cleveland TN had Assumption temporarily on the ropes. Mother McAuley defeated Assumption in last year’s championship match, winning the LIVT title for the first time in school history. Mother McAuley was one of three schools participating in this weekend’s tournament which started the week undefeated. However, Mother McAuley, along with St. Ursula OH, both suffered their first losses prior to the start of the LIVT. Mother McAuley was edged in five sets by Sacred Heart Academy KY in a showdown Thursday. Meanwhile, St. Ursula was also upset by Seton OH in a five-set loss Tuesday. That left Notre Dame Academy KY as the only undefeated team in the field. The remaining top seeds, including Notre Dame, Sacred Heart and St. Ursula, didn’t drop a set Friday. The others to sweep both matches were No. 6 Clearwater Central FL, No. 7 St. Henry KY and No. 8 St. Joseph’s MO. Here’s how the quarterfinals stack up for Saturday: *** DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Isabela Haggard JR S Dunbar KY: A 3-star Indiana commit, Haggard is a smooth disher who was running a 5-1. She locates the ball well and has a clean, consistent release. Aleicea Watson SR MB Manual KY: Watson was a factor across the front row. She spiced up the attack with her scoring ability. She was effective running the slide and let loose on a few impressive kills. Ellie Melton SR L Manual KY: Melton is a hard-working defender who hustles around the court and did well keeping rallies alive. Julia Frederick SR L Sacred Heart KY: Frederick is part of a strong roster and held it down in her defensive role. She was passing soundly and helping keep her team in system. Anna Powell JR OH Sacred Heart KY: Powell – a 3-star Georgia Southern commit – was a reliable scorer. She has a solid arm and hits with plenty of pace. Elise Hart JR MB Sacred Heart KY: Hart – 3-star Denver commit – helped balance out the attack when she checked in. She runs a nice slide and has a fluid swing. Kaeley Walz SR S/RS Sacred Heart KY: Walz was a key component of Sacred Heart’s success. She set across the back and hit in the front. She did well moving the ball around and getting her hitters involved. Bridget Egan JR OH Sacred Heart KY: A 3-star recruit, Egan was yet another piece to the attack opponents had to worry about. She too has a lively arm and helps give Sacred Heart a solid 1-2 punch on the outside. Morgan Heater SO S Ryle KY: Heater — a 3-star recruit — showed up well in her role running a 5-1. She’s an under-control setter with nice hands and consistent location. Lucy Trapp JR OH Ryle KY: Trapp is a bit of undersized outside but she’s relentless on the attack. She’s an aggressive attacker who held it down on the leftside and did well dropping in off-speed shots. *** Addy Brus SR OH St. Ursula OH: Brus – a 3-star Saint Louis commit – can get off the ground quickly and unleash with a fury. She’s a smart hitter who can blast balls off the block and was the go-to outside. Nia Jones JR MB St. Ursula OH: Jones was a scoring machine out of the middle. She has a strong arm and was going off blocks or around them and gave her team a reliable option and threat who defenses had to be mindful of. Emsley Venard JR S St. Ursula OH: Venard – a 3-star West Virginia commit – has good command of the offense. She did well moving the ball around and getting all her hitters going. Gabby Semona SO RS St. Ursula OH: Semona – a 3-star recruit as well – held it down with authority on the right side. She’s a big presence on both sides of the ball. She puts up a strong block and can turn around and pound it down on offense. Julia Grace JR L Notre Dame KY: A 3-star Xavier commit, Grace was among the standout defenders. She was strong out of serve receive and brought a defensive edge to the lineup. Riley McCloskey JR RS Notre Dame KY: McCloskey – a 4-star recruit – made herself known on the right side. She has a solid arm and was providing an offense boost when called upon. Audrey Dyas SO MB Notre Dame KY: A 4-star recruit, Dyas was among the standout middles with the way she was scoring and getting touches on the ball defensively. Ava Tilden JR OH Notre Dame KY: Tilden – a 4-star Xavier commit – is lanky and showed nice extension when attacking. She was scoring consistently and sending balls down the floor. Josephine Henley JR S Clearwater Central FL: Henley has the ability to set and hit but was running a 5-1. She was effective in locating her sets and connecting with her hitters. Taylor Bedinghaus SR OH Clearwater Central FL: A 3-star recruit, Bedinghaus is a six-rotation, go-to outside. She’s a smart attacker who can score in a variety of ways. *** Kiernan Stamey SR OH Maryville TN: Stamey, a Kennesaw State commit, has the ability to connect when the opportunity presents itself. And watch out when she does because she can let it fly. Elizabeth Tabeling SR L St. Henry KY: Tabeling – a 4-star
