Coast 16-1 and Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar already had bids. Everyone else in 16 Open arrived at the Red Rock Rave in Las Vegas in hopes of joining them. One question was would the two previously-qualified clubs play a part in others bidding through trickle down or not? It was answered on Day 3 when both Coast and Long Beach had roles in trickle down going to fifth place and setting up an exciting conclusion in a winner-take-all match for the last bid between Drive Nation 16 Red and Seal Beach 16 Black. When that one was over – with Drive Nation prevailing in three sets to qualify – Wave 16 Brennan followed with a sweep over Long Beach to bring home the tournament title (and having qualified as well). Meanwhile, Vision 16 Gold also secured a bid by making the third-place contest, where it ended its weekend with a three-game victory over Coast. Below is how the bid winners’ weekend played out.
WAVE 16 BRENNAN (FIRST, 10-0)
- Day 1: d SynergyForce 16 James 25-16, 25-22; d Idaho One 16 Blue 25-10, 25-9; d AZ Rev 16 Premier 25-23, 25-11
- Day 2: d Club V 16 Ren Matt 25-13, 25-20; d Seal Beach 16 Black 25-20, 25-15; d SG Elite 16 Rosh 25-22, 25-18; d Momentous 16 Dan 20-25, 25-23, 15-8
- Day 3: Drive Nation 16 Red 25-21, 33-31; d Vision 16 Gold 25-14, 25-16; d Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar 25-12, 25-15
Wave was deserving of the No. 1 seed. The SCVA region club has proven itself the best in the Premier Volleyball League so far featuring the best teams in So Cal. And Wave placed better than anyone in the Red Rock Rave 16 Open field back in February at Triple Crown. It seemed like a mere formality Wave would qualify in Las Vegas. Then again, much stranger things have happened and everyone knows nothing is a given.
Wave’s performance though left nothing to chance. It went 10-0 and dropped one set in three days and concluded with an impressive victory in the final over Long Beach, which qualified the weekend before at PNQ.
“Only dropping a set is something I’m really happy with,” Wave coach Brennan Dean said. “Seeing the consistency the team was able to show over the three days is really something we’ve been stressing and being prepared on Day 3 to show up.”
Wave showed up all weekend. Not just on Day 3. The only time Wave appeared vulnerable was at the start of gold pools Sunday evening. Momentous 16 Dan grabbed the opening set and was neck-and-neck down the stretch of Game 2 before Wave forced a third set and rolled from there. Wave went on to sweep both Drive Nation and Vision to clinch its bid and reach the final.
“I couldn’t be happier,” Dean said. “These girls are such a special group. They are really well-rounded and have a lot of different ways to score.”
Setter Amanda Saeger, middles Camden Bolane, Jenna Hanes and Sara Dahl, outsides Niki Egan and Charlee Ellena, right sides Sinclaire McComic and Ayva Moi, as well as defenders Maya Evens and Dakota Conway were all part of the roster last summer when Wave placed tied for 13th in 15 Open. Though the team doesn’t have much height other than in the middle, Wave can pass and defend and Saeger can distribute the ball around making Wave tough on any opponent it faces.
“It’s a fun group to coach,” Dean said. “It’s not surprising to find success right now but they want to be on top at the end of the year. They know they need to get back in the gym and keep getting better. There are bigger teams out there that we need to figure out how to beat.”
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VISION 16 GOLD (THIRD, 8-2)
- Day 1: d Aspire 16 Premier 25-16, 25-21; l SG Elite 16 Rosh 25-22, 25-23; d SF Elite 16 Saga 25-14, 25-14
- Day 2: d City Volleyball 16 Gold 25-18, 25-22; d Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar 25-23, 19-25, 15-7; d OP2 16-1 19-25, 25-19, 16-14; d Drive Nation 16 Red 25-16, 25-15
- Day 3: d Momentous 16 Dan 25-23, 25-19; l Wave 16 Brennan 25-14, 25-16; d Coast 16-1 19-25, 25-19, 15-13
Vision spent the previous weekend in Spokane trying to earn a bid at PNQ before heading to Vegas for yet another chance. Having missed out on the gold pools there, the first logical step forward for the Nor Cal club was to at least put itself in a position to make something happen in the desert by getting in one here.
Vision ran into SG Elite 16 Rosh on Day 1 and dropped the meeting in straight sets. From there, however, Vision closed by winning seven of its final eight matches. The only loss in that stretch came to Wave in gold pool play. Vision managed to make it that far after outlasting City Volleyball 16 Gold, Long Beach and OP2 16-1 on Day 2. Vision then really helped its cause by handling Drive Nation to open gold pools Sunday evening.
With a victory over Momentous to start Day 3, Vision was playing for a spot in the final. The loss to Wave bumped Vision to the third-place match, where Vision downed Coast for an impressive showing.
“We did well,” Vision coach Ron Whitmill said. “We played a lot better than we played at Spokane. Some of the girls really stepped up. The team looked good. I was really happy with the way they played.”
Addison Carbonara, Katelyn Cook, Amaya Kuchibhotla, Allison Legates, Erika Maas, Michael Torkaman and Taylor Williams were part of the group that finished 33rd in 15 Open a season ago. Two key additions to the roster this year include setter Maya Baker and outside Cleo Hardin.
“We were disappointed with how we performed in Spokane,” Whitmill said. “Not with not getting a bid but we just didn’t feel we played well. We came here with a lot of good teams and we proved we can play with anybody if we are playing well.”
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DRIVE NATION 16 RED (FIFTH, 6-4)
- Day 1: d SF Elite 16 Saga 27-25, 25-15; d Momentous 16 Dan 25-22, 25-18; l SG Elite 16 Rosh 25-10, 25-18
- Day 2: d OJVA 16 Gold 25-13, 25-14; d ABQ Jrs 16 Daniel 25-13, 25-17; l Coast 16-1 19-25, 25-18, 15-13; l Vision 16 Gold 25-16, 25-15
- Day 3: l Wave 16 Brennan 25-21, 33-31; d Momentous 16 Dan 25-19, 25-22; d Seal Beach 16 Black 28-26, 25-14
While Drive Nation eventually clinched the final bid by beating Seal Beach in the fifth-place match, the grind was real. During one stretch Drive Nation lost three consecutive outings and ended the weekend playing two must-win contests to qualify.
SG Elite defeated Drive Nation to end Day 1. Coast topped Drive Nation to end the second round of pool play. Drive Nation then opened gold pool action with losses to Vision and Wave. Up next was a showdown with Momentous, with the winner taking third in pool and getting a chance to play for a bid. Drive Nation finally righted itself and swept. It just didn’t know if it would be playing Seal Beach or AZ Rev 15 Premier in the last contest.
Drama was playing out in the other gold pool between Coast and AZ Rev, which could’ve advanced with a sweep over Coast. But Coast prevailed in three, leaving Drive Nation and Seal Beach clashing for the right to qualify. Drive Nation pulled out a close first set then rolled in the second to sweep, 28-26, 25-14.
“We did well,” Drive Nation coach Jason Nicholson said. “This team can be tricky. Like a lot of 16s teams we can be up and down with our consistency. Some matches we were playing well. Others we shot ourselves in the foot. I was proud though when they got the opportunity they jumped on it and stepped up.”
