The third and final day of the JVA West Coast Cup in Long Beach saw Actyve 17 Black continue its dominance through 17 Open. In going 8-0 and not dropping a set, Actyve left no doubt about which club was tops in the division. Led by recent 18 American MVP and sophomore outside hitter Tate Drageset, Actyve finished off its perfect run by sweeping Saddleback 17 Sofly in the final, 25-14, 25-22. Actyve also received outstanding performances from sophomore setter/right side Emma Rowell and junior libero Gemma Larbalestier. Opponents scored 20 or more points in just three sets against Actyve, which is set to compete in 17 USA this summer in Chicago.
As a club, Actyve was close to another gold medal in 15 Open. However, Tstreet 15 Curtis spoiled that feat by taking down Actyve 15 Black in three sets, 23-25, 25-23, 15-7, in the championship clash. It was a rematch to the ending of Day 2 pool play, when Actyve narrowly clipped Tstreet, 25-23, 20-25, 15-13. That was Tstreet’s only loss of the weekend.
With middles Emma Champagne and Addison Coady making impacts and outside Charlotte Nowak and setter/right side Sara Moynihan playing key parts too, Tstreet uprooted Academy 15 HP Daniele in the semifinals. Academy HP was the only Open-qualified team in the field. Tstreet qualified for 15 National in Chicago while Actyve is participating in 15 USA.
After catching a Day 1 break, another Tstreet club came out ahead in 16 Open. Tstreet LV 16 Trevor went 1-2 on the first day and finished in third place in its pool. However, the top two third-place finishers remained in the upper half and Tstreet LV earned one of those distinctions. Tstreet LV opened up Day 2 with a loss to VVA 16-1, the same team which beat Tstreet LV on Day 1. Yet, it was Tstreet LV getting the last say. Middles Leimaile Lasike and Kate Camp were vital as Tstreet topped VVA, 25-22, 25-20, in the gold medal match. VVA fell to Seal Beach 16 Black on Saturday but got revenge on Monday by outlasting Seal Beach, 19-25, 25-23, 16-14, in the semifinals.
In 14 Club, it was Marin 13 Black taking home the top honors after sweeping Blue Royals VBA 14 Royal, 25-8, 27-25, in the final. Marin had just one setback all weekend, that coming with a Day 2 loss to Silver State 14 Brad.
