The 17-1's were in the Gold Championship Bracket today with their first match against TAV (Texas Advantage). It was a tough match and considering we had just come off a 14 game day at 8pm last night, and were playing again at 8am this morning, we did very well. TAV played a very good match against us and won all 3 games which were close 23-25, 20-25, 23-25. The team has nothing to be ashamed of, they played a good match, it was just too much after the long previous day. I am very proud of the 17-1 team placing 5th in nation in the 17 Open Division! Good job girls. Click here to see pictures of the 17-1's from today.
As a final note to the 17-1's successful weekend, Chelsea Fogarty was named to the 17 Open Division All Tournament Team.
The 17-2's were in the 17 American Silver Division playing for 9th place. They played their first match against Willowbrook 17 Red, and beat them fairly easily and quickly. Their second match was against TCA Third Degree. This match was much tougher and we ended up losing 20-25, 20-25. The team played well and did not make a lot of unforced errors, they were just out played by TCA. Overall the 17-2 team finished 11th in the 17 American Division. This team had an excellent year and we are very pleased with how they progressed from the start of the year to this final National Tournament. Thanks to all the girls for a great season. Click here to see pictures of the 17-2's from today.
The 15-1's played 3 matches this morning. They were against KC Extreme, NW Jrs, and TCA Third Degree. The first two matches they won fairly easily, even though they didn't play very well. The third match against TCA was a very exciting match, the refs even commented on how good it was. The 15-1's won both games of the third match in overtime...26-24, 29-27! Ashley Murtha put away match point on a good outside hit. This put the 15-1's at 5-0 in the pool and they took 1st. They will play in a 3 team pool on Wednesday followed by a challenge match to get into the Gold Championship Bracket. This afternoon they were invited over to Natalie's Uncle's house for a home cooked barbecue meal. Click here to see pictures of the 15-1's from today.
The 15-2's played their last 3 matches of their first round of pool play this evening. They opened their day up by beating the #1 seed in the tournament, Norco, in 3 games. This put them in a great position to win the pool. In their second match of the day they played Champions. Unfortunately they couldn't pull it together and they lost the match in 2 games. The team had a break and then got ready for their final match of the pool against SUV 15's from Iowa, a team that had narrowly beaten them in the NL Qualifier. The match was 2 close exciting games, and in the end final ball dropped on NL's side of the court and we lost the match. This gave the 15-2's a 3rd place finish in the pool and they still advance towards the Gold Brackets. They will play in a 3 team pool on Wednesday followed by a challenge match to get into the Gold Championship Bracket. Click here to see pictures of the 15-2's from today.
The 16-1 team started their tournament today in the 16 Open Division playing best 3 of 5. They played City Beach in their first match and it was actually fairly close in two of the games, 26-24, 26-24 but they still ended up winning the match in 3 games. Their next opponent was Rockwood Thunder which the 16-1's beat fairly quickly in games 1 & 2, but had a close 25-23 finish in game 3. They are 2-0 now, and will play their next two matches on Wednesday at 8 & 11 am. Click here to see pictures of the 16-1's from today.
The 16-2 team had an afternoon start. Their first match was against A-5 16-1's from Atlanta. It went three games with the 16-2's winning game 1, lost game 2, and then buried them in game 3. It was a good way to start the tournament. Their second match was against Crescent City, and the 16-2's easily defeated that team in two quick games. The team will play 3 matches on Wednesday at 8, 10, and noon. Click here to see pictures of the 16-2's from today.
The 16-3's also had an afternoon start and played 2 matches. Their first match was against Yahoo 16's. Lights easily won game one, and then checked out for game two. In game 3 we came back to life and won the match. Their second match was against the number one seed in the pool, Woodland Stars. It was a very intense match with all 3 games being won by a two point spread. Woodland Stars won the first game 25-23, Lights won the second game 25-23, and in the third and deciding game it was Woodland Stars 16-14. So the 16-3 team is 1-1 right now and they will play their next 3 matches of the pool on Wednesday afternoon at 4, 6, & 8pm. Ali Peterson slightly twisted her knee (the good one), but the athletic trainers think it will be ok with a little rest tonight and tomorrow morning. The 16-3's almost shut the gym down, as they were the 2nd to the last team to finish tonight! Click here to see pictures of the 16-3's from today.
The 14-1's arrived in Dallas today. They took the train in from the airport and then headed down to the West End for dinner this evening. They will start their tournament on Wednesday.