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Monday, October 6, 2008
Tourney Time
Fort Worth, TX
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For area volleyball programs, 24 games over three weeks against the state’s best is an imposing test that’s well worth it.
At this point in the high school volleyball season, teams are generally on a regimen of two district contests per week, as playoff spots will soon be decided.
Although the games are extremely intense, with postseason hopes hanging in the balance, the number of games played is a lot easier to handle, nothing like the frenetic pace of contests thrown at teams early in the year during the period known as “tournament season.”
After a first week of practice and a couple of scrimmages, volleyball teams jump right into the mix by the end of their second week together, playing tournaments that could offer as many as seven or eight games for a single team. Fast and furious, with as many as three matches in a day, tournament season gets volleyball players used to varsity competition in a flash.
“You learn to overcome exhaustion and learn to play that many games in that many days,” said Kate Wood, Arlington Lamar volleyball coach, whose team finished third at the Arlington Tournament. “We played over 20 matches in 2 ½ weeks. We were laughing about that.
“You can average about eight matches a week [during tournament time],” she said. “You do the math. That’s a lot of games in a short amount of time, so you get the reps in a hurry.”
Early tournaments can also serve as a proving ground to help coaches decide which players will compose the team’s starting lineup and rotations. Learning what athletes can handle the pressure of so many games and showing poise in the process can shed light on what kind of players are on the team.
Tournaments are also a means to make sure teams have worked out the kinks before district arrives and that they’re ready for the challenge.
“We talk about [tournaments] being important in the learning experience and for refining the things in our game that we need to work on,” said Christina Rudiger, Keller Central coach. “We try to schedule with our tournaments getting tougher as we go.”
Northwest volleyball coach Dana Horak said tournaments are a careful balance of strengthening psyche and building skill through tough opposition.
“You need a good mix of tournaments, some that are very challenging and maybe some that are more in your range that you feel you at least have a good chance to win to help build your confidence as a team,” Horak said. “When you see tough teams right off the bat like we did, it helps you to gauge where you’re at and where you need to be.”
Here’s a recap of some of the area’s top volleyball tournaments this year:
EAGLE MOUNTAIN-SAGINAW ISD TOURNAMENT
The EMS tourney was one of the first tournament events of the season for area teams. With competitors such as rising 5A star Keller Central, solid 4A program Arlington Heights, 3A power Gatesville and co-hosts Saginaw and Boswell, the event provided some quality matches.
Central and private school power Arlington Grace Prep powered their way to a championship meeting in the three-day tourney. Central defeated Everman, Laredo Nixon and Wyatt in pool play, then advanced in the bracket by getting past Arlington Bowie, Haltom, Wylie and Lewisville to reach the final. Grace Prep beat Carter-Riverside, Lewisville and Springtown in pool, then defeated Gatesville, Temple, Waller and Saginaw.
In the championship, the Lady Chargers won the first game 25-19, then fought through an exciting final, 30-28, to defeat Grace Prep and win the title.
“I’m very pleased with how the girls have responded and attacked every opponent,” Rudiger said of Central’s showing in all its tournament appearances, which also included battles at the Northwest tournament and the long-distance trip to a very tough Pearland event.
DUNCANVILLE TOURNAMENT
Considered one of the premier tournaments in the entire state, the Duncanville Tournament of Champions lived up to its name. Three of last year’s 5A state final four were there, including state champion Amarillo, runner-up Austin Westlake and semifinalist Plano West.
Lake Highlands proved itself to be one of the big contenders this year, knocking off Amarillo in the tournament final. But Flower Mound Marcus also showed itself to be a solid team once again, finishing fourth after losing to Westlake in the third-place contest.
Marcus defeated programs like Arlington, Amarillo Tascosa, Allen, Magnolia and El Paso Americas, before being tripped up by Amarillo in the tournament’s semifinal match. Westlake’s victory over Marcus was no cake walk for the state finalist, as the Lady Marauders took it to three sets before losing, 21-25, 25-18, 20-25.
“…The one thing we got out of the Duncanville tournament is that we believe we can beat some of the best programs in the state,” Marcus coach Cristie Liles said after the tournament.
ALLEN AND NORTHWEST TOURNAMENTS
Although no teams this side of the Metroplex took home trophies from Allen or Northwest, some local favorites fared well.
At Allen, Amarillo was the champ, defeating Lake Highlands to spoil the team’s chance to win its second tournament title. But area power Southlake Carroll had a strong showing despite finding itself out of the running.
Carroll went 7-1, defeating Arlington to win the Silver division final. The Lady Dragons’ only loss was an early one to Lake Highlands, a three-set battle (25-22, 26-28, 22-25) in bracket play that took them out of the championship race.
At Northwest, Highland Park defeated Hereford to claim the title, and Keller Central was the local team that came closest with a consolation final loss to Lake Travis to finish sixth overall. Aledo, one of the top local 4A teams, finished fifth in the consolation bracket with a 4-2 showing.
ARLINGTON INVITATIONAL
Although the tournament was dominated by highly-ranked Plano West, Arlington Lamar did its best to represent the district and its proud volleyball tradition at the Arlington Invitational.
The Lady Vikings jumped out to a great start, rolling past Abilene, L.D. Bell, Wichita Falls Rider and Mansfield. Lamar’s only slip-up was a loss to Northwest, which sent the team into the third-place match opposite Abilene.
One of the top teams in the region, Abilene fell to the Lady Vikings in straight sets, 25-20, 25-21. It was the finish to a great tournament season for Lamar, which also traveled to the Duncanville and New Braunfels tournaments.
“I feel like my kids, just every weekend, got better,” Wood said. “We’re very young and we only have four players that came back from last year. So, those tournaments opened our eyes real quick and they got to see what varsity volleyball is all about.”
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