Club volleyball team closes out season at Far Westerns tournament
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RENO >> The Never Say Die 17s club volleyball team posted a 5-2 overall record during a successful three-day run last weekend at the Reno Far Westerns tournament held at the Reno/Sparks Convention Center.
“We played a total of 18 sets and won 12 of those sets,” Never Say Die coach Morgan Psalmonds said of the team’s final tournament of the season. “These girls love to play three games, a lot,” Psalmonds said. “And if not, they sure like to put themselves in predicaments where that happens.”
The 17s went 3-0 during Friday’s pool play and came back to win two of three matches Saturday. They lost their only match in the single-elimination gold bracket on Sunday, losing in three sets to a team they had beaten in three sets Friday.
“We lost late in the third set, but maintained our scrappy defense, swung hard, and the other team simply earned it,” Psalmonds said.
NSD ended up ranked sixth in the field.
“From where these girls started to where they ended up was awesome to be a part of,” Psalmonds said.
Tournament leaders for the 17s were AJ Wurm with 55 kills, 41 digs, 34 assists, eight blocks and seven aces; Bella Patti with 59 kills, 48 digs, eight assists, seven blocks and four aces; Lindee Bingham with 25 blocks, 21 kills; Kaylah Billig with 28 blocks, 19 kills, eight aces and six digs; Atiana Patino with 75 digs and eight aces; Aniya Jauregui with 99 assists, 34 digs, five aces and five kills; and Aliyah Valdez with 38 digs, 15 assists and five aces.
“The club community is a fun one to be in for sure,” Psalmonds said. “We started peaking at the right time this season. I am beyond proud of these girls and what they were able to accomplish. I am excited for next year and what it has to offer.”
Added Psalmonds, “I am going to miss Kaylah Billig. She started for me her freshman year (at Clear Lake High School) and then her sophomore year. I didn’t get to see her play for CLHS her senior year, but I’m beyond thankful that I got to coach her for her final game of volleyball. It was an amazing full-circle moment for me.”
