Team bounces back from rough start at Lake Tahoe Invitational
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SOUTH LAKE TAHOE >> After a tough first day on the court Saturday, the Never Say Die 18s club volleyball team came back to win the silver bracket Sunday at the third annual Lake Tahoe Invitational in South Lake Tahoe.
Never Say Die beat T-Street 25-14, 25-14 on Sunday to advance to the championship match against Reno before posting a 25-20, 25-19 victory in the finals.
During Saturday’s pool play, NorCal Supreme (Yuba) beat Never Say Die 25-20, 25-17. Never Say Die bounced back with a 25-11, 25-10 win over BAVC (Emerald Bay) before losing to Willows 25-12, 25-14.
“First time at this tourney and it was a little different than previous tourneys,” Never Say Die head coach Marci Psalmonds said. “Venues changed numerous times and we ended up in a dinky gym with little playing room, so the girls had to adjust quite a bit. After a slow start on Saturday, we picked it up on Sunday.”
Added Psalmonds, “Not really sure how we ended up in the silver bracket after the two losses on Saturday, but we did and we made the most of it. The girls played much better on Sunday and played more as a team, which was nice to see.”
Mati Mateer led the team with 35 kills and 31 digs while Aimee Schaefers finished with 16 kills, 17 assists and four blocks. Other team leaders were Carly Johnson with 19 kills and seven blocks, Lindee Bingham with seven kills and nine blocks, and AJ Wurm with 57 assists and 19 digs.
“Mati had a great tourney both days and stayed the most consistent,” Psalmonds said. “Lindee came on strong on Sunday and saved us quite a few times at the net. Both Lindee and Carly did a good job blocking and helping out the defense with a lot of touches. Aimee also stepped it up for us offensively with 17 assists when she had to set for AJ so we could have her back on serve receive to help out on defense.”
Added Psalmonds, “All and all not a bad tourney. We’re just still learning to play together and learning roles. We need to tighten up our defense some more to bring it all together. I am proud of them for still pushing to get better every time they hit the court.”
