Club volleyball team reaches finals after placing second in pool play
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COTTONWOOD >> The Konocti Bay 14s placed second in the gold bracket Saturday during a North State Volleyball Tournament at West Valley High School in Cottonwood.
Although ranked third in its four-team pool, Konocti Bay placed second behind NSVA Parrot Jackie before advancing to the gold bracket playoffs. During pool play, Konocti beat Shasta Elite Kendra 21-11, 21-15 and Beat Up-Tempo 21-11, 21-9 before losing to NSVA Parrot Jackie, which beat Konocti 21-23, 21-17, 15-11.
Once in the gold bracket, Konocti defeated Up-Tempo Kian 21-19, 21-17 and highly ranked Legacy Chico 21-18, 21-19.
Advancing to the championship match, Konocti Bay fell 21-14, 21-12 to a middle-hitting dominant and experienced Shasta Elite squad 21-14, 21-12.
Eighth-grader Allyson Leary had a team-best 21 of Konocti’s 47 tournament aces while sixth-grader Hazel Hanson had a team-best 21 of Konocti’s 56 total kills. She also led the team with 23 digs. Seventh-grade Maylee Antoni had a team-best 56 assists.
Konocti Bay coach Becky Knox said the team also benefited from the single blocks of Hanson, Antoni, Karen Martinez and Maddi Meza, as well as the play of libero Annabelle Badar, defensive specialist Eliana Lopez and middle hitter Klohe Cook.
“These girls made the crucial plays and adjustments in coverage that kept the team in the game at the most crucial parts of the day,” Knox said.
Knox said another factor in the team’s success was eighth-grader Ally Abreu accepting a move to middle hitter.
“So far she has played every spot but setter and that speaks to her willingness to be a true team player,” Knox said. “To be honest, she told me if she had to set, she could make it happen. Her willingness to go outside her comfort zone for the betterment of her team speaks volumes of her attribute to a team dynamic.”
Ruby Westbrook also drew Knox’s praise after moving over from Pomolita Middle School in Ukiah.
“Her concentration to give her best in her efforts have truly paid off for her teammates,” Knox said.
Looking back on her team’s strong tournament performance, Knox said, “Their trust in each other and the hard work they give me at practice showed up when we went against the older true 14s teams, and their coachability, trust and communication as a team made them excel finally where I know they’ve always belonged, in the championship game.”
