Lake Orion battles the heat to win 2018 Dragon Invite
It was hot outside on Saturday, but even warmer inside Elite Sportsplex in Waterford, where the 2018 Lake Orion Dragon Invite took place. In the end, the Dragons battled the heat for 11 hours and came away with the championship…
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Continue ReadingIt was hot outside on Saturday, but even warmer inside Elite Sportsplex in Waterford, where the 2018 Lake Orion Dragon Invite took place.
In the end, the Dragons battled the heat for 11 hours and came away with the championship in a 28-team field that featured many of Michigan’s best.
The final saw Lake Orion take on Northville and use a pair of key rallies to earn a 25-18, 25-21 victory.
“I think both teams in the final were pretty beat,” Lake Orion coach Tony Scavarda said. “We just stuck with it. We didn’t play our best, but we held in there long enough to earn some big rallies and get the victory. We really mentally pushed through.”
The opening set of the final was tied 15-15 before the Dragons scored nine straight points on the serve of Paige Briggs (Western Kentucky). The Dragons would eventually take the set 25-18.
Northville had the advantage most of the second set, leading 18-11 behind some big kills from Clare McNamara in the middle. However, Lake Orion answered, scoring eight straight points on the serve of Wren Macaulay (New Hampshire). With the lead, junior right side Sydney Smith heated up for the Dragons and delivered some powerful kills that helped Lake Orion finish off the match with a 25-21 win.
Lake Orion didn’t have an easy trip to the finals. After winning their pool, Lake Orion was the top seed in the gold bracket and got a first-round bye. In the quarterfinals, it was tested by fellow OAA Red foe, Stoney Creek. The Dragons prevailed 25-18, 26-24.
In the semifinals, Lake Orion ran into St. Catherine Academy and the match was three sets before Lake Orion earned a 25-20, 22-25, 15-11 victory. The Stars actually led in the third set, 7-4 before the Dragons rallied.
Northville also received a bye in the first round of the tournament after it had a perfect run in pool play. The Mustangs faced Flushing in the quarterfinals and earned a 25-28, 25-23 victory.
In the semifinals, Northville faced Clarkston. The Mustangs cruised in the first set, taking an 18-2 lead after getting a lengthy rally on the serve of libero Hannah Grant (Michigan State). The Mustangs eventually closed out the set, 25-12. In the second set, things were much closer, but Northville managed to pull away late for the 25-22 victory.
“I have a great team this year. We have seven seniors leading the team and we have some great hitters and some great blockers,” Northville coach Julie Fisette said of her team’s performance. “We are just trying to find the right combo right now, but we are really excited about what we think we can do.”
2018 Dragon Invite Gold Bracket Results
First Round
Stoney Creek def. Skyline
St. Catherine def. Rochester Adams
Troy def. Grand Blanc
Flushing def. Oxford
Lakeland def. Brandon
Clarkston def. Mason
Quarterfinals
Lake Orion def. Stoney Creek, 25-18, 26-24
St. Catherine def. Troy, 23-25, 25-19, 16-14
Northville def. Flushing, 25-18, 25-23
Clarkston def. Lakeland, 25-20, 25-14
Semifinals
Lake Orion def. St. Catherine, 25-20, 22-25, 15-11
Northville def. Clarkston, 25-12, 25-22
Final
Lake Orion def. Northville, 25-18, 25-21