Jackson Tournament Round Up with Top Performers

<p>My prediction was right as Helias repeated as the tournament champions.  The Crusaders caught fire at the right time and ran through Farmington in the quarterfinals 25-14, 25-19, and a redemption win over Jackson in the semifinals 25-18, 28-26.  Jackson had beaten Helias in pool play 20-25, 22-25.  Valle Catholic won their pool going 7-1 and knocked off Mehlville in the quarterfinals 25-17, 25-16, then whipped Lindbergh in the semifinals 25-11, 25-16.  The final pitted Helias and Valle, with Helias taking a 25-14, 20-25, 25-16 title. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Pool 1 standings</p> <ol> <li>Jackson 7-1</li> <li>Nerinx Hall 6-2</li> <li>Helias 5-3</li> <li>Mehlville 3-5</li> <li>Perryville 2-6</li> <li>Arcadia Valley 1-7</li> </ol> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Pool 2 standings</p> <ol> <li>Valle Catholic 7-1</li> <li>Farmington 7-1</li> <li>Lindbergh 5-3</li> <li>Lesterville 4-4</li> <li>Advance 1-7</li> <li>Poplar Bluff 0-8</li> </ol> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Quarterfinals</strong></p> <p>Jackson beat Lesterville 20-25, 25-11, 25-17</p> <p>Helias beat Farmington 25-14, 25-19</p> <p>Valle beat Mehlville 25-17, 25-16</p> <p>Lindbergh nipped Nerinx Hall 25-22, 28-26</p> <p><strong>Semifinals</strong></p> <p>Helias beat Jackson 25-18, 28-26</p> <p>Valle beat Lindbergh 25-11, 25-13</p> <p><strong>Championship</strong></p> <p>Helias repeat champions over Valle 25-14, 20-25, 25-16</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Top Performers</strong></p> <p><strong>Jacie Buschjost</strong> (2022) | Helias</p> <p>6’0 outside hitter for the Crusaders uses her length to exploit the opponents and does a terrific job putting balls down, hitting over the top of most blocks. Jacie had her biggest tournament match against Valle Catholic with ten kills and is second on her team in kills with 167.</p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/10/Jacie-Buschjost-Helias-crop-472x310-1634054535.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-161099" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/10/Jacie-Buschjost-Helias-crop-472x310-1634054535-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="119221" first="Chapel" last="Dobbs"]</strong> (2023) | Helias</p> <p>Another big hitter for Helias and a great blocking right side at 6’1 Chapel had a big tournament.  In the final, she took advantage of her height and athletism to put down 14 kills helped Helias repeat as champions.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="119213" first="Ella" last="Bertram"]</strong> (2022) | Valle Catholic</p> <p>A versatile middle hitter for the Warriors was impressive all tournament. She ended with 60 kills and 19 blocks in her team’s second-place finish. When a kill was needed the ball was sent to this ball slamming middle or she was moved to the outside to put it down. </p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/10/Ella-Bertram-Valle-Catholic-crop-582x382-1634054428.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-161097" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/10/Ella-Bertram-Valle-Catholic-crop-582x382-1634054428-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="119203" first="Sam" last="Loida"]</strong> (2022) |Valle Catholic</p> <p>One of the better setters at the tournament, Loida runs a quick and dispersed offense. She put the ball in the perfect position to give her hitters the advantage and finished the tournament with 147 assists and 36 digs. Loida is a gritty player for the Warriors. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="124849" first="Nadia" last="Wasilewski"]</strong> (2024) | Jackson</p> <p>Keep an eye on this outside for the Indians over the next two years.  The long, lean hitting machine for Jackson was one of the better outside hitters at the tournament.  At 6’1, her wingspan and jumping ability made a long day for her opponents. </p> <p><strong>Katy St. John</strong> (2025) | Jackson</p> <p>Another underclassman outside hitter for the Indians is a hard-hitting freshman.  The 6’1 freshman is the team kill leader and a versatile outside that swings out of the middle in a couple rotations.  With 191 kills on the year, Katy will be one to watch her game grow over the next four years.</p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/10/Katy-St.-John-Jackson-crop-347x228-1634054287.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-161095" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/10/Katy-St.-John-Jackson-crop-347x228-1634054287-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a></p> <p><strong>Reece Gray</strong> (2023) |Lesterville</p> <p>The hard-hitting outside hitter for the Bearcats is currently a state leader in kills with 470—one of two primary passers and a solid defender. She hits a mean 1 and 3 when she is moved around in the offense. </p> <p><strong>Jade Roth</strong> (2023) | Farmington</p> <p>She’s listed at 6’0 in the program but plays more like she’s 6’3.  Very mobile and quickly transitions off the net to come back in and slam a 1.  I watched her throughout the tournament hit over blocks and not just around. </p> <p><strong>Ella Gaona</strong> (2023) | Nerinx Hall</p> <p>In my opinion, the best libero in the tournament. Excellent fluid constant movement and reads the opponent’s hitters exceptionally well—one of those players that catch your eye because of her aggressive nature and owns the libero position. </p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/10/Ella-Gaona-Nerinx-Hall-crop-394x259-1634054168.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-161093" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/10/Ella-Gaona-Nerinx-Hall-crop-394x259-1634054168-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a></p>