Championship Report: SIVA 15-1 South Roll to Victory in Las Vegas

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Club Division Championship was up for grabs at the Las Vegas Classic, with SIVA 15 South facing off against a talented Dartfrog 15 Katie squad out of Bakersfield, California. It was the 11th match in three days for the team training out of Mt. Vernon. SIVA worked their way into the title match with a 9-1 record, fighting back from an opening day loss in pool play, and winning two Challenge Bracket matches during an epic 5-match day of play on Monday. It was a total team effort, and everyone on the roster had a part to play in bringing home a first-place trophy in a field of 152 teams. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the team's top attackers, athletic 2026 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='251030' first='Rian' last='Stephan']</strong>, was unavailable while she helped Lynden High School Girls' basketball to a District Title. The team adjusted, employing a 6-2 attack that featured both setters playing all the way around as opposites. Staying in system was the key that allowed the SIVA setters to feed the middle, and the offensive attack expanded from the inside out. Gritty defense and smart play sealed the deal. Here is a closer look at the players who made it possible.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["328292"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Swapp was a consistent force throughout the weekend playing as a six-rotation outside. The Anacortes ninth grader played a significant role for her team during the high school season and that has continued into club play. From the middle back position she showed a fundamentally sound platform and offensively she will adjust to a tough set. Swapp has been around the game from a young age and it shows in her smart play.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["328293"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"The Arlington outside has a big arm and she was ripping it from both pins. That offensive firepower carries over to the service line, and she did an excellent job locating her serve with pace. Facing off against unfamiliar teams and defenses heading into the final day of play, Shaffer made adjustments and found ways to score to keep the SIVA offense humming along.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["328291"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Brown provided an excellent effort on offense and defense from her middle spot over the weekend. She mixed in soft tips to an open area to score, transitioned aggressively, and took big swings to terminate. She is quick from pin to pin closing the block, and willing to challenge strongly in a joust situation. A team captain, Brown has solid skills all around and delivered tough serving for SIVA when she was called on.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":3,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63fd434b004f9"} /--> <!-- wp:image {"id":330895,"width":479,"height":319,"sizeSlug":"full","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/02/Image-1.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-330895" width="479" height="319" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo Courtesy Joe Amaral</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Middle Blocker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='328332' first='Regan' last='Hunt'] </strong>is a 2025 with great length and provided the big hammer on quicks sets from her setters. She racked up points all weekend, punctuating overpasses with emphatic kills and using a great vertical to put up a block well over the net. The recent transfer from Alaska is a player to keep an eye on! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2027 attacker <strong>Harper Neyens</strong> provided the team with another option offensively, and the eighth-grader showed she could handle a big situation. She is another player with a great upside on the roster, and at 5'9 has the length to develop into an offensive difference-maker at either pin position. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["330910"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"The other team captain for SIVA, Marsh does the work with her feet to get into position and deliver well located sets to her talented group of attackers. In Las Vegas she showed a soft touch when setting her middles, and enough strength to push the ball to the pin. Marsh is a versatile enough player to play as an opposite, ad she provided the leadership and positive energy that the team needed.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["330911"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"The offense was looking to run through the middles for the SIVA 15 group, and the on-point serve receive passing from Neal and fellow libero u003cstrongu003e[player_tooltip player_id='330912' first='Ruby' last='Hudson']u003c/strongu003e provided the starting point. Neal hung tough against difficult jump float serves, and popped-up balls covering her attackers and keeping rallies alive. Besides being there for her team on defense, Neal provided energy and enthusiasm during the marathon Monday effort.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":2,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63fd434b005e0"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='328290' first='Addison' last='Bowie']</strong> is a lefty setter with outstanding movement and a hard-to-handle serve. She was called upon to fill an attacker role for the tournament when she was not running the offense and she stepped up and delivered. Bowie has the look of an athlete that will continue to develop as she adds strength, and she is already comfortable as a setter reversing the flow of the offense and finding her attackers in the pipe. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='330912' first='Ruby' last='Hudson']</strong> is the second libero in the dual libero system SIVA used during the weekend. Hudson has quick feet and worked hard reading attackers and getting out from behind of her blockers. She finishes off her passes beautifully and communicates well with her teammates in serve receive. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":330948,"width":347,"height":463,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/02/Image-3.jpeg?w=768" alt="" class="wp-image-330948" width="347" height="463" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo Courtesy Joe Amaral</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->