Standouts from Queens of the Court – Elite Varsity Division

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Queens of the Court Tournament is the final dress rehearsal before the girls volleyball season in California. For the Elite Varsity Division, it featured some of the best California had to offer and their players didn't disappoint.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When it was all said and done, Santa Margarita wound up winning the entire tournament. Here are some notable players that stood out from the Queens of the Court Elite Varsity Division tournament. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":586584,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/08/Ireland-Real-8-4-24-rotated-crop-2777x1824-1722923826.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-586584"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='500618' first='Ireland' last='Real'], SO, OH/OPP, Santa Margarita</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With senior out hitter [player_tooltip player_id='306918' first='Brooklyn' last='Drumwright'] out due to a foot injury, Real played a little bit on the left side and did not disappoint, helping lead the Eagles win the tournament. Real's game continues to get better by the day and with her being a six rotations player, Santa Margarita will be a tough out for anyone.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":586586,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/08/Megan-Hodges-rotated-crop-2420x1589-1722925294.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-586586"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='492164' first='Megan' last='Hodges'], FR, OPP, San Juan Hills</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hodges, only a freshman, made her impact known for the Stallions, who made it to the final of the tournament by beating talented teams on day two such as Dana Hills and JSerra. In the final, Hodges came up big with some well-timed swings and blocks, which makes her terrifying on both sides of the ball. She also helped TStreet win the USAV Jr National Championship in the 15s division last July and garnered all-tournament honors.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":586588,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/08/Westley-Matavao-rotated-crop-3024x1986-1722926214.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-586588"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='482047' first='Westley' last='Matavao'], SO, OH, Mater Dei</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Matavao's transition to her new team appears to be running smoothly, as she worked well with players such as [player_tooltip player_id='228678' first='Layli' last='Ostovar']. Matavao is the No.1 player in California for the class of 2027 and will look to help the Monarchs repeat as CIF-SS Champions and beyond.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":587807,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/08/Katherine-Nowak-8-4-24-rotated-crop-2420x1589-1723008038.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-587807"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486781' first='Katherine' last='Nowak'], SO, OH, Jserra</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nowak, who was part of JSerra's playoff run en route to winning the CIF-SS Division 2 championship last season and first in team history, returns again and was stellar in the matches she played in the tournament. With the graduation of Tatum Johnson and Reese Brown, expect Nowak to step up big-time for the Lions this season. She too was part of TSreet's 15s team that wound up winning the national championship at the Junior Olympics.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":587809,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/08/Izzy-Simon-rotated-crop-2420x1589-1723009998.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-587809"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Izzy Simon, SR, L, Santa Margarita</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Liberos can get often forgotten about in the sport of volleyball as they're not the one scoring points, but Simon was sprawling all over the court to keep the ball alive. In addition, Simon served tough which was one of Santa Margarita's strengths and biggest takeaways from the tournament. She'll be the defensive anchor for this Eagles, who are poised for a big season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='526747' first='Allysa' last='(Ally) Fausett'] , JR, S, Dana Hills</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Faucett was one of the big reasons why the Dolphins made to the gold bracket of the Elite Varsity Division, as she did an excellent job running the offense and was efficient in her all-around game. She even helped Dana Hills go toe-to-toe with powerhouse Mater Dei and even take down league foes San Clemente and Aliso Niguel in pool play. Faucett, who was on TStreet's 15s team that won the national championship at the Junior Olympics, is one of many returning players from last year's Dolphins team that won the South Coast League and made it to the CIF-SS Division 3 quarterfinals. With only having lost three players to graduation, Faucett and the Dolphins could snea</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Other Notables and Eye-Catchers from Day 2</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":587820,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/08/Queens-of-the-Court-Elite-Varsity-Division-Cover-Photo-1-crop-2760x1812-1723014404.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-587820"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Santa Margarita's supporting cast</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Santa Margarita doesn't win the tournament with just [player_tooltip player_id='500618' first='Ireland' last='Real'] by herself stepping up for [player_tooltip player_id='306918' first='Brooklyn' last='Drumwright'], as [player_tooltip player_id='492745' first='Kate' last='Jackson'] (second to the right) and [player_tooltip player_id='391078' first='Memphis' last='Burnett'] (far right) both stepped up at the net. One unsung for the Eagles that deserves recognition is junior setter Roma Witowski (far left). Witowski's setting was superb, having split time with fellow sophomore setter Marley Bernus, but what caught my eye was her serving, as she was dynamite whenever she stepped at the service line. Witowski has a lot of shoes to fill, as she and Bernus are taking over for Brooklyn Kostoff, who is playing volleyball at Azusa Pacific</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":587816,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/08/OLU-GVB-crop-3226x2118-1723012718.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-587816"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Don't sleep on Orange Lutheran this season</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The one burning question that Orange Lutheran has going into the 2024 girls volleyball season is who is going to fill the void at outside hitter with [player_tooltip player_id='482047' first='Westley' last='Matavao'] having transferred to Mater Dei? The answer, or answers, [player_tooltip player_id='216056' first='Maylynn' last='Mitchell'] (second to the left) and Saniah Kimbrough (far right). Kimbrough is committed to Long Island University and was pivotal in the Lancers' tournament quarterfinal match against Santa Margarita. Kimbrough and Mitchell are both two really good outside hitters who aren't afraid of the block. Setter [player_tooltip player_id='481402' first='Marley' last='Robinson'] (second to the right) also has Adisyn Tognazzini (far left) to set it to on the right side. Orange Lutheran also returns Long Beach State-bound libero [player_tooltip player_id='484007' first='Jaedyn' last='Houston'], as the team is poised to make another deep playoff run after making it to the CIF-SS Division 2 finals last season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->