Tourney of the Week Part 2: Gold Breakdown and Silver Review

NHS Tournament Review Bracket Play Review     This Gold Bracket lived up to the billing that has become the norm for this Tournament. It was standard operating procedure for three of the four teams, and a long-overdue trip to unfamiliar territory for a group of Norman High student athletes who got to play on the "other side" of the gym, competing for some bragging rights hardware. When traveling to Norman for the early-season battle of heavyweights, I am sure the strategy for some coaches, players, and even fans is to survive the day 1 Friday gauntlet of pool play. It sets the stage for the competitive sports environment we all get used to and anticipate when waiting for that first fall kickoff on a Friday night or College Saturday, a tradition ingrained in our Oklahoma DNA. But for the local volleyball networks and communities, this is our first fall kickoff around here, and it has already got us making predictions and circling dates on the calendar. GOLD BRACKET Semi-final Game 1 Pool A 1st CCS vs Pool B 2nd Edmond Santa Fe   Edmond Santa Fe and CCS got things started first in Game 1 of Gold Bracket play… and this is where CCS made a statement. Edmond Santa Fe, as mentioned in my previous write-up, has improved in the 'one more year' of experience department, thanks to the addition of a freshman OH in EJ Rice and [player_tooltip player_id='297160' first='Darci' last='Shuck'] distributing the ball well. They are on the list of 6A contenders and a team to watch.    The problem was on the other side of the net. CCS. This team has been a traditional power for quite some time. This year is no different, and they got stronger on the front line with the addition of [player_tooltip player_id='284928' first='Annie' last='Hopkins'], Senior MB, transferring in during the off-season. Even if one or two players are off, they still have one or two more players stepping up and are on without losing much of a beat. They keep coming with consistent good sets sent to the right hitters from [player_tooltip player_id='314473' first='Pierson' last='Smith'].   FINAL Gold Semi-Final CCS 3 - 0   GOLD BRACKET Semi-final Game 2 Pool B 1st NHS vs Pool A 2nd MSM   The second Semi-Final match is one that many people will not forget and talk about for a long time: defending 5A State Champs MSM and the New Kids on the Block, Norman High School. This match was a "put everyone on notice" type of game. A Five Set Thriller that saw MSM show experience and 'been here before' mentality in a Set 1 win 25 - 17. Then Norman settled in and showed people why they had been talked about in the off-season as a team to watch in Sets 2 and 3, 25 - 21, and 25 - 22, respectively. You could feel the tensions rising for a classic. You could feel MSM stay loose and composed, and NHS got a little tight, which led to MSM evening it up 2-2 with a 25-21 score.    At this point, the game had everyone in the gym watching, with teams waiting to play crowding inside the court doors not to miss a point. In these types of games, even fans watching the other side of the bracket play on the opposite side of the gym are peeking over to the other side of the gym, if not fully watching.   Norman was 1 point away from going to the tournament finals, up 16 - 15 and looking poised to further their resume to a new height.    In hindsight, this moment with the score NHS 16 - MSM 15, it is one of those looking back points you can learn from and point to for both teams, Mt. St. Mary's to lean on and know they have done it before, and for NHS to say, we were that close and learn from it and grow. MSM gutted out three straight intense points to secure their spot against CCS in the Championship.    FINAL Gold Semi-Final MSM 3 - 2   Is Norman High better? Yes. The overall talent is better than it has been for quite some time in all positions, even backups and kids fighting for playing time. But they're mentally stronger than the team a year ago. What gives kids confidence? Strong Players who are good teammates. The Tigers finished the season last year with three players in the top 10 of key statistical categories within the tough COAC Conference. [player_tooltip player_id='809931' first='Elle' last='Mohrmann'], senior MB, was top 10 in blocks (61), [player_tooltip player_id='821438' first='Izabella' last='Holasek'], soph MB, was 1 of only seven players in the top 10 in two categories, 2nd in blocks (82), and 10th in Hit% (0.249), and to finish it off [player_tooltip player_id='748675' first='Olivia' last='Carter'] was 1 of only three players conference wide to finish top 10 in 3 categories, 7th in hit% (0.276), 7th in blocks (70), and 10th in kills (315), Oh yeah, she was the only Freshman to do that as well. The team is building on that type of production at a faster pace, with improved play from all positional groups, including experienced front-line players, backrow, and more experienced setters. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='792760' first='Cameran' last='Kelly'] had a crucial game-high 22 digs that kept NHS hopes alive to get more offensive opportunities to battle until the end.   Is Mt. St. Mary's a contender again for 5A? Yes. Helping enable MSM hitters to continually deliver at a high rate and stay competitive even with a significant contributor out with an injury, is the introduction of freshman setter [player_tooltip player_id='554318' first='Jentri' last='Denwalt']. I was impressed with her poise and volleyball IQ in managing the flow of the offense. She managed the tempo, holding the MB just enough of the time by keeping Junior MB Desiya Williams and Senior MB [player_tooltip player_id='822225' first='Anna' last='Spurlock'] involved, and of course, swung the court in crucial moments. Sophomore DS/L [player_tooltip player_id='752538' first='Cheyenne' last='Denwalt'] had a team-high 18 digs. If it were only 16 or 17, it could have been a different result. Final thought for MSM is this: they gutted out this victory without Sophomore OH/DS [player_tooltip player_id='697434' first='Isabella' last='Williams']. She is a key player to add a front row attack, and from what I have seen, is an excellent and consistent backrow passer that strengthens MSM's defense even more.   What. A. Game.   GOLD BRACKET 3rd Place Match NHS vs Edmond Santa Fe   This game was a rematch from a Day 1 match-up in Pool B mentioned in the previous post.   To recap, Edmond Santa Fe was coming off a 3-set loss to CCS in the first game of bracket play for the day, and then waited to play this game following the 2nd semi-final game MSM won against NHS, which was a 5-set match that took 2 hours, 21 minutes, and change. NHS was looking at a back-to-back after losing a heartbreaker, and Santa Fe was hungry from the day prior. But even with those conditions and the final win by Santa Fe being 3 - 0 over NHS, you still had to respect the effort by both teams. But Santa Fe showed more consistency time and time again, as NHS would mount a comeback, Santa Fe would find a way to kill a short-lived NHS rally and get back to a more manageable lead each set. NHS gutted to respectable scores, but Santa Fe was more consistent with their offense producing 31 assists and 36 kills (0.253% Hit%) compared to NHS's 27 assists and 28 kills (0.158 Hit%) as team comparisons. Santa Fe had more in the tank and made use of it.   FINAL Gold 3rd Place Game Edmond Santa Fe 3 - 0   GOLD BRACKET Championship CCS vs MSM   Has anyone ever watched a Volleyball Match and thought that the 4-set game final of 3-1 doesn't do justice to the competitiveness the teams showed?   That is how I felt after this match. It was another intense match that MSM gritted through, but in the end, CCS had one or three too many weapons for MSM, or even top teams in the state.    In the first match, CCS won fairly easily in 2 sets (pool play best of 3). Watching CCS, you think of a couple of descriptive words, but "dominant" comes to mind. However, after watching the Tournament final, the team may have faced new experiences and environmental challenges, compounded by the loss of a key player as previously mentioned. This scenario sets the stage for a potential letdown.   However, in the final, MSM came out strong and went to work on the attack. CCS didn't give up or fight back, and this set the tone and matched the intensity for the remainder, with MSM taking the first set 25 - 21.    From then on, I felt it was the same battle back and forth on repeat, trading points and runs, with each side wishing they could have the last one back, but moving on to the next play, it was palpable. You could see the energy from both teams wanting it more and more, with both teams producing big plays as they traded highlight-level blows, but in the end, CCS has a few more kids who have been on big stages for 4 years now. Senior Setter Peirson Smith, Senior OH [player_tooltip player_id='805394' first='Emery' last='Williams'], and Junior OH [player_tooltip player_id='391123' first='Stella' last='Wishon'] proved to be just too much to make the difference in the remaining three sets that finished 25 - 22, 25 - 23, 25 - 23 to finish with a 3 - 1 final win.   Final Gold Championship CCS 3 - 1   Silver Bracket Game Summary Pool A 3rd Broken Arrow vs Pool B 4th Deer Creek Broken Arrow 3 - 0   Pool B 3rd Edmond North vs Pool A 4th Norman North Edmond North 3 - 2   7th Place Game Deer Creek vs Norman North Norman North 3 - 2   Silver Final 5th Place Game Broken Arrow vs Edmond North Broken Arrow 3 - 0   FINAL THOUGHTS   I can't predict the future, but I have a few guesses. This Gold Bracket featured the most probable 4A and 5A title favorites, along with two 6A teams that could host regionals if they continue to improve and handle business for the rest of the season. Broken Arrow and Norman North had the draw of being in the pool with the talented favorites from 4A and 5A, but I noticed a couple of things with these teams. Please don't sleep on them. Ian Bullens' teams are always going to fight, and they were a 6A state tournament team last season and finished 5th. I would watch out for this team. Katie Pace is Norman North's new Head Coach, and the team looks improved. They played with CCS and Broken Arrow in pool play, and also had two five-set games back to back on Saturday. Losing a tough one to Edmond North, then turning around, ultimately gutting it out against Deer Creek in the very next match.   Edmond North had the tough 5-set match against Norman North and then met up with Broken Arrow in the Silver Final, where Broken Arrow was possibly a bit better rested and ultimately too much in the end, winning 3 - 0.   I wouldn't be surprised if a few of these silver teams not only show up in the Rankings throughout the season, but sneak into the top 10. Don't let records from this early-season Tournament fool you. I've learned my lesson from that.

NHS Tournament Review Bracket Play Review