Sooner Super Regional Champions – Virago 15 Elite

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With USA Volleyball having a stranglehold on the clubs and tournaments in Oklahoma- it's always interesting to see who turns out at the AAU Regionals and Grand Prix to try and capture the bid entry into Nationals in Orlando, Florida.&nbsp; Several in state teams took their shot, joined by clubs from Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri and even Texas.&nbsp; The finals was a back and forth battle between Virago 15 Elite (Oklahoma) and Statc 15-1 from the Heart of America region.&nbsp; Both sets ended 25-22, with the 2^nd coming in dramatic fashion as Virago battled all the way back from a 16-22 deficit!&nbsp; Virago had success in the 15s division at AAU Nationals last year- and will look to take another shot in June.&nbsp; Here are 5 players that showed up big time this weekend for Virago:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Madison Coleman</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As one half of the fast paced offensive engine for Virago- Madi did a great job this weekend keeping her hitters in rhythm.&nbsp; This team runs a variety of up-tempo sets, not only to their middles- but their pin hitters as well.&nbsp; This puts an incredible amount of pressure on a setter to transition quickly and put the ball in a very specific spot on the net- a challenge that Madi was up to this weekend.&nbsp; Coleman's jump serve came in handy this weekend as well- as they faced a potential first game upset against their own club's Virago 15 National.&nbsp; Down 17-22, Madi went on a serving run that ultimately helped Elite overcome and win the set 26-24.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ivorie Baker</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the middle attack that Virago tends to rely on not quite hitting on all cylinders this weekend- it was Ivorie who picked up the slack and added some punch to the offense.  Occasionally playing middle herself- Ivorie is making the transition to right side this club season, a move that began during school ball at Owasso.  In their 3^rd tournament now, Baker is hitting her groove.  Unsurprisingly, given her experience at middle- she hits a very effective up-tempo right side set, and her setters found her early and often- especially in big moments.  She also provides a big block against opposing outside hitters- which played a big part in slowing down Statc's talented outsides in the finals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='919281' first='Karis' last='Pratt']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Karis has had several big moments over 2 seasons with Virago- but none perhaps bigger than the 2nd set of the finals this past weekend.&nbsp; With Virago struggling to keep up with Statc all set, Karis went to the service line looking at score of 16-22.&nbsp; It would have been easy to play it safe, keep the ball in play and force Statc to score the last 3 points of the game- but Karis and the coaching staff had a different approach.&nbsp; Pratt jump served one fireball after another, with every serve either generating an ace or a freeball which Virago converted into a rally ending point. &nbsp;Statc finally took a timeout down 1 point, 23-22.&nbsp; Where many would again be tempted to play it safe, coming out of a timeout, Karis picked up right where she left off, delivering 2 more absolute laser beams to seal the deal, 25-22.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ellie Sartin</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the things that first jumps out when you watch Virago 15 Elite is that they utilize only 2 passers in serve receive about 80% of the time- and nearly always in crucial moments.&nbsp; Sartin, the team's libero, and the aforementioned Pratt, make this option possible with their chemistry and communication.&nbsp; The casual observer cannot truly appreciate how difficult a task it is to be a player in a 2 person serve receive.&nbsp; Obviously, there is more court to cover, using 2 players instead of the standard 3- but there is also an incredible amount of mental pressure to perform when it's just you and your partner covering nearly the entire court.&nbsp; Sartin was able to rise to the challenge all day, keeping Virago in system and making some huge defensive plays as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Taylor Harrington</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Taylor's versatility really helped her team win this weekend.&nbsp; Having most of her experience at setter and right side hitter- Taylor has also been working at outside hitter, an unusual place to find a left handed player.&nbsp; That versatility ended up being a boon for Virago, as Harrington was able to bolster the outside hitter position in some key spots this weekend.&nbsp; When Virago had to go away from their 2 person serve receive, it was most often Taylor that they inserted into the action.&nbsp; While her contributions may not end up making the highlight reel like some of the other moments we mentioned- her steady play both in assisting with serve receive, and simple, efficient offensive play on the outside helped her team win when it needed it most.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->