The Mission Bay girls varsity volleyball team rallied from a groggy 8 a.m. game loss to go on and win five games and capture the title at their own Buccaneer Bash volleyball tournament Saturday, Sept 29.
The Lady Bucs defeated San Diego High 25-20 and 25-16 in the final.
The third annual tournament also included Eastlake, Hilltop, Sweetwater, El Capitan, Lincoln and Holtville high schools.
“Tournaments are a great training tool ” it’s a lot of work but can also be a lot of fun,” said head coach Crystal Traverse. “It is a chance to get all the girls playing time and for ironing out some kinks. It’s way better than practice when you can go head-to-head with another opponent.”
Most prep tournaments feature premiere teams which battle for top honors in the region.
“Tournaments make teams better,” Traverse continued. “But there was no midlevel tournament in the county, so we started our own three years ago and it has been real popular.”
The Lady Bucs are high in experience this year with a varsity roster that includes six seniors.
The team includes seniors Kelsey Dorn, Celeste Padilla, Sonya Novak, Ashley Rhoades, Nhi Nguyen and Brittany Moore. The juniors include setter Megan Upp and Joy Libs, Brooke Bruce and Rosie Bleden plus sophomore Kelsey Lawlor.
“Megan is a born setter,” Traverse said. “She is one of the big strengths of this team, her passing and digs, her quickness to the ball is marvelous.”
The 2007 team has improved a lot over last year, according to Traverse.
“Their serving and especially their service receives are a big improvement. Also I just think the six seniors are excited about their senior year.”
The Lady Bucs are 4-2 in Eastern League play after losing two close matches with Our Lady of Peace (OLP) and Patrick Henry high schools. The Bucs have defeated Coronado, Serra, San Diego and Morse in regular season meets.
The varsity volleyball squad will begin round two of league play by hosting OLP Tuesday, Oct 9, at 3 p.m., then Serra Oct 16. The JV and frosh games follow the varsity match. League play continues through October, followed by playoffs in November.
The varsity team is coached by Steve Upp and the freshman team by Dave Beza.
“We have a phenomenal freshmen group,” Treverse added. “Among them are eight local girls who are tall and athletic ” they are all very excited about volleyball. It’s great. I can’t wait for them to come up. I’m excited too.”
Most of the girls develop their volleyball skills with experience in the Starlings program in the off-season, according to Traverse.
“Starlings is a great way to start or get more experience among some quality coaching,” she said. “They have groups starting as young as 12-year-olds, on up to 18.”