By Chris Fitzgerald
Texas vs California - a tale as old as time in club volleyball. However in the 17 Elite championship it was a tale of two stories.
TAV 17 Black Jon has a group who have been playing together for years. A group of them would be looking for their fourth straight Triple Crown Elite title which is a feat never accomplished. LOVB 17 Angel out of Southern California is a new club, a new combination of athletes who previously played across California and Arizona.
LOVB 17 Angel came out swinging - literally. They started the game with two top spin servers in Lucky Fasavalu and Hanna McGinest who put points on the board real quick with a trio of aces. There was no panic. Only confidence and composure.
TAV had a healthy dose of swings from outside hitters Brynn Stephens and Lexi Martin. Setter Sophee Peterson was able to orchestrate quite the offense where both of these attackers were scoring from the backrow and outside combining for 12 kills alone in set one. The tone was also set at the net with multiple stuff blocks by Keagan Flowers and Nyla Livings. Whenever LOVB seemed to generate some momentum, it was quickly quieted by Stephens and Martin. TAV would go on to win set one 25-18.
At the start of set two, it was apparent the message for LOVB 17 Angel was get middle blocker Kendall Omoryuri involved. Omoryuri is the top overall prospect in Prep Dig’s Class of 2027 and will be taking her talents to Nebraska. It was two swings and two kills early. Much like in set two, TAV responded with a maturity and trust among each other where they kept their focus, generating momentum of their own. With the outsides having a big first set, setter Sophee Peterson took full advantage of one on one opportunities to feed middles Keagan Flowers and Nyla Livings while right side Naomi Livings chipped in kills. Midway through set two it was all TAV. They were running on all cylinders and would close out the set two 25-14, winning the match 2-0.
Sophee Peterson was named MVP where she’s had quite a junior year of high school. She led her high school team of Byron Nelson in the Ft Worth area to an undefeated record and number one national ranking while being named National Gatorade Player of the Year.
With many of these athletes graduating early next year, this will be the last year of playing together for TAV. And what a legacy they are leaving with Triple Crown titles in 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026. This team is a future first ballot squad at the NIT Hall of Fame!
