Shiner wins Lady Flyers tournament
Wednesday, August 19, 2007
Wes Bloomquist, Advocate Sports Writer
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Caitlin Kalich set it up while Amber Stratman and Ieisha Flowers slammed it down Saturday to help Shiner clinch the Lady Flyers volleyball tournament championship.
The Lady Comanches took a close match over St. Joseph 25-22, 25-14, 24-26, 18-25, 15-11 to earn the championship and move their record to 5-0.
Kalich led Shiner with 46 assists in the championship game.
"She let those big hitters hit," Shiner head coach Michelle Winkenwerder said. "You can't be any happier than that. It really starts with the passing, and she did a great job."
Stratman, who took tournament MVP honors, had four aces and nine kills in the championship game. Flowers was named to the all-tournament team after coming away with 20 kills against the Lady Flyers, along with Alyssa Strauss.
St. Joseph battled back after dropping the first two sets, but couldn't hold off Shiner in the fifth set.
"We've been wanting to get to the championship game for a couple of years and we finally made it," St. Joseph head coach Suzanne Valenzuela said. "We did a really good job by coming back after losing the first two games. I was excited with the way we played. We came a little short, but I'm proud of the way we fought to the end."
Morgan Zimmer led the Lady Flyers with 14 kills, while Julie Cooper set up her teammates with 24 assists. Jade Chapa picked up 18 digs for St. Joseph in the championship, with Kathleen Cullen adding 13 kills and 17 digs.
Cullen was named to the all-tournament team, along with teammate Lauren Vansickle.
Hallettsville Sacred Heart's Emily Gallia and Cuero's Megan Lange were also named all-tournament performers.
Sacred Heart captured third place with a 25-14, 25-21 win over Shiner St. Paul. Gallia had four kills and seven assists in the third-place game, while Kaylie Steffek had five aces, four kills and seven digs. Jill McElroy had three kills and four digs for St. Paul.
The Lady Flyers came into the championship game after taking a three-set match against Sacred Heart. St. Joseph came from behind to win 27-29, 25-14, 28-26. Cullen led St. Joseph with eight kills, 16 digs and adding two blocks. Cooper set her teammates up with 16 assists, while Summer Brooks slammed down 11 kills and had seven blocks against Sacred Heart.
Shiner reached the championship game with a 25-19, 28-26 win over St. Paul. Kalich came up with 25 assists and seven points, while Amber Stratman put down 10 kills for the Lady Comanches. Alyssa Strauss also had a strong match, picking up 9 kills and 10 digs against the Lady Cardinals.
Cuero claimed the consolation match with a 25-14, 20-25, 25-16 win over Ganado. Alyssa Putnam picked up 13 assists and three digs for the Lady Gobblers, while Laura Hahn knocked down nine kills along with her three blocks. Desi Poth had six kills and five digs.
Wes Bloomquist is a sports writer for the Victoria Advocate.
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