This is “Dots,” VolleyballMag.com’s weekly look at 10 things in high school volleyball, past or present, that interest me and hopefully will interest you. Look for Dots every Tuesday until the last high school state championship in November:
• Volleypalooza, the 68-team behemoth in Texas near Austin, featured most of the best of the Lone Star State as well as California powers Cathedral Catholic and Mater Dei. The top four teams still standing on Saturday afternoon were the top four seeds to open the three-day tournament.
Boy did they put on a show!
Top-seeded Prestonwood Christian Academy, featuring OHs Cari Spears and Jadyn Livings, edged Grand Oaks, the top large public school in Texas, in three sets to make the final.
On the other side of the bracket, Mater Dei, the 2021 champion, ended 2022 national champion Cathedral Catholic’s 50-match winning streak, 28-26, 25-23.
Grand Oaks, which features standouts Jaela Auguste and Samara Coleman, then knocked off Jenna Hanes and Cathedral Catholic, 25-23 in the third, to claim third place overall.
That left Prestonwood to battle undefeated Mater Dei for the title.
Coach Dan O’Dell said that Mater Dei played its best match of the tournament in the final, winning 25-21, 25-18.
The Monarchs passed a 2.61 for the match, led by libero Malyssa Cawa, who was unreal in serve-receive (2.75) and had 16 digs. Pins Layli Ostovar, Isabel Clark and Cymarah Gordon combined for 24 kills, most on sweet sets from Julia Kakkis, in the win.
“Our ability to side out consistently got us early leads and made Prestonwood have to play from behind,” O’Dell said. “They made some uncharacteristic mistakes as a result. I was really proud of the team; we mixed and matched lineups a lot to overcome several injuries and whoever was on the court truly stepped up each time. It was just a great experience and weekend for us.”
• The win improved Mater Dei’s record to 12-0 on the year heading into today’s showdown versus Mira Costa, the current No. 1 team in California.
“We’ve kind of had this season circled for a while since we were starting four sophomores two years ago the season we lost to Marymount in the CIF Finals,” O’Dell explained. “I know the talent is there to be great this year. With five D1 commits, plus a star sophomore in Layli Ostovar, it’s just a matter of figuring out how to come together and maximize the pieces to the best of our…
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