Lady Cats win, defend tourney title

SA Times -Over the course of six matches in two days, the Central High School volleyball team went from playing Veribest to being the very best. Friday morning the Lady Cats opened play in the Nita Vannoy Memorial Tournament with a dominating victory over Veribest High School and made that dominance last all the way through Saturday night’s championship.

With a 25-16, 25-18 title victory over Monahans, the Lady Cats (14-2) won the tournament for the second straight year as a thick sense of déjà vu hung over the gym. Just like last year the title matchup was Central vs. Monahans. Just like last year Central’s Stephanie Starnes was named the tournament MVP. Just like last year Central’s Regan Darby was named the tournament’s Outstanding Setter.“It was a big repeat,” said Starnes, who had six kills and 4.5 blocks in the championship match. It’s a repeat the Lady Cats will gladly accept.

“I really got a sense of how tough we are mentally and physically,” said Central head coach Connie Bozarth, whose team has now won 10 straight matches. “It shows me how deep we are, and I’m more confident than ever.”

The victory over Monahans followed the Lady Cats’ 25-7, 25-10 quarterfinal win over El Paso Hanks and a 25-18, 25-22 win over Midland Lee in the semifinals. Lee won the third-place match 25-23, 25-23 over Odessa High.

In addition to Starnes’ and Regan Darby’s honors, Central’s Ashley Darby was named the tournament’s Outstanding Defensive Player and Lyric Ross was named to the All-Tournament team. “Starnes gets lots of attention and rightly so. She’s just so powerful,” Bozarth said. “…Lyric had never played outside (hitter, where she did much of the tournament). It’s perfect for her with those long arms to be able to reach, and I’m really proud of her. “You can’t say enough about Regan. She’s what makes us go. … This was a debut for (Ashley Darby) as far as really showcasing her defensive talent. She’s really turned into a great back row leader and director.”

In keeping with the déjà vu theme, Saturday’s championship was the second time Central and Monahans (12-3) had played in the past three days. The Lady Cats swept the Lady Loboes Thursday in a non-district contest before the tournament. “When we played them Thursday I told the Monahans girls, ‘We’ll see you Saturday night in the championship,’ ” Bozarth said. “They are just such a good solid program. “Now we’ve played them three times (a preseason scrimmage included) but they aren’t ever a team you can feel comfortable against. They are just too well coached and too aggressive.”

Even with all the similarities to last year’s tournament, there were differences. Monahans coach Patty Dominguez said Central looks even better than they did in 2006. “They have more speed this year,” Dominguez said. “The setter was good last year but she’s added some extra finesse. “Of course Starnes is putting the ball away nine out of ten times. … The supporting cast has gotten a lot stronger.” While several members of the Lady Cats had gone through a Vannoy Tournament title celebration before, Central’s Mary Delaughter was enjoying her first. Delaughter played a big role for the Lady Cats when Stacy Teston when down with an ankle injury Friday (though Teston is expected to be well enough to play again next week). “It was really exciting just to get to play. I’m just a reserve,” said Delaughter, who had six kills in the championship match. “Hopefully it will allow coach to see my abilities and what I can do.”