LAS VEGAS INVITATIONAL: Bishop Gorman falls short in final
The Bishop Gorman boys volleyball team came up short in the Las Vegas Invitational, losing 26-24, 25-14 to California powerhouse Beckman in the championship match on Saturday at Shadow Ridge. But the Gaels showed Southern Nevada they will be a force this season.
The Gaels finished the tournament with eight wins in 10 matches and advanced to the finals by eliminating Shadow Ridge 25-20, 25-22 in the semifinals.
“I’m absolutely proud of our effort in this tournament,” Bishop Gorman coach Kyle Krauss said. “These guys have been working hard all year, and some of these guys have been working hard for the last three to four years. I’m just looking forward to continuing this hard work. This loss is just something that we’re going to build off of in the future. It’s a good experience for us and we’re going to live and learn.”
The Gaels played inspired volleyballball against the Patriots, who won their third consecutive Las Vegas Invitational title.
The score was tight throughout the first set as senior outside hitters Charles Pollnow and Will Hafen kept Bishop Gorman close with timely blocks and kills.
The Gaels even had a chance to win the first set after a Beckman return landed in the net, giving Bishop Gorman a 24-23 lead. However, the Gaels were not able to take advantage of the opportunity to close out the set.
With the score tied at 24-24, tournament Most Valuable Player Brayden Wiley’s perfectly-placed corner ace between two Gaels gave the Patriots a 25-24 lead. Then, Spencer Olivier, who has committed to play volleyball at Long Beach State, finished off the Gaels with one of his 13 kills.
The close loss seemed to take the energy away from the Gaels in the second set, as the Patriots jumped out to a 17-9 lead and never looked back.
“We just kind of lost our composure at the end there,” Krauss said. “Sometimes the games get a little tough at the end, and we just have to learn from it and move on.
“It’s going to make us better. This experience is going to make us grow as a team, and that’s the reason why we play in these tournaments.”
Pollnow had 10 kills, six digs, three aces and two blocks to lead Gorman. Hafen had eight kills and four digs, and junior setter Trevor Papock had three digs, two aces and 20 assists.
Hafen and Pollnow were named to the all-tournament team.
“The last three to four years, they’ve been really working hard for these moments,” Krauss said. “And they’re seniors now, so we expect that from them. We’re putting the weight on their shoulders and they’re responding pretty well right now. But we’ve got a long road to go before the end of the season.”
Durango defeated Green Valley 28-26, 25-13 to win the Silver bracket. Jalen Clark led the Trailblazers with 10 aces, 79 kills and 77 digs in the tournament. Andre Shabazz added 14 kills, 216 assists and 58 digs for Durango, which went 6-3 in the tournament.
Legacy defeated Cimarron-Memorial 18-25, 26-24, 15-8 to win the Bronze bracket.
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Las Vegas Invitational
Saturday’s Results
Arbor View d. Mojave, 25-12, 25-17
Arbor View d. Foothill, 25-13, 25-17
Arbor View d. Coronado, 25-20, 26-24
Arbor View d. Centennial, 25-18, 25-17
Beckman (Calif.) d. Legacy, 25-12, 25-16
Beckman (Calif.) d. Arbor View, 25-14, 25-21
Bishop Gorman d. Green Valley, 25-22, 25-15
Bishop Gorman d. Desert Oasis, 25-19, 25-15
Bishop Gorman d. Burbank (Calif.), 25-16, 25-8
Bishop Gorman d. Cienega (Ariz.), 25-17, 25-18
Bishop Gorman d. Shadow Ridge, 25-20, 25-22
Bonanza d. Spring Valley, 25-15, 25-14
Burbank (Calif.) d. Legacy, 25-23, 25-21
Centennial d. Desert Oasis, 25-15, 25-14
Centennial d. Green Valley, 25-22, 18-25, 15-12
Centennial d. Bishop Gorman, 21-25, 25-23, 15-13
Cheyenne d. Clark, 25-14, 25-18
Cheyenne d. Spring Valley, 25-19, 25-21
Cheyenne d. Del Sol, 25-20, 25-10
Cienega (Ariz.) d. Foothill, 25-14, 25-18
Cienega (Ariz.) d. Mojave, 25-12, 25-17
Cienega (Ariz.) d. Arbor View, 25-18, 25-22
Cimarron-Memorial d. Cheyenne, 25-18, 25-18
Cimarron-Memorial d. Clark, 25-20, 25-11
Cimarron-Memorial d. Mission Hills (Calif.), 25-22, 25-20
Cimarron-Memorial d. Liberty, 25-20, 19-25, 16-14
Cimarron-Memorial d. Salpointe Catholic (Ariz.), 25-20, 25-21
Cimarron-Memorial d. Desert Oasis, 25-14, 25-16
Coronado d. Salpointe Catholic (Ariz.), 25-18, 25-20
Coronado d. Durango, 25-21, 23-25, 15-7
Desert Oasis d. Rancho, 27-25, 22-25, 15-12
Del Sol d. Clark, 25-15, 26-28, 15-4
Durango d. Salpointe Catholic (Ariz.), 25-23, 22-25, 15-11
Durango d. Foothill, 25-15, 25-21
Durango d. Burbank (Calif.), 26-24, 23-25, 15-13
El Dorado (Calif.) d. Legacy, 25-21, 25-19
Foothill d. Mojave, 22-25, 25-17, 15-13
Green Valley d. Desert Oasis, 25-15, 25-23
Green Valley d. El Dorado (Calif.), 25-20, 16-25, 15-11
Green Valley d. Coronado, 25-17, 25-16
Legacy d. Sierra Vista, 17-25, 25-20, 15-12
Liberty d. Cheyenne, 25-23, 25-22
Liberty d. Clark, 25-22, 25-22
Liberty d. Valley, 25-11, 26-28, 15-12
Liberty d. Ramona (Calif.), 25-15, 25-13
Mission Hills (Calif.) d. Clark, 25-11, 25-17
Mission Hills (Calif.) d. Liberty, 25-21, 21-25, 15-6
Mission Hills (Calif.) d. Cheyenne, 25-19, 25-18
Mission Hills (Calif.) d. Silverado, 20-25, 25-21, 15-5
Mission Hills (Calif.) d. Liberty, 15-25, 25-17, 15-7
Ramona (Calif.) d. Bonanza, 25-23, 26-24
Ramona (Calif.) d. Spring Valley, 25-17, 25-18
Rancho d. Valley, 25-16, 25-22
Rancho d. Del Sol, 26-24, 25-13
Shadow Ridge d. Durango, 25-22, 25-15
Shadow Ridge d. Salpointe Catholic (Ariz.), 25-11, 23-25, 19-17
Shadow Ridge d. Coronado, 25-21, 25-19
Sierra Vista d. Spring Valley, 25-15, 25-18
Sierra Vista d. Bonanza, 25-20, 25-21
Sierra Vista d. Ramona (Calif.), 25-17, 22-25, 15-12
Sierra Vista d. Mojave, 25-22, 25-22
Silverado d. Rancho, 25-22, 23-25, 15-8
Silverado d. Del Sol, 25-6, 25-22
Silverado d. Bonanza, 25-23, 17-25, 15-10
Valley d. Del Sol, 25-20, 25-13
Valley d. Silverado, 25-23, 25-15
Bronze Final, Legacy d. Cimarron-Memorial, 18-25, 26-24, 15-8
Silver Final, Durango d. Green Valley, 28-26, 25-13
Championship, Beckman (Calif.) d. Bishop Gorman, 26-24, 25-14
