Tulsa Kelley regains 5A volleyball crown
Tulsa Kelley regains 5A volleyball crown

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By Brandon Chatmon

Published: October 14, 2007

SAPULPA — Tulsa Kelley came back with a vengeance, and the Comets have the gold to prove it.

After a surprising loss in last year's state tournament, Tulsa Kelley continued its championship tradition, winning the Class 5A state volleyball title with a 3-0, (25-13, 25-22, 25-19) win over Bishop McGuinness on Saturday night at Sapulpa High School.

It was the school's 11th title — the seventh under coach Jerri Wadsworth

"It's awesome. It's amazing,” said senior Jordan Hammond, the lone Comet with two titles. "It's a lot better than the first one. I participated more, and it meant more.”

After heading into state undefeated against Class 5A teams, Tulsa Kelley dominated the tournament, sweeping all three matches.

"I don't think anybody had as many weapons as we did,” Wadsworth said. "We had too many weapons for people to contend with, we hit the ball from anywhere on the court, and that gives people a lot of problems.”

The Comets rebounded from the disappointment of last year's state tournament loss by knocking off defending state champion McAlester 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-18) in the semifinals.

"That was rough,” Hammond said of last year's disappointment. "It was really, really sad. We could have won, but we let it go. We felt like we let everybody down.

"We weren't going to lose this year. We were determined.”

Said Wadsworth: "We weren't very experienced last year, but we used that experience to catapult us.”

The Comets' balance and depth, led by Hammond, tournament co-MVPs Amy Lewis and Maggie Hepner, were too much for McGuinness to handle.