SAPULPA — Tulsa Kelley came back with a vengeance, and the Comets have the gold to prove it.
Advertisement
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.
Thank you for joining our conversations on newsok. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
Thank you for joining our conversations on newsok. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Log in below or sign up (it's free).