By Chris Fitzgerald
PrepDig.com KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Michigan and Ohio. Of course it’s a rivalry. Legacy 16 Adidas out of the Detroit Metro and Mintonette m.61 out of Columbus, Ohio put on quite a show for the 16 Elite Championship match at NIT Triple Crown with Legacy outlasting Mintonette taking home the title 26-24, 18-25, 15-7. These two teams are no strangers to the spotlight or to each other. I actually was courtside two weeks ago when they faced off at Central Zone in Indianapolis with Legacy winning a three set battle. Mintonette has plenty of big game match experience with winning the 15 Open AAU National Title and was 15 Open runner up at USAV Junior Nationals in 2023. The championship match just feels a little different compared to the rest of the event. Throw in a DJ, TV Cameras, and ESPN 3 - it makes for one of the biggest stages in club volleyball. “This is huge. So much fun and so much pressure. Pressure is a privilege where we get to play in an atmosphere like this,” said outside hitter Gabi DiVita of Legacy. Set one started with both teams trading points. It was a battle or the outsides with DiVita of Legacy having three kills in first rotation through as well as Layla Hoying doing the same for Mintonette. Hoying had a huge set one with eight kills and an ace. However the balance of Legacy and setter Eva Long picking up three kills on her own when Legacy needed it the most. The club from Detroit would sneak a set one victory 26-24. Mintonette would answer in set two with a balanced attack, another dose of Hoying, and aggressive serving. Setter Mallory Matheny was able to get everyone involved starting with right side Lyla Stewart who had three early kills, followed by middle blocker Alia Schoonover connecting on some quick tempo sets as well as a slide to really spread the defense. With the defense keying on all attackers, that allowed Hoying to fire away where she had six kills and a block. Mintonette would take the set 25-18, forcing a set three winner take all. “I think we lost some of our confidence and our serve receive wasn’t quite there. We needed to believe in ourselves and do what we do best,” said DiVita. Legacy needed to recharge and get their “swag” back. They did that and then some to storm the deciding set. “Ricky (Coach Ricky Cottrill) talks a lot about us having swag. Lots of confidence and energy. Coming out in a game this big it’s a pressure situation and we kept that in mind and it paid off.” Balance and energy was key for Legacy in set three. They jumped out to a 4-1 lead, then extended it to 8-1. Kayla Nwabueze had two blocks to get their side hyped while outside Aubree Deshetsky chipped in three kills. Legacy continued to build upon their lead where they were running on all cylinders. DiVita would finish with 11 kills for the match enroute to 15-7 set three victory claiming the crown. It’s back to the gym for this Legacy squad where their 15s and 17s were also in gold bracket contention on day three. Legacy won titles in 2020 with their 15s and 18s. They will be one of the top clubs in the running for “Club Champion” at NIT given to the club with the best overall finish in the event. |
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