by Adam Burns
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jaidyn Jager ponders a question for a few seconds just moments after taking celebratory photos up on the big stage with her Coast Volleyball Club 18s squad after an improbable Triple Crown Sports NIT championship run inside the Kansas City Convention Center on Monday afternoon. A teammate held the 18u Elite Champions banner while the trophy sat just in front on the stage floor. Jager and the rest of her team and coaches gathered around the centerpiece, donning championship medals. Some players would later take more photos pretending to take chunks out of the medals, presumably to plaster the exciting photos on social media channels. Just like Olympians would. Because that’s what champions do, right? Back to what Jager was pondering. The 6-foot-1 outside hitter was asked how her San Diego-based squad knocked off tourney favorite Texas Advantage Volleyball which finished 8-1. “We just stayed together,” said Jager, an Indiana University commit. “Game after game, we just stayed with each other with great energy.” After starting the NIT with a 1-2 record, Coast rattled off six straight wins to claim the NIT 18s Elite Championships trophy, culminating with a thrilling comeback victory over TAV (24-26, 25-23, 17-15) in the title match — which was jampacked with viewers on-site and on television on ESPN3. “Once we realized how many people were watching and that it was on TV and all that, it definitely made us a little nervous, but once we started playing everything just kind of clicked,” Jager said. The victory over TAV had a bit of revenge involved, as well. The TAV team is chockful of highly recruited Division I commits. “They beat us in three sets down in Texas and seeing them here this weekend, it was super obvious they’re an amazing team,” Jager said. “But we had the support and communication and trying to make smart plays and that’s what wins.” Much like the whole NIT experience, the title match win didn’t come easy. Coast was required to come from behind. After TAV — led by University of Texas-bound Macaria Spears, Favor Anyanwu (USC), Jadyn Livings (USC) and Suli Davis (BYU) — earned a back-and-forth first-set victory, the Dallas-based club held reasonable leads until Coast overcame a 6-point deficit for its first lead of the set at 23-22. Coast used that momentum to elevate them to the come-from-behind effort, including a 6-1 lead into the third set. But TAV displayed its strength for a 6-2 run to cut the advantage to 8-7. Coast held TAV at bay until the score was knotted at 14-all and again at 15-apiece. Then, after a TAV block made it 16-15, Saren Rogers (Point Loma University) sealed it with a title-clinching kill. “We’re just trying to be the best team we can be,” Coast head coach Ozhan Bahrambeygui said. “We lost leads and we dropped games, but I think we responded with poise, determination and hope.” Bahrambeygui called his squad “an incredibly fun group,” adding that it’s helpful in moments such as Monday afternoon. Jager, meanwhile, admitted to some hesitations early in the weekend. “We were definitely a little nervous, but in the end, we just came with a lot of energy (Sunday-Monday),” she said. “After having that and going through those first three games, it helped us a lot with our confidence.” Coast, mainstays of the NIT in Kansas City, finished 7-2 overall. “For the players, coaches and fans, this is by far their favorite event. For sure. People can’t wait to come out here. Plus, they like the barbeque,” Bahrambeygui said. They stay together to experience big tournament wins and good food, apparently. |
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