Central volleyball finding old form with repeat title at Nita Vannoy Tournament

It was almost inevitable that San Angelo Central volleyball made the Nita Vannoy gold bracket championship game.

The Lady Cats entered the title game undefeated without dropping a set in their four tournament wins to set up a championship defense against Andrews.

Last year was the same story for Central. It swept through pool and bracket play, then beat the Mustangs in the final. This year produced the same result with a 25-16, 25-17 victory, claiming back-to-back Nita Vannoy Championships.

The win vaults Central to 12-0 on the season with two tournament championships, zero set losses and a spot at No. 9 in the Class 6A TGCA rankings.

"It's a testament to how hard the girls work, and I'm super proud of them," coach Julie Williams said. "I think we've been tested a couple of times and they've always seemed to find their way out of it. They're a resilient team, a very good team and I hope that we can just keep this going."

Tournament championships and dominant wins did not come in bunches for Central in the recent past. Like every sport in high school, there are ups, downs and bumps along the road to success.

The turbulence began when legendary coach Connie Bozarth retired after the 2019 season. She helped restore the program to district and postseason relevance, leaving with 809 career wins ― 20th all-time among Texas coaches.

SAISD hired Williams and her first season was shortened to 14 matches by the COVID-19 pandemic. In her second year, Central did not qualify for the gold bracket at the Nita Vannoy Tournament as she worked to establish a new culture and help a young roster develop.

Williams and the Lady Cats harvested the fruits of their development in 2023, grabbing their first playoff win in seven years .

Now, Central is led by a trio of seniors, Journi Jones, Sam Cardona and program single-season kill leader Emilee Sikora . The three are flanked by a wealth of talent and experience, starting with junior Gigi Mackie and two varsity newcomers in sophomore Sydney Crooks and junior Ady Welch.

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It is the first time in Williams' tenure Central is the favorite to win its district and make a multi-round postseason run.

And while the near future looks incredibly bright, the long term shines just as intensely.

Last week, the freshman team won the silver bracket at Veribest's Falcon Fest tournament, where some of the area's best small-school programs compete. At the same tournament, the Central JV 2 team won silver after a hard-fought match against Class 2A No. 3 Sonora . On Saturday, the Central JV team won the Nita Vannoy silver bracket championship, three years after the varsity placed third in the same bracket.

"Our sub-varsities are stacked," Williams said. "They're doing really well, this incoming freshman class we had, along with the sophomores we kept, they're stacked."

So while success can be fleeting in high school sports, programs with an established culture and history of winning often bounce back after a few snags along the journey. And for the Central volleyball program, those tough days feel like a long-forgotten past.

"This program, we're getting it going in the right direction since we've been here," Williams said. "They had a history, a tradition before I got here ... We had a rough first couple of years when a new coach comes in and there's change and but I think that these girls all the way down to middle schools, have done a really good job of adjusting to the different sets and the different stuff that I run, and I think you're going to see that for several years to come."

47th Nita Vannoy Volleyball Tournament Results

Friday Results

At Central High School

Pool 1

• San Angelo Central JV def Pecos: 25-16, 25-18
• Cedar Hill def Forsan: 25-12, 25-6
• Cedar Hill def Pecos: 25-16, 26-24
• San Angelo Central JV def Forsan: 25-10, 25-20
• Pecos def Forsan: 15-25, 25-18, 26-24
• Cedar Hill def San Angelo Central JV: 25-23, 25-23

Pool 5

• San Angelo Central def Clint Horizon: 25-12, 25-13
• Lubbock High def Levelland: 20-25, 26-24, 25-22
• San Angelo Central def Levelland: 25-10, 25-5
• Lubbock High def Clint Horizon: 26-24, 28-26
• San Angelo Central def Lubbock High: 25-7, 25-13
• Clint Horizon def Levelland: 25-20, 25-13

At Lone Star Middle School

Pool 6

• Plainview def Alpine: 25-16, 25-22
• Bronte def Miles: 21-25, 25-17, 25-17
• Alpine def Bronte: 25-22, 20-25, 25-22
• Plainview def Miles: 25-28, 17-25, 25-12
• Alpine def Miles: 23-25, 25-19, 30-29
• Plainview def Bronte: 25-22, 25-20

At Lincoln Middle School

Pool 3

• El Paso Jefferson def TLCA San Angelo: 25-7, 25-17
• Wink def Grape Creek: 25-6, 25-14
• El Paso Jefferson def Grape Creek: 19-25, 25-13, 25-14
• Wink def TLCA San Angelo: 25-16, 25-8
• Wink def El Paso Jefferson: 25-19, 25-21
• San Angelo TLCA def Grape Creek: 25-14, 20-25, 26-24

Pool 7

• Hawley def Buena Vista: 25-16, 25-15
• Water Valley def Benjamin 25-15, 25-17
• Water Valley def Buena Vista: 25-19, 25-13
• Hawley def Benjamin: 25-17, 18-25, 25-19
• Benjamin def Buena Vista: 25-15, 25-20, 25-13
• Hawley def Water Valley: 21-25, 25-23, 25-21

At Lake View High School

Pool 4

• Sonora def Angelo Saints Homeschool 25-18, 25-15
• Andrews def Wall 25-18, 25-23
• Andrews def Sonora 25-11, 25-18
• Wall def Angelo Saints Homeschool 25-14, 25-7
• Wall def Sonora: 25-21, 24-26, 25-21
• Andrews def Angelo Saints Homeschool 25-20, 25-4

Pool 8

• Fort Stockton def Sterling City 25-21, 25-21
• Veribest def San Angelo Lake View 25-13, 25-13
• Veribest def Fort Stockton 25-21, 25-23
• Sterling City def San Angelo Lake View 25-20, 25-18
• Fort Stockton def San Angelo Lake View 25-18, 25-4
• Sterling City def Veribest 30-29, 16-25, 25-21

Saturday's schedule

Gold Division

At Central High School

Game 1: San Angelo Central, bye

Game 2: Cedar Hill def Veribest

Game 3: Andrews def Plainview

Game 4: Wink def Hawley

Game 5: Central def Cedar Hill

Game 6: Andrews def Wink

Game 7: Veribest, bye

Game 8: Plainview def Hawley

Game 10: Plainview def Veribest

Game 11: Cedar Hill def Wink

Game 12: Central def Andrews 25-16, 25-17

Final results

1. Central
2. Andrews
3. Cedar Hill
4. Wink
5. Plainview
6. Veribest
7. Hawley

Silver Division

At Lake View High School

Game 1: Water Valley, bye

Game 2: Fort Stockton def Wall

Game 3: Central JV def Alpine

Game 4: El Paso Jefferson def Lubbock High

Game 5: Fort Stockton def Water Valley

Game 6: Central JV def El Paso Jefferson

Game 7: Wall, bye

Game 8: Alpine def Lubbock High

Game 10: Wall def. Alpine

Game 11: Water Valley def El Paso Jefferson

Game 12: Central JV def Fort Stockton

Final Results

1. Central JV
2. Fort Stockton
3. Water Valley
4. El Paso Jefferson
5. Wall
6. Alpine
7. Lubbock High

Bronze Division

At Lone Star Middle School

Game 1: Bronte, bye

Game 2: Clint Horizon def Benjamin

Game 3: Sonora def Pecos

Game 4: Sterling City def San Angelo TLCA

Game 5: Bronte def Clint Horizon

Game 6: Sonora def Sterling City

Game 7: Benjamin, bye

Game 8: San Angelo TLCA def Pecos

Game 10: Benjamin def San Angelo TLCA

Game 11: Horizon def Sterling City

Game 12: Sonora def Bronte

Final Results

1. Sonora
2. Bronte
3. Clint Horizon
4. Sterling City
5. Benjamin
6. TLCA San Angelo
7. Pecos

Bronze Challenger Division

At Lincoln Middle School

Game 1: Miles, bye

Game 2: Grape Creek def Buena Vista

Game 3: Levelland def Lake View

Game 4: Forsan def San Angelo Saints Homeschool

Game 5: Miles def Grape Creek

Game 6: Forsan def Levelland

Game 7: Buena Vista, bye

Game 8: San Angelo Saints Homeschool def Lake View

Game 10: Buena Vista def San Angelo Saints Homeschool

Game 11: Levelland def Grape Creek

Game 12: Forsan def Miles

Final Results

1. Forsan
2. Miles
3. Levelland
4. Grape Creek
5. Buena Vista
6. San Angelo Saints Homeschool
7. Lake View

Paul Witwer covers high school sports and Angelo State University sports for The San Angelo Standard-Times. Reach him at sports@gosanangelo.com . Follow him on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, @Paul_Witwer .

This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: Central volleyball finding old form with repeat title at Nita Vannoy Tournament