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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."
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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
- Central
- Andrews
- Cedar Hill
- Wink
- Plainview
- Veribest
- 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
- Central JV
- Fort Stockton
- Water Valley
- El Paso Jefferson
- Wall
- Alpine
- 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
- Sonora
- Bronte
- Clint Horizon
- Sterling City
- Benjamin
- TLCA San Angelo
- 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
- Forsan
- Miles
- Levelland
- Grape Creek
- Buena Vista
- San Angelo Saints Homeschool
- 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
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