CIS, Cinderella Story of the Triple Crown, Finishes Second
They started as seed – did it really matter? In a tournament of the top teams in the country where the top clubs are stacked into power pools, Central Iowa Select 15M was the third seed in Challenge Pool H. In the grand scheme of the Triple Crown Presidents Day Tournament in Kansas City it would have been an achievement to advance to a challenge match, finishing in the top half of their pool on day one. However, for the nine athletes of Central Iowa Select 15M there were alternative plans.
One match a time they just kept winning. There was nothing flashy about it, just really clean volleyball, and a team who just had the feel of great chemistry, unselfishness, and every match a growing confidence.
Parents weren’t the only ones on hand to witness this steady climb to the top. On Sunday for their first challenge match to break into the top 32, college coaches starting flocking to their court with Nebraska, Northern Iowa, Wisconsin, Baylor, Kansas State, and Illinois to name a few. It was the coming out part for Hayden Kubik, the Class of 2022 high rising outside hitter who is a Freshman at West Des Moines Valley High School. who is definitely the go to of the team with her aggressive approach, heavy arm, and ability to play six rotations where she is such a solid defender at the net and backcourt that can score points in a variety of ways.
Absolutely loooved watching @MadiKubik play, but Hayden Kubik is not the future, but the NOW! Having such a strong tournament for @CISvolleyball pic.twitter.com/g2VkCKVUFl
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) February 18, 2019
However, this team is balanced, its gritty, and doesn’t panic – they just play through it, and find a way to win. After watching this journey through the tournament they definitely take on the persona of their coach Tina Carter, who also serves as the coach at Grand View ( a top NAIA program ). Carter is calm, constantly teaching, encouraging, and extremely positive with her team – cool, calm, collected – thats just how they roll.
Sunday was a big day, the challenge match to start their afternoon they weren’t supposed to win, but swept Boomers out Florida, same with Absolute out of North Carolina setting up a Sunday night sweet sixteen matchup with Skyline out of Texas that produces some of the top recruits in the nation and is always in the mix when it comes to competing for a national title. After trading the first two sets, CIS continued to play clean volleyball winning 15-10 in the third and a date in Mondays elite eight.
View this post on Instagram@centraliowaselect is final four bound. One of the top tournaments in the country at @tcsports
Heading into Monday, the final eight clubs were loaded with some of the best talent in the, again this is an invite tournament where only the top clubs compete with teams from Hawaii to Florida, the powerhouses of Texas, and Ohio. The opening match of the morning was against OTVA out of Florida who always have teams playing for hardware at national events. Once again trading the first two sets, CIS jumped out to a big lead, almost uncomfortable. Could this really be happening? With frequent glances to score, and the lead dwindling Coach Carter called a timeout just to settle her team down, keeping things simple and just playing volleyball. A few deep breaths later CIS was heading to the final four with a 15-12 win in set three. The semifinals against AVC (Cleveland), another national powerhouse, it couldn’t have been any closer with a first set win 27-25, a late rally falling short in set two, and once again the moment of could they win just one more? Yes, a back and forth third set went in favor of CIS 15-13. This team just closes. The finals with Nebraska Premier, who was an electrifying, balanced team out of the Omaha area was just too much for CIS. After a close set one going in favor of Premier 27-25, they would go on to win the title 25-20. To have two teams from the Midwest finish atop of the podium is a feat in itself.
Who are the pieces to the puzzle and how did they get there?
The first contact was on point all weekend, keeping CIS in system, and rolling with shoots and slides right from the get go in serve receive. The defenders of Olivia Lombardi (only an 8th grader), Abby Staun, and Alayna Finucan all play significant time. Lombardi and Finucan both at libero and Staun in right back. Nails, passing nails. So tough, clean first contact, under control, efficient with their movement, and great communicators. They work well together and carry themselves with solid body language even if things don’t go their way.
Setter Lauren Carter of Winterset runs the show. Again, another cool, calm, and collected athlete who just plays within herself and gets the ball to her hitters with the best option. Kubik is always a threat, but Carter can run the shoot and the slide to their middles with ease. She’s dependable, her hitters know she is going to get the ball to the spot for them to do their thing. Her intangible just might be her volleyball IQ. She doesn’t attack often, but when she does its effective. Against Nebraska Premier in the championship she dumped it with her left hand behind her head to a wide open spot on the court. Money!
The middles complement each other so well. Chloe Largent, who can also play outside, has incredible hangtime and athleticism. So tough to stop when CIS was in system with an up tempo set, and also has the ability to adjust, she’s just that athletic. Myah Shipley has the high contact, the long arms, and is springy. Get her on a slide and she has options, defensively she can close the block with her quick lateral movement and not only can press with the best of her age group, but alters shots which can give their side a freeball once again giving them multiple options. Her ceiling is so high.
On the pin there’s Kubik, yes, her older sister is Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year, Madi Kubik who is enrolled early this spring at Nebraska and they were able to have one year wearing a Valley Tiger jersey together, finishing in the state semifinals (and don’t worry…there are more, younger Kubik’s coming up). Hayden Kubik carries herself with such composure, beyond all of her physical attributes as a volleyball player, she is a leader and putting herself in position to be the next “Iowa Girl” to rise to the top of the volleyball ranks. When Kubik goes to the backrow, in comes Calli Coppola to the front row who is absolute dynamite. She could be 5’8, maybe 5’9, but aggressive and has a full repertoire of shots where she can score or just get the defense out of position. Incredibly efficient, she is a blend of power and finesse and is so fun to watch with the passion she plays with.
Dasha Svitashev, the right side. What a moment Monday morning when the team was closing in on a victory against OTVA in the quarterfinals. They had a lead, it would be natural to play a little conservative with a few tips and roll shots here and there. After a tip by Svitashev, Coach Carter said with encouragement, “Swing, be aggressive”. Next time up, she swings, she scores, major high fives all around, all the feels. As a player, as a coach, to be aggressive and come out with success in a crucial situation goes far beyond just the sport, but the confidence to be successful when times are tough.
Championship courts at @triplecrownspts with @LegacyLvc vs. @tximg and @Premier_VB vs. @CISvolleyball pic.twitter.com/3TREdaU6fd
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) February 18, 2019
Never count out an “Iowa Girl”, there is pride, tradition, and history no matter what the occasion may be. On social media there were other clubs cheering this team on. When an Iowa club has success like this, it reflects on the whole region, and from the three seed in Challenge Pool H to the podium, playing in the finals of one of the toughest tournaments in the country this wasn’t only a reflection of their own hard work, but a statement to the rest of the country what Iowa volleyball is all about.
What a ride this weekend for @CISvolleyball – you can just tell this team plays for each other, has great chemistry, and is well coached. To finish second at this tournament is a great representation of the high quality of volleyball in Iowa and the Midwest pic.twitter.com/bEEcfLNXt4
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) February 18, 2019