AZ Storm 16 Thunder Rolls To Elite Eight At Triple Crown
Grind it out, punch for punch and be the last team standing. Arizona Storm weathered the storm of Munciana in set one to come back and take the match in three, advancing to the elite eight of the Triple Crown 16 Elite bracket.
Munciana 16 Pandas started out with a blitz going up 8-0 to start the match, but like any good team, AZ Storm would come back late in set one to force a timeout at 22-17, would later drop the first set carrying momentum heading into set two.
Middleton attacking.Set two was back and forth continuously throughout, but AZ Storm seemed to be inching their way towards 25, going on runs of two and three. Outside hitter Jordan Middleton came alive for Arizona Storm, hitting over the block and always being a threat, even with her ability to swing and score points in the backrow.
“We really picked our energy even more after losing that first set. We were not OK with that and wanted to show them who we are,” said Middleton.
“We came out a little flat. Serve receive and passing struggled as well as some service errors. We were adamant about cleaning those things up. All of their players were amazing and we had to make adjustments, especially with knowing where #3 was at. We just did a better job of committing to the block, slowing balls down, being in system and getting more splits on the attack,” said coach Terri Spann.
Munciana was extremely tough from the pin with big swings from Eva Hudson (#3) and Avery Ross along with quick attacking out of their middles. However it was the ball control of Arizona Storm behind libero, Mckenna Douglas and on point setter and blocking from Anita Babic that was able to keep Storm in system, jumping out early and finishing set three, winning 15-7.
Middleton was definitely one to watch in all rotations where her athleticism, physicality, as well as her ability to know when and where to attack. With UCLA, Oregon, Arizona State, and Hawaii coaches on hand, the Class of 2022 pin will be a highly sought after recruit for any of these programs. Not only does she have the skill and athleticism, but also the body languange and intangible coaches want in elite athletes.
There is still one day left for Arizona Storm has they head to the elite eight where they will take on WAVE 16 Juliana. Storm is accustomed to big matches and big tournaments and it will be business as usual for this team.
“It starts with an ice bath,” said coach Spann. “We are really big on rest and recovery.”
“We stay together as a team, we don’t do restaurants, we disconnect from our phones, we are focused on every game moving forward. We focus on the first match and the most important thing for us is what’s on our side. Our main focus is to be mentally tough, that’s what we train for.”