Perry's volleyball team worked its way to the final on Saturday at the 28th annual Westwood  Tournament of Champions Invitational the hard way. The Pumas didn not win their pool, but managed one of the other eight spots available in the Gold Bracket.

That meant the Pumas had to play an extra match to reach the final. They went 4-0 and claimed the title  with a 2-1 triumph over surprising Highland in making amends for its runner-up finish to Hamilton in last year's tourney. Scores in the final vs. Highland were 25-21, 23-25, 15-11.

"We only had three matches coming into this tournament so we used it to help solidify our lineup," Perry coach Fred Mann said. "We made improvements in a couple areas we wanted to see. Highland beat us in a match yesterday and they've proven to be very tough. They dig everything."

Perry swept Mesa Mountain View and Centennial, 2-0, in its first two bracket matches and regrouped in a third set to down Corona del Sol in the semifinals.

Perry, which showcased several powerful hitters, was led in its tourney triumph by invite most valuable player Tatum Stall. Stall, a senior outside hitter, collected 

13 kills in the three-set final. Junior Ella Rud added 12 kills and junior middle Makayla Long chipped in seven.

Highland, playing in an invitational for the second week in a row made it two title-match appearances in a row. They lost to defending 6A champ Xavier Prep last week at the House of Payne Invite.

This one ended in a runner-up finish again, but the Hawks have made believers of the competition in two weeks of play with their relentless defense led by libero Abby Peterson and adequate hittiing sparked by junior outside Samia Bhakta. Bhakta equaled Stall for match-high in kills with 13.

Highland reached the semis with a 2-0 victory over defending tourney champ Hamilton, who knocked off Highland, 3-1, in a power-ranking match during the season's first week. Highland bested St. Mary's (Stockton, CA), 2-0, in the first round of bracket play.

Each of the 12 teams that qualified for the Gold Bracket were represented on the all-tournament team. Players joining Stall on the team are: Highland's Peterson, Corona del Sol libero Becca Morse, Hamilton outside hitter Micah Gryniewicz, Sunnyslope outside hitter Sam Leight, Centennial middle Nyjha Marcelin, Horizon middle Ashleigh Barto, St. Mary's (Stockton, CA) outside hitter Emma Miller, Millennium outside hitter Jordan Miller, Northwest Christian outside hitter Reagan Hope, Skyline middle Jazmyn Tate and Mesa Mountain View outside hitter Hannah Decious.