Salpointe over Verrado to win the Mountain View Invitational
March 30, 2024 by Andy Morales, AZPreps365
Salpointe went 6-0 to capture the championship of the Mountain View Marana Invitational including a 2-0 sweep over Verrado in the championship match Saturday afternoon. Ranked No. 11 in the 4A Conference, the Lancers are 10-3 on the year but only 4-3 in ranking matches. One of those ranking losses was to No. 10 Flowing Wells in a 4A Gila Region match that went five sets. The Lancers defeated the Caballeros 2-0 on Friday during pool play.
Verrado (6-2) is ranked No. 13 in the 5A Conference and the Vipers opened up pool play with a 2-1 loss to Mountain View but the team battled back to reach the championship final, getting past 6A No. 22 Marana 2-1 in the first round of bracket play Saturday morning. Salpointe was also taken to the limit in bracket play by 5A No. 17 Ironwood Ridge in the semifinals where the Lancers prevailed 2-1 with the third set coming to a 17-15 finish.
Salpointe took the first set over Verrado 25-11 and the second 25-19 to win the championship with setters Reyes Gardner-Figuorea and Antony Owens combining for 16 assists and Dawson Leber cashing in on nine kills. Zach Doerksen led the Vipers with six assists with Carson Wakeham and Jaylen Tolliver collecting five kills each.
Salpointe hosts 4A No. 23 Pueblo (2-4) on Tuesday and Verrado hosts 5A No. 23 Independence (6-3) on the same night. The Vipers are taking part in the Epic Tourneys Invitational on April 5-6 and the Lancers are hosting their own tournament from April 12-13.
Flowing Wells beat Pueblo 2-0 to win the Silver Bracket.
Flowing Wells. (Mountain View Photo)
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Jaylen Tolliver, Verrado
Colby Price, Mountain View
Kai Rendon, Tucson
Daniel Delgadillo, Rio Rico
Cristian Gonzalez, Flowing Wells
Camden Soloway, Ironwood Ridge
Raymon Armenta, Sunnyside
Jamarcus Hollins, Agua Fria
Jeremiah Edwards, Salpointe
Dawson Leber, Salpointe
Brandon Gilbert, Marana
Jorge Franco, Pueblo