Assumption Heads West In Search Of Fifth Durango Fall Classic Title
Assumption Heads West In Search Of Fifth Durango Fall Classic Title
Assumption High School has one of the best girls' volleyball programs in the country, and this week the team is headed to Las Vegas to test their talents against the West Coast's top programs.
It was the final day of the Ultra Ankle Louisville Invitational, and the local team from Assumption High School was undefeated. With a top national ranking from at least one media outlet, the Rockets walked into the Ohio Valley Volleyball Center with a giant target on their backs.
Enter Walton, a team from Marietta, Georgia. The Raiders, led by Ohio State recruits Gabby Gonzales and Reilly MacNeill, advanced to the championship match of the LIVT and shocked Assumption 25-19, 25-16 to win the tournament.
But long-time Assumption head coach Ron Kordes isn't too worried about the loss.
"These kids have been hearing how good they are and reading about how good they are, and I think sometimes it's good for somebody to say, 'Well, wait a minute, we're pretty good, too,'" Kordes said. "So we're going to treat [the loss to Walton] like it's a good thing."
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Perhaps another reason Kordes remains optimistic about his 2017 team is the unusual depth this roster. Assumption has always fielded a good team, and this season's roster is the most stacked it's been in years. On Kordes' 16-player roster, only four are not yet committed to Division I programs, and his top two offensive contributors, Anna DeBeer and Rylee Rader, are only sophomores.
"It's always good to have some go-tos," Kordes said of Louisville commit DeBeer and Ohio State commit Rader. "It just improves the confidence of the whole team to know if I'm going to pass this ball, if I get this dig, and we get this ball to DeBeer, Rader or some of these swings that we have, we're going to score. And they're both great kids. There's no star mentality with them. They're just a part of the team and that's the way they handle it."
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On paper, Kordes' Assumption squad has all the weapons needed to wreck shop in Kentucky and beyond, but they'll face another tough test this weekend at the Durango Fall Classic, one of the most competitive high school tournaments in the country.
Assumption has won the Durango Fall Classic four times -- tied with California powerhouse Archbishop Mitty for the most DFC titles of any program.
"[The kids] don't know about Holyoke, Massachusetts," Kordes said. "They think [volleyball] started in California. It's a motivation for them to go out and to be able to show people that yeah, we are from Kentucky, we do wear shoes, and we can play this game."
Over the years, Assumption has gone toe-to-toe with California's top high school programs at Durango, including fellow four-time champ Mitty, Mira Costa, Torrey Pines, and others.
One of Kordes' favorite Durango memories was lining up across the net from a strong Mira Costa team featuring future Stanford All-American and national team outside hitter Alix Klineman.
"They were long, three-set matches, just back and forth and back and forth," Kordes remembered. "Really felt we didn't belong on the court with them physically, but everything they had, we just tried to get a hand on and get the ball up. Gosh, those games were so much fun. And then to be able to come out on top a couple of times is even more fun."
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/vballrockets/status/898928879041204228" hide_media="0"]
For the 2017 Rockets to match the performance of the Durango championship squads of 2005, 2011, 2014, and 2015, they have to keep in mind that even if they see themselves as underdogs from Kentucky out to prove themselves against the powerhouses of the West Coast, other teams see those four tournament titles and that No. 1 ranking -- Assumption will be the hunted.
"I don't think they always understand just how bad people want to beat them," Kordes said. "I think we learned that lesson Saturday with Walton, which was a very skilled team, but also we were wearing a No. 1 ranking, and I'm sure they probably felt they should be ranked higher than they were. Trying to make these girls really understand that every time they step on the court, whether they think they have a match on their hands or not, they cannot afford to overlook people, and they have to match the intensity that their opponents are bringing to the court, or they are going to be in trouble."
Last year, Assumption lost its very first match of pool play at Durango and ended up in the bronze bracket.
The first teams to take a crack at the national No. 8-ranked Rockets at Durango are Assumption's pool play opponents Shadow Ridge of Las Vegas, John's Creek of Georgia, and Moapa Valley of Overton, Nevada.
"I don't think we'll get surprised this year," Kordes said. "Whether we play well or not, that remains to be seen, but hopefully it won't be a shocker. Teams are going to want to beat you. We've certainly been a victim of that lesson."
Enter Walton, a team from Marietta, Georgia. The Raiders, led by Ohio State recruits Gabby Gonzales and Reilly MacNeill, advanced to the championship match of the LIVT and shocked Assumption 25-19, 25-16 to win the tournament.
But long-time Assumption head coach Ron Kordes isn't too worried about the loss.
"These kids have been hearing how good they are and reading about how good they are, and I think sometimes it's good for somebody to say, 'Well, wait a minute, we're pretty good, too,'" Kordes said. "So we're going to treat [the loss to Walton] like it's a good thing."
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/vballrockets/status/903436436267044865" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
Perhaps another reason Kordes remains optimistic about his 2017 team is the unusual depth this roster. Assumption has always fielded a good team, and this season's roster is the most stacked it's been in years. On Kordes' 16-player roster, only four are not yet committed to Division I programs, and his top two offensive contributors, Anna DeBeer and Rylee Rader, are only sophomores.
"It's always good to have some go-tos," Kordes said of Louisville commit DeBeer and Ohio State commit Rader. "It just improves the confidence of the whole team to know if I'm going to pass this ball, if I get this dig, and we get this ball to DeBeer, Rader or some of these swings that we have, we're going to score. And they're both great kids. There's no star mentality with them. They're just a part of the team and that's the way they handle it."
[tweet url="[tweet url="https://twitter.com/vballrockets/status/903436436267044865" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
On paper, Kordes' Assumption squad has all the weapons needed to wreck shop in Kentucky and beyond, but they'll face another tough test this weekend at the Durango Fall Classic, one of the most competitive high school tournaments in the country.
Assumption has won the Durango Fall Classic four times -- tied with California powerhouse Archbishop Mitty for the most DFC titles of any program.
"[The kids] don't know about Holyoke, Massachusetts," Kordes said. "They think [volleyball] started in California. It's a motivation for them to go out and to be able to show people that yeah, we are from Kentucky, we do wear shoes, and we can play this game."
Over the years, Assumption has gone toe-to-toe with California's top high school programs at Durango, including fellow four-time champ Mitty, Mira Costa, Torrey Pines, and others.
One of Kordes' favorite Durango memories was lining up across the net from a strong Mira Costa team featuring future Stanford All-American and national team outside hitter Alix Klineman.
"They were long, three-set matches, just back and forth and back and forth," Kordes remembered. "Really felt we didn't belong on the court with them physically, but everything they had, we just tried to get a hand on and get the ball up. Gosh, those games were so much fun. And then to be able to come out on top a couple of times is even more fun."
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/vballrockets/status/898928879041204228" hide_media="0"]
For the 2017 Rockets to match the performance of the Durango championship squads of 2005, 2011, 2014, and 2015, they have to keep in mind that even if they see themselves as underdogs from Kentucky out to prove themselves against the powerhouses of the West Coast, other teams see those four tournament titles and that No. 1 ranking -- Assumption will be the hunted.
"I don't think they always understand just how bad people want to beat them," Kordes said. "I think we learned that lesson Saturday with Walton, which was a very skilled team, but also we were wearing a No. 1 ranking, and I'm sure they probably felt they should be ranked higher than they were. Trying to make these girls really understand that every time they step on the court, whether they think they have a match on their hands or not, they cannot afford to overlook people, and they have to match the intensity that their opponents are bringing to the court, or they are going to be in trouble."
Last year, Assumption lost its very first match of pool play at Durango and ended up in the bronze bracket.
The first teams to take a crack at the national No. 8-ranked Rockets at Durango are Assumption's pool play opponents Shadow Ridge of Las Vegas, John's Creek of Georgia, and Moapa Valley of Overton, Nevada.
"I don't think we'll get surprised this year," Kordes said. "Whether we play well or not, that remains to be seen, but hopefully it won't be a shocker. Teams are going to want to beat you. We've certainly been a victim of that lesson."