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East (above) and West players wait to be introduced prior to Wednesday night's All-Star match.

All photos by Gerald Castillo

East Sweeps West In Coaches All-Star Games

July 10 – It’s been awhile, someone suggested the late 1990s and someone else said over a decade, since the East last won a Division II (4A-5A) volleyball all-star match. Sam Tipton, head of the Texas Girls Coaches Association, says they don’t really track such things and since so many of the girls are used to playing against each other in club the once heated East-West rivalry seems to have cooled a little.

You couldn’t tell it by the players at St. Edward's University in Austin Wednesday night.

Becca Sartori (17) and Amber McCray (24) on the block.

Daniela Romero was named MVP

Jackie Stroud (6) gets her spike past Elena Drinka (3)

Division I MVP Kassi Milkulik (10) with one of her kills.

“We’d been talking about beating them all week since it had been so long,” said East setter Jenny Andrew of Kingwood.

“Our goal was to win because we hadn’t won in so long,” added teammate Amber McCray.

Andrew and McCray delivered, leading a balanced East attack to a 21-25, 25-18, 25-16, 21-25, 15-8 win in the TGCA Division II All-Star Match that featured most of the state’s top seniors. And when the West rallied from behind in Game 4 to tie the match, the action was as intense as any high school or club match between arch rivals.

Andrew had 34 assists while McCray closed out her All-America high school career with 11 kills to lead the East. Kelly McAnelly (Langham Creek) added 10, including several crucial kills in Game 5, while Becca Sartori (Stratford) and Lauren Rhodes (Cy Falls) added eight kills each. Plano East setter Tasha Arsenych also had an impressive match with 16 assists and a half dozen kills.

Arlington Martin’s Daniela Romero was named the MVP with 31 assists and 10 kills in a losing cause for the West. “I was very surprised (to win MVP) with all these other great athletes,” she said. Leander’s Christi Hahn, playing her final high school match in front of a home crowd, led the West with 21 kills.

It was Hahn and Romero who led a 6-0 run with the West trailing 19-21 in Game 4 to tie the match at 2-2.

The East entered the evening as favorite with more overall firepower and they had another advantage. The team featured five members of the Texas Tornados who just returned from a ninth place finish at nationals in Atlanta – Andrew, McAnelly, Rhodes, Kate Street and Sartori.

“We had chemistry from the start,” said Street, whose hair for the match featured purple streaks on black to compliment her East uniform.

Ultimately, of course, all-star games aren’t about winning and losing. They are a showcase for players and fans with a lot of fun mixed in.

“I’m so grateful I had this chance,” said Romero. “This entire week has been so much fun.”

“It was so much fun,” added Hahn. “I was excited the whole time especially with Jackie (Stroud of Amarillo) on our team because she keeps us so excited. She just pumped me up.”

“A blast,” said Street. “This whole experience has been a blast.”

“It was the experience of a lifetime,” added Rhodes.

“Oh my gosh, I can't describe it,” said McCray. “It was so awesome. I would love to play all year with these girls. This has been so much fun.”

Ultimately, however, it was Ryan Maspero of San Antonio Churchill with the final word. “We just wanted to go out and have a lot of fun. We wanted to give everybody a good show and that’s what we did.”

EAST DOMINATES DIVISION I MATCH

In the second match of the evening, featuring 1A-2A-3A schools, the East all-stars overpowered the West 27-26, 25-9, 23-25, 25-22, 15-8.

And while their schools may be considered small, there was nothing small about the power of players like Kassi Mikulik (Flatonia), Jennifer Wilks (Frankston) and Ashley Robbins (Tilden McMullen County) for the East and Kiley Lyons (Amarillo River road) and Abbi Meyer (Wimberley) for the West. They proved that they can deliver as much power as any player from the larger schools.

LSU-bound Mikulik, who had the most impressive kill of any player all night, was named the MVP. “My setter helped a lot,” she said. “I didn’t expect to win it (MVP). In fact, I wasn’t in it for the individual honors. This was a great team and I made a lot of friends I hope I can keep up with."

Mikulik finished with 15 kills and 8 blocks. East setter Jennifer Smidovek of Columbus had 23 assists.

Division II Final Statistics

East def. West, 21-25, 25-18, 25-16, 21-25, 15-8

Kills
East - Jenny Andrew (Kingwood) 3, Tasha Arsenych (Plano East) 6, Elena Drinka (San Antonio Taft) 3, Kasey Kuykendall (Frisco) 1, Ryan Maspero (San Antonio Churchill) 4, Kelly McAnelly (Langham Creek) 10, Amber McCray (Longview Pine Tree) 11, Carolyn Pickett (Cypress Creek) 1, Lauren Rhodes (Cypress Falls) 8, Becca Sartori (Houston Stratford) 8, Kate Street (Klein) 7, Tara Hooser (Montgomery) 4.

West - Kele Brewer (Medina Valley) 5, Laura Cramer (Abilene Cooper) 3, Jennifer Dameworth (El Paso Franklin) 1, Colby Fields (Arlington) 2, Kelly Fletcher (Red Oak) 9, Sarah Griffin (Hereford) 1, Christi Hahn (Leander) 21, Meredith Hasson (Westlake) 1, Daniela Romero (Arlington Martin) 10, Amber Smith (Hurst Bell) 1, Jackie Stroud (Amarillo) 3, Ashley Wagner (Colleyville Heritage) 1

Assists
East - Jenny Andrew (Kingwood) 34, Tasha Arsenych (Plano East) 16, Kasey Kuykendall (Frisco) 1, Tara Hooser (Montgomery) 2

West - Laura Cramer (Abilene Cooper) 1, Sarah Griffin (Hereford) 1, Meredith Hasson (Westlake) 11, Daniel Romero (Arlington Martin) 31, Ashley Wagner (Colleyville Heritage) 5

Blocks
East - Jenny Andrew (Kingwood) 1.5, Kelly McAnelly (Langham Creek) 1, Kate Street (Klein) 1.5

West - Jennifer Dameworth (El Paso Franklin) 1, Kelly Fletcher (Red Oak) .5, Sarah Griffin (Hereford) 1, Christi Hahn (Leander) 1, Ashley Wagner (Colleyville Heritage) 1

Aces
East - Elena Drinka (San Antonio Taft) 1, Kasey Kuykendall (Frisco) 1, Tara Hooser (Montgomery) 1

West - Jennifer Dameworth (El Paso Franklin) 1, Colby Fields (Arlington) 1, Christi Hahn (Leander) 1

PHOTO ALBUMS FROM THE ALL-STAR GAMES

For information on how to order these or other photos, contact Gerald Castillo