Tournament set for Church league Volleyball

It started with an idea. When Holly Palombo set out to revive Church League Volleyball in Warren County this summer, the goal was simple: Bring churches together, build community and give people a chance to compete again.

Two months later, the league has become far more than that.

Ten teams filled the gym at McMinnville Church of God throughout the summer. And while new rivalries formed, old friendships were rekindled on the court. The blend from game-to-game was vast - Sometimes there were former high school standouts returning alongside first-time players on one side and the other filled with lifelong friends who were reliving their glory days.

Nearly every week brought another memorable match, another upset or another individual performance that had teammates buzzing. Now, all that's left is crowning a champion.

The Church League Volleyball tournament begins Tuesday at McMinnville Church of God, where the standings have officially been erased. Every team is back to even, where the resumes built in the regular season give a blueprint of what could happen, but a single-elimination bracket will ultimately decide the champion.

The Old Testament Athletes enter as the No. 1 seed after finishing 8-1, but veteran contributor Mickey Ralph knows nothing comes easy in win-or-go-home volleyball. His keys to bringing home a championship included everything from serious strategy - especially against net presences like Adam Wood on Westwood or Logan McCormack on Rock Island and the fierce serving of Krista Chisam and a group of aces on the Cross Denominators - to keeping teammate Rickey Magness "dosed up with jogging in a jug."

But ultimately, Ralph wants to do the same thing in the tournament that his team has done all season.

"Play smart and have fun,” said Ralph of his ultimate key to winning.

Rock Island Church of Christ enters the tournament as the No. 2 seed after one of the biggest surprises of the season. The roster was complete mystery going into the year, but ultimately found a rhythm with McCormack’s hitting, Chisam’s serving and the all-around contributions by several standouts, including recent Lady Broncos Autumn Turner and Anslee McCrary.

"I think it was a bit of a surprise we did so well in the beginning," said Kayla Brown, one of the team organizers for Rock Island. "We thought we had a decent team, but we weren't sure how well the team would mesh considering the team hadn't played or even practiced together prior to walking into the gym for the first game of the season. I think after the first few games though we quickly realized we would be pretty competitive."

Brown believes the formula won't change this week.

"The biggest thing we need to bring home a championship is continuing to serve well and get the ball back over the net and let the other team make the mistakes,” said Brown, before adding key tip for her team and all squads.

“Avoid the ceiling - it's our worst enemy.”

Westwood Church of Christ may be the hottest team entering the tournament after closing the regular season with five straight victories, but captain Hope Gilley said the biggest success this summer had little to do with wins and losses.

"I speak for Westwood as a whole when I say that we have absolutely loved being a part of Church League Volleyball this year," Gilley said. "We have built relationships within our church but also with others from different congregations. We as a church have focused on unity and community this summer and I think we have built such a strong community through the love for volleyball. Being able to get out there, have some fun and make memories with one another has been a huge takeaway."

When it comes to making a championship run, Gilley believes the keys are simple.

"Being consistent and communicating,” said Gilley about the winning recipe. “We play our best when our bench is cheering and the energy is up. We have lots of strong players and hope to be successful, but most importantly we hope to show God's love above all else."

The Cross Denominators enter as one of the tournament's most intriguing teams after handing the Old Testament Athletes their only loss of the regular season before hitting a few bumps late in the year.

"We are hoping to get the energy back we had at the beginning of the season," Palombo said. "We started the season strong and then saw simple errors get in our way at times down the stretch. Having a solid serve receive and leaning on our strong serving will be important."

Palombo, who spearheaded the return of Church League Volleyball this summer, believes the league has already accomplished its biggest goal.

"I'm very happy with how the regular season went," Palombo said. "There were a lot of competitive matches and people have repeatedly said how much they enjoy playing, both again and for the first time. I hope this league will continue and maybe even a few more will pop up around town. We are very grateful to McMinnville Church of God for hosting and for Erin Blalock being a ref this season."

Covenant Fellowship Church enters the tournament as the No. 8 seed, but Chris Madewell isn't changing the team's approach.

"We're just having fun," Madewell said. "We'll probably try a more consistent lineup for the tournament and see what happens."

Every contender has leaned on different stars to get to this point. And who is available this week could play a big part in who brings home the crown Thursday night.

The Old Testament Athletes are unbeaten when Chris and Julia Rhoady are in attendance, while Westwood's late-season surge has been fueled by Samantha Jennings, Lola Wells, Ella Wells and one of the league's deepest rosters. A wildcard could end up being Rolling Acres BIC, which comes in with a lower seed, but has shown great potential anytime Mia Hobbs and Hope Grayson take the court.

Tuesday's opening-round action begins at 5:30 p.m. when Covenant Fellowship takes on First Baptist Church, with the winner advancing to face the top-seeded Old Testament Athletes later that evening (7:30 p.m). Rolling Acres BIC and Safe Harbor Church of God meet at 6:30 p.m. for the opportunity to challenge Rock Island Church of Christ, while the night will be capped with a battle featuring the Cross Denominators and McMinnville Church of God meeting again after their three-set thriller on opening night.

The Cross Denominators will once again turn to Jessie Young's all-around brilliance alongside Palombo, Nick Cantrell, Justin Bouldin and Emily Davis. McMinnville Church of God has already shown it can beat one of the favorites behind Cameron Moore, Josh Moore, Anniston Page and Halle Lowe.

Thursday's schedule includes the remaining quarterfinal, both semifinals and the championship match, which is scheduled for 9:15 p.m.

Final Regular-Season Standings

Old Testament Athletes (8-1)
Rock Island Church of Christ (7-2)
Westwood Church of Christ (7-2)
Cross Denominators (5-4)
McMinnville Church of God (5-4)
Called to Serve (4-5)
Rolling Acres BIC (4-5)
Covenant Fellowship Church (3-6)
First Baptist Church (2-7)
Safe Harbor Church of God (0-9)