Safford takes 2nd at Millennium Tournament

By Brian Wright
Sports Editor
Published on Wednesday, October 21, 2009 9:19 AM MST

This was the kind of tournament Safford coach Janene Ward and her players had been waiting for.

The 16-team Millennium Tournament in Goodyear on Saturday provided the Bulldogs with solid competition all day.

Ward challenged her team to get fired up and show emotion on the court from the beginning of the first match.

Safford senior outside hitter Bea Villalba was named the MVP of the Millennium Tournament in Goodyear on Saturday. Villalba attacked the ball all day and finished with 57 kills in the tourney. Photo by Brian Wright

It worked.

In fact, it worked so well, officials had to tell Ward to temper her team’s enthusiasm.

Action began at 8 a.m., and Safford quickly tore through its pool by beating Peoria, Millennium and Desert Edge without dropping a set.

In the championship bracket, Safford beat Phoenix Saint Mary’s 2-0 (25-19, 25-18) and Phoenix Greenway 2-0 (25-23, 25-20) to advance to the title match.

Safford lost a very competitive match to Chandler Basha in the finals (23-25, 20-25).

“I was very happy with the way we played,” Ward said.

In particular, seniors Bea Villalba and Shaysea Alba had outstanding performances.

Villalba’s kill percentage was 60, and she had 57 kills for the day. Alba was at 54 on her kill percentage and has shown strong leadership.

The experience was extremely positive for Safford. The Bulldogs beat some very talented bigger schools and played aggressively throughout the day.

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1 comment(s)

FHSVBALL wrote on Oct 23, 2009 7:47 AM:

" Congrats to Bea on MVP for the tourney and the rest of the safford team and coaches for a great tourney. The Safford Volleyball Program is a class act with a great staff. Good Luck in the post season! "

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