DODDS-Europe volleyball championships: Brussels, Sigonella roll in semifinals to reach D-III girls title match

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Top-seeded Brussels and No. 4 Sigonella took the shortest route to Saturday’s Division III European girls volleyball championship match with straight-game victories in Friday’s semifinals.

Brussels, which won the 2008 D-IV title before that division was dropped this year, thumped Rota 25-15, 25-15, 25-18 in one semifinal.

Sigonella bounced 2008 D-IV runner-up Alconbury 25-21, 25-17, 25-10.

"When we swing away, we’re all right," said Kathleen Anderson, Brussels’ All-Europe senior middle hitter-middle blocker. "There’s an intimidation factor."

Hitting might have produced much of the Lady Brigands offense, but sophomore setter Bria Yazzie applied the coup de grace to the Lady Admirals.

With Brussels clinging to an 18-16 lead in the third game, she served six consecutive points, three of them aces, to move the Lady Brigands ahead 24-16. Anderson banged home the game-winning kill two serves later.

"We’re really proud of ourselves," said Brussels outside hitter Alexis Eperjesi, whose team lost just one game in two days of play here.

"We knew it would be hard to beat Rota, because we played them before here [winning 2-0]."

Brussels also played Saturday’s opponent here, beating the Jags 25-11, 19-25, 15-9 on Thursday.

Brussels might be playing a more confident Sigonella team this time.

Asked what Sigonella was doing especially well Friday, junior outside hitter Tracy Ewert thought for a moment and then said, "Everything. We were backing each other up."

In Division I, top-seeded Ramstein won its semifinal match, downing Heidelberg 25-10, 25-13, 25-11 to reach Saturday’s title game against No. 4 Vilseck, winner of Friday’s late match against third-seeded SHAPE.

It took Vilseck five games to pull it out, 8-25, 25-21, 25-20, 23-25, 15-12.

The Lady Royals stormed into the semifinal match with a 25-11, 25-15 demolition of No. 9 Lakenheath, which downed No. 2 seed Patch and SHAPE on Thursday. The victories kept Ramstein unbeaten, including its first four matches here, all won without the loss of a game.

All-Europe setter-outside hitter Charnel Austin said the difference between the regular season and Europeans might help explain Ramstein’s tournament focus. "Honestly, there’s so much pressure here at Europeans," she said. "If you get down for just a second, it’s hard to get back up."

Third-seeded SHAPE, unbeaten until being upset by Lakenheath in straight games, needed three games to tame Kaiserslautern in its quarterfinal match, 23-25, 25-13, 15-12. Vilseck earned its spot by bouncing Wiesbaden 25-15, 25-22.

In Division II, top-seeded and defending champion Black Forest Academy advanced to Friday evening’s semifinals with a 25-20, 25-18 conquest of Vicenza and a 25-22, 25-22 elimination of Aviano. BFA completed pool play unbeaten and was to face Mannheim, 5-1 in pool play, in one semifinal. Bitburg and Naples, each 5-1, were pitted in the other.

Marymount also finished 5-1, but lost out in a tiebreaker based on percentage of games won.

Saturday’s schedule at the Ramstein Southside gym has III-II-I third-place games at 8:30, 9:30 and 10:30 a.m., respectively.

Title games, starting with D-III are 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. There is no admission charge.

European championships

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Results from the DODDS-Europe high school girls Divisions I, II and III volleyball championships, which end Saturday at Ramstein Southside gym. Pool-play and quarterfinal games are rally-point best-of-3; semifinals and finals are rally-point best-of-5:

Thursday’s late pool-play results

Division I
Patch def. Frankfurt International School 25-13, 25-14
Wiesbaden def. Lakenheath 2-0 (game scores unavailable)
Division II
Black Forest Academy def. Milan 25-23, 25-18
Naples def. Bamberg 25-13, 25-20
Mannheim def. Marymount International School of Rome 25-22, 26-24
Bamberg def. American Overseas School of Rome 25-9, 25-19
Naples def. Hohenfels 25-20, 25-20
Aviano def. AFNORTH 25-18, 25-15
AFNORTH def. Ansbach 2-0 (game scores unavailable)
Bitburg def. Vicenza 2-0 (game scores unavailable)
Aviano def. Ansbach 2-0 (game scores unavailable)
Vicenza def. Milan 2-1 (game scores unavailable)
BFA def. Ansbach 2-0 (game scores unavailable)
Division III
Alconbury def. Lajes 25-6, 25-15
Ankara def. Menwith Hill 2-0 (game scores unavailable)
Sigonella def. Incirlik 2-0 (game scores unavailable)
International School of Florence def. Menwith Hill 2-0 (game scores unavailable)

Friday’s results

Division I
Quarterfinals
Vilseck def. Wiesbaden 25-15, 25-22
Heidelberg def. FIS 25-23, 25-20
Ramstein def. Lakenheath 25-11, 25-10
SHAPE def. Kaiserslautern 23-25, 25-13, 15-12
Semifinals
Ramstein def. Heidelberg 25-10, 25-13, 25-11
Vilseck def. SHAPE, 8-25, 25-21, 25-20, 23-25, 15-12
Saturday’s games
(at Ramstein Southside)
Third place—Heidelberg vs. Vilseck-SHAPE loser, 10:30 a.m.
Championship—Ramstein vs. Vilseck-SHAPE winner, 2:30 p.m.

Division II
Pool play
Baumholder def. AOSR 25-18, 25-20
Naples def. Mannheim 27-25, 25-22
BFA def. Vicenza 25-20, 25-18
AFNORTH def. Milan 25-19, 26-24
Naples def. Baumholder 25-12, 24-26, 15-9
Bitburg def. Ansbach 25-6, 25-9
Marymount def. Bamberg 2-0 (game scores unavailable)
Marymount def. Hohenfels 25-8, 25-10
BFA def. Aviano 25-22, 25-22
Bitburg def. AFNORTH 15-25, 25-20, 15-8
Mannheim def. Bamberg 25-19, 23-25,15-11
Vicenza def. Ansbach 25-19, 25-14
Hohenfels def. AOSR 25-22, 13-25, 15-12
Milan def. Aviano 25-20, 25-27, 15-11
Semfinals
BFA vs. Mannheim, late
Naples vs. Bitburg, late
Saturday’s games
(at Ramstein Southside)
Third place—Semifinal losers, 9:30 a.m.
Championship—Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.

Division III
Quarterfinals
Rota def. Ankara 25-27, 26-24, 15-13
Sigonella def. Florence 25-16, 20-25, 15-7
Brussels def. Menwith Hill 25-22, 25-17
Alconbury def. Incirlik 25-16, 25-13
Semifinals
Brussels def. Rota 25-15, 25-15, 25-18
Sigonella def. Alconbury 25-21, 25-17, 25-10.
Saturday’s games
(at Ramstein Southside)
Third-place—Rota vs. Alconbury, 8:30 a.m.
Championship—Brussels vs. Sigonella, 11:30 a.m.

Mediterranean championship

AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy — Results Friday from the DODDS-Europe boys’ high school Mediterranean volleyball championship which ends Saturday. Pool-play games are rally-point best-of-3; semifinals and championship games are rally-point best-of-5:

Pool play
Sigonella def. Ankara 25-15, 25-16
Naples def. Marymount 25-17, 25-20
Marymount def. Sigonella 17-25, 25-18, 25-15
Aviano def. Vicenza 25-18, 20-25, 25-19
American Overseas School of Rome def. Incirlik 25-15, 25-20
Milan def. Vicenza 25-21, 19-25, 25-20
Aviano def. AOSR 25-16, 26-24
Milan def. Incirlik 25-12, 25-23
Semifinals
Aviano vs. Marymount, late
Naples vs. Milan, late
Saturday’s games
(At Aviano High School)
Third place—Semifinal losers, 10 a.m.
Championship—Semifinal winners, at conclusion of 3rd-place game