Aviano’s Jules Lasalle-Bryant gets his hand on a ball while blocking with teammate Deon Walker on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in the championship game of the DODEA-Europe Boys Volleyball Championships in Vicenza, Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
VICENZA, Italy – Cristiano Peterson has failed to win a DODEA-Europe baseball title in three years of trying. Xavier Fox hasn’t even come that close in soccer. And twins Andrew and Deon Walker have fallen just short in football and basketball.
Saturday was redemption time for the Aviano seniors.
“Finally,” was Fox’s quick reaction after the Saints won the DODEA-Europe Boys Volleyball Championship by first knocking off two-time defending champion Black Forest Academy 25-9, 25-21, 25-20 in the semifinals and following that with a 25-22, 25-23, 25-23 triumph over Naples in the championship.
“In every sport, we would come close,” Peterson said.
The last two years, though, the Saints have entered the season-ending volleyball championships among the favorites after strong regular seasons, only to not even reach the semifinals. Aviano was seeded No. 2 this year with an 11-1 record – the only loss coming in a split with the top-seeded Wildcats.
Fox, named the tournament’s most valuable player, said the seniors collectively decided it was time for a change before the tournament started.
“We decided to focus in and keep that focus,” he said.
“We buckled down,” Peterson said.
Aviano’s Cristiiano Peterson gets a hand on a spike from Naples’ Lucas Suskzo on Saturday, Nov, 2, 2024, in the championship game of the DODEA-Europe Boys Volleyball Championships in Vicenza, Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Naples' Chase Braden gets set to be ready in case Teyfen Jones sets it in his direction Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in the championshiip game of the DODEA-Europe Boys Volleyball Championships in Vicenza, Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Naples' Marlin McCord tries to get the ball past Aviano's Andrew Walker on Saturday, Nov. 2,2024, in the championship game of the DODEA-Europe Boys Volleyball Championships in Vicenza, Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Naples' Jettyn Jones flies through the air to tap the ball over the net and toward the Aviano block Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in the championship game of the DODEA-Europe Boys Volleyball Championships in Vicenza, Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Aviano libero Micah Guerrero, one of only a few seniors to see regular playing time for the Aviano Saints, handles a shot from Naples on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in the championship game of the DODEA-Europe Boys Volleyball Championships in Vicenza, Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Aviano's Xavier Fox, named the most valuable player of the DODEA-Europe Boys Volleyball Tournament, gets a shot past Naples' Teyfen Jones on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in the championship game in Vicenza, italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
But while Peterson, also named to the all-tournament team, and Fox deservedly get credit for the team’s success, Fox said he thought the difference in the team’s performance from the last two years in the tournament was the play of the team’s middle blockers: Jules LaSalle-Bryant and Alando Brown. One of the two, aided by the smaller but high-leaping Walker brothers, formed wall after wall that made life difficult for the strong hitters from the Falcons and Wildcats to score easy points. Peterson, the team’s setter, often joined a wall, leaving a combination of Fox, libero Micah Guerrero and the Walker brother not at the net to field anything that got through. And then launch a counterattack.
In the semifinal, the Saints blitzed out to a 6-2 lead in the opening set over BFA behind three aces from Fox. The lead stretched to double digits before Lasalle-Bryant closed the set with a kill.
He and Brown didn’t have as big an impact on offense as they did on defense. And that was OK with coach Logan Riley.
“I’m happy they haven’t attracted a lot of attention, because they’re the reason we’re here,” he said. “They know their roles. They’re middle blockers. Not middle hitters. They can score, too. But that’s just a bonus.”
Aviano led 18-10 in the second set before the Falcons staged a rally to tie the set at 20. Aviano then scored four points before closing the game out one point later. In the third, Aviano broke a 14-14 tie with four straight points and held that advantage by trading points until Lasalle-Bryan finished the game with a kill.
Falcons coach Lance Dockrey was impressed.
“They played almost flawless volleyball,” he said. “It’s hard to win when you’re not playing your best and the other team just doesn’t make any mistakes.”
Naples coach Kevin Smith seemed to share that feeling after a championship match where seemingly every important point at the end of each set went the way of the Saints.
“I’ve told my guys over and over again that if we’re going to lose, it would be to a team that was playing really well and we were giving our best effort,” he said. “And sometimes points don’t go your way. That’s sports, right? It’s what makes it so exciting.”
With Aviano up 11-10 in the opening set, the two teams staged an extended back-and-forth marathon that ended with Peterson finishing the point with a short set over the net. Aviano never trailed afterward. Fox’s kill gave Aviano a 16-12 advantage moments later and the two teams essentially kept that margin until the set finished.
In the second set, the two teams were tied at 22 before a Fox kill gave Aviano the lead and a block from Lasalle-Bryan and a kill from Andrew Walker ended it. In the final game, Naples led 6-2 early, but Aviano came back to tie it at 15 and then take an 18-15 lead. A block from Brown and kills by Lasalle-Bryan and Fox put Aviano up 24-20. A point later, Andrew Walker ended the contest with a dink into an open court.
The Wildcats had advanced to the finals by defeating Ramstein 25-11, 26-24, 27-25 in the other semifinal. Teyfen Jones, who at one point during the tournament had 17 consecutive service winners, put Naples out front 7-0 in the opening set. The last two were much closer, with an ace from Jones sealing the second set and a ball that Ramstein couldn’t get over the net ending the third.
Black Forest Academy libero Isaiah Woodard gets set to handle a shot from Aviano in the semifinals of the DODEA-Europe Boys Volleyball Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Vicenza, Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Black Forest Academy's Nick Martin taps the ball towards the net and an Aviano block in the semifinals of the DODEA-Europe Boys Volleyball Championships on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Vicenza, Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Aviano's Cristiano Peterson sets as teammate Alando Brown prepares to take flight Satuday, Nov. 2, 2024, in the semifinals of the DODEA-Europe Boys Volleyball Championships in Vicenza, italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Black Forest Academy's Micah Yakabu sends the ball toward the net Saturday, Nov 2, 2024, in the semifinals of the DODEA-Europe Boys Volleyball Championships in Vicenza, Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Black Forest Academy's Timothy Sivonen bumps the ball to start up his team's offense Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in the semifinals of the DODEA-Europe Boys Volleyball Championships in Vicenza, Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Naples' Allessandro Vavra awaits a spike from Ramstein's Reece Black in the semifinals of the DODEA-Europe Boys Volleyball Championships on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Vicenza, Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Naples’ Lucas Suskzo sends the ball flying toward the net Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in the semifinals of the DODEA-Europe Boys Volleyball Championships in Vicenza, Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Naples libero Steven Irvine Jr. goes low to handle a ball Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in the semifinals of the DODEA-Europe Boys Volleyball Championships in Vicenza, Italy. Teammate Lucas Suskzo watches. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Naples' Jettyn Jones spikes the ball as Ramstein's Ivery Coleman gets set for a block Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in the semifinals of the DODEA-Europe Boys Volleyball Championships in Vicenza, Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein's Nicholas Tunjano spikes the ball toward the net and an awaiting Naples wall of blockers Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in the semifinals of the DODEA-Europe Boys Volleyball Championships in Vicenza, Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
