BUDA – The NB Thunder girls volleyball varsity team outlasted 31 other teams to capture the top prize at the Hill Country Christian School Tournament at the Central Texas Fieldhouse on Saturday.


With victories over Bracken Christian, Bay Area Christian School, and the host Hill Country Christian School, the Thunder (8-0) dropped only a single set in Platinum Bracket play to win its second consecutive tournament title, dating back to last season.


“Going for the gold and competing at a high level is a part of our culture,” head coach Chris Valdez said. “We are excited about this weekend’s accomplishments, but we have big plans for the season. This was a step in the right direction. We want to be national champions again.”


The Thunder looked in top form throughout the championship match, leading from the start.  The decisive stretch came on junior DS True Fleming’s eight-point serve run to put NBT up 13-4.  The Rams managed to break serve a few times after that, but could not overcome the scoreboard deficit.  NBT won the set, 25-16.


A Hailey Dyer ace to begin the second set ensured that the Thunder would never trail in the match, although the set was a bit tighter.  Fleming turned in a five-point serve run to build a 9-2 lead, but this time the Rams responded.  The hosts continued to claw back, rallying from a 15-9 deficit to pull within two and later tying the set at 18.


When the Thunder broke serve, Emaleigh Force rotated to the line and went on a three-point run to give the Black and Teal a 22-18 edge.  But the Rams fought back again with four straight of their own, tying it once again.  A Lucy Wheeler kill prevented the Rams from ever taking the lead, and by winning the final three points in a row, the Thunder celebrated the crown.


Sophomore middle blocker Selah Clayton led the team with five kills and two aces while Sophia Avila tallied 13 digs and Fleming collected 12.


While NBT looked in control throughout the title match, things did not go as easy against semi final opponent Bay Area Christian.  A TAPPS powerhouse, the Broncos finished third in the state in the TAPPS 4A division last year and promoted to 5A this season.


The Broncos came out on top of a back-and-forth opening set, 25-21, and dealt NBT its first set loss of the year.  The Thunder appeared to be on their way to the tournament exit as the Broncos built a 20-14 edge in the second frame, but a six-point serve run by Force ended with the set knotted up at 22.


The Broncos gave away a couple of points, spent their final time out, then scored the next three to take a 25-24 lead and serve for match point.  A Junie Flores kill brought the serve back to the Thunder, 25-25.  The Broncos won the next point as well and served for the match a second time.  A service error, their sixth of the set, cost them a chance to win, and tied at 26, NBT won the next point to claim the set, 27-26, on a tournament scoring cap rule.


Once the final set was forced, NBT had the momentum and kept it.  Another Broncos service error broke a 6-6 deadlock and gave NBT the lead it would never surrender.  Clayton delivered the long serve run in this spot, reeling off six straight points and straddling both of the opponent’s timeouts to give her squad a 12-6 advantage.  NBT went on to win the set, 15-8, and the match.


The victory marks the first time in program history that the Thunder defeated a TAPPS 5A school.


“This team is a representation of three years of hard work,” Valdez said. “We are building a program that wins championships and does it the right way, with loyalty and hard work.”


Avila’s nine kills led all producers.  Junie Flores added five kills and six assists.


“I could say something about each individual player and how they played, competed and carried themselves this weekend,” added Valdez. “I was very impressed with each and every one of them. The obvious stand out performance on defense and serve receive from Hailey Dyer and the dominant front row presence of Selah Clayton were a force to be reckoned with all weekend. But what I was most impressed with is how our players off the bench came in at different times and made an immediate impact. Zoey [Bradley], Ashlyn [Zurovec] and Grace [Young] all came in when we needed them most and immediately changed the momentum of the game.”


As if the stunning performance by the Varsity wasn’t enough, the Thunder JV Black squad also competed in this varsity-level tournament and brought some hardware of its own back to New Braunfels.  After landing in the Bronze Bracket with a 0-3 start on Day One, the Thunder knocked off Austin Classical School in the semifinal before dropping a hard-fought battle to Pflugerville Concordia in the bracket’s medal match.  Still, NBT scored a second-place finish in Bronze, capturing the attention of the onlookers in attendance.


The Varsity team gets just a single day of rest before returning to the court on Monday, Aug. 26, in a home contest against Lifegate Christian School.  Both teams then return to Buda on Tuesday to face the potent Veritas Defenders.