FALL CLASSIC: Drost helps Gators to top local finish in tourney

Green Valley libero Alexa Drost has a lot of pressure on her.

Not only is she a senior team captain, but the Gators’ offense is often fueled by her ability to dig up the first ball from the back row.

No problem.

Drost had 13 digs and her sister Nikki added eight kills to help the Gators to a 28th-place finish in the Durango Fall Classic after a 20-25, 18-25 loss to Liberty (Calif.) in the third-place match of the Competition Division at Green Valley.

Carly Schiess had two kills and nine digs for the Gators, and Jenna Swaffer dished out 18 assists.

“Playing defense against some of those top hitters was so fun,” Alexa Drost said. “This tournament definitely helped our team improve. It’s nice to see the competition.

“Our weaknesses were exposed against some of these big teams, and what we need to work on and improve (on) throughout this season.”

Assumption (Ky.) won the tournament title with a 25-13, 25-19 victory over Los Alamitos (Calif.).

Nikki Drost had back-to-back kills — off first touches by her sister — in the first set to pull the Gators within 19-18, but Liberty’s Nikki Robinson’s block led the Patriots on a 6-2 run to close out the set.

The sisters have honed that connection since they started playing volleyball when Alexa Drost was 11 years old.

“We’ve formed this bond on the court where we know each other, inside and out,” Drost said. “I have her back, and I know she has my back on the court. I know when I set her the ball, the ball is going down and in play.”

The sisters teamed up in a big way to help Green Valley take down Lakewood (Calif.) 25-21, 25-23 in the division’s opening match.

Alexa Drost had eight digs, and Nikki Drost and Sommer King each supplied seven kills.

“The trajectory on their passes when they’re in a groove is the speed of our attack all the time,” Green Valley coach Erin Hill said of the Drosts’ connection. “They bring it. Those are our primary passers.”

Volleyball also has brought the two sisters closer at home.

“We’re kind of opposites; she has a completely different personality than I do, and it causes us to clash sometimes,” Alexa Drost said. “But at the end of the day, we love each other to death, and I would do anything for her.”

The Gators were forced to play without Drost for the first 10 days of the season following an ankle injury during the summer. But with the senior now able to anchor the back row, Hill has seen a “night-and-day” difference in a team that has won the past two Sunrise Region titles.

“It’s the difference in ball control. Volleyball is about ball control; if you’re not passing and digging that ball, then it’s a point (for the other team),” Hill said. “If (Drost) digs it up, we can get an attack off it. Even if it’s out of system, it’s still an attack.

“She provides a lot of ball control for our team, and that helps our offense run.”

Green Valley was the top local finisher in the two-day tournament with a 2-5 record. Centennial was 3-1 on Saturday in the Classic Division to finish 4-3 and 35th overall.

Bonanza went 3-4 for 39th place, followed by Bishop Gorman at 40th with a 1-6 record. Durango posted a 3-4 record to top Shadow Ridge (1-6), Coronado (2-5) and Foothill (0-7) for the final four spots in the 48-team field.

Hill is hopeful the enhanced competition will serve her team well as the Gators prepare for the regular-season and playoff push.

“Nevada volleyball is right there,” Hill said. “Gorman did very well last year, we did very well this year. We can play with these guys.

“Now we just need to get over the hump. We’re right there.”