Annual Power Buff Tournament

On May 24, the annual Power Buff Volleyball tournament was played in the Saint’s Gym. The Power Buff tournament is a fundraiser for the girls’ volleyball team and series of games where the boys’ sports compete in volleyball.  The winner of the tournament will play the girls’ volleyball team. Members from the baseball, basketball, football, boys volleyball teams, and even a team of teachers will all be trying to make it to the championship game to raise money for the volleyball program and show who’s the best players on campus.

The Power Buff teams were determined slightly differently than in years past. Usually, it’s different sports teams that play against each other but this year, members from the boys’ volleyball team got to choose their teams. This made all the teams fair and allowed good competition throughout the tournament. There were three total teams and each game was played first to 25 points. 

Heading into the tournament, Senior, Cade Tsonas’s team, was considered the heavy favorite to win it all. They seemed to have the most experience with very talented players and it looked like it would be hard for the two other teams to keep up. Unexpectedly, Senior, Isaac Ortega’s team defeated Cade’s team in the first game they played against each other. In the following game, Junior, Nick Tate’s team went on to defeat Isaac’s team. They all played each other once and at the end of pool play games, they all had a record of 1-1. 

Heading into the playoffs, it seemed to be anyone’s game as all the teams were similar in skill and competitiveness. The scoring format stayed the same but every game mattered because if a team lost, they were out. In the first round, Cade Tsonas’s team lost to Isaac Ortega’s team in a big upset game. Many people expected Cade’s team to perform well and ultimately win the championship, but they were mistaken. Nick Tate and Isaac Ortega’s team had both won, so their teams headed into the championship game with the same record of 2-1. Tate’s team had the advantage since they had already beaten Ortega’s team in the pool play match-up, but both teams were prepared for a challenge. 

After a back-and-forth, high intensity game, Ortega and his team were able to pull out the win by a score of 25-23, barely holding onto the victory. They were able to get their revenge and take home the trophy. When asked about winning the championship, Ortega said, “Yeah it’s honestly just what we do.” After about two and a half hours of fun, energetic volleyball games, it seemed to be a win-win for everyone. The girls’ volleyball team raised money for next year and all the athletes got to compete against each other and have fun playing a different sport.