Edgewood-Colesburg bags the Tri-Rivers volleyball tournament title

CLARENCE — It’s a luxury, but not a necessity, for Audrie Helmrichs to be in the front row when Edgewood-Colesburg needs a clutch point.

“We just need her on the court,” Ed-Co Coach Dana Kopren said.

Helmrichs returned to the net just in time to knock down the clinching kill, and Class 1A 14th-ranked Ed-Co outlasted Lisbon in the Tri-Rivers Conference volleyball tournament final, 25-20, 23-25, 19-17, Saturday afternoon at North Cedar High School.

“It means a lot. It means everything,” Helmrichs said after her 18-kill barrage in the championship match. “I’m proud of what we accomplished today.”

When the Vikings (26-13) opened the season by winning the Easton Valley Invitational on Aug. 26, the players told Kopren the significance of that. It was the first tournament title in their careers.

This one was even more significant.

Ed-Co trailed 12-8 in the deciding set and faced four match points, the last at 16-15.

The Vikings got their first championship opportunity at 17-16, but hit it into the net.

At 17-17, Marin Gaul’s kill put Ed-Co in front, then Helmrichs closed it out.

“We just had to believe we could do it. That next-play mentality is everything for us,” Helmrichs said.

Ed-Co swept its way to the finals, outscoring Easton Valley and Calamus-Wheatland by a collective count of 100-61 in the first two matches.

“They’re good, really good,” Lisbon Coach Lance Kamaus said. “We don’t hear a lot about them because they’re (in) the other (division) and they’re an hour north of us.

“But we beat them 25-23, 25-23 last year, and they had everybody coming back. I knew they would have a nice team.”

Ed-Co stormed back from an 11-6 deficit in the opening set and led through most of Game 2.

But Lisbon (27-6) rallied from a 21-17 disadvantage in the second set to stay alive. With Ed-Co in front 23-22, sophomore Mykala Luzum-Selmon knocked down three consecutive kills to extend the match.

“Big-girl kills,” Kamaus called them.

Ava Czarnecki posted 17 kills in the final for Lisbon.

Last year’s Tri-Rivers tournament champions, the Lions swept Starmont in the first round, then topped Central City in the semifinals, 19-25, 25-10, 15-13.

During every timeout, Kopren’s young daughter Quinn bravely stood in front of the Ed-Co parents and led cheers — “Here we go, Ed-Co, here we go.” — and snuggled into her mom’s arms during the postmatch glow.

Both were beaming.

“We’ll remember this for a long time,” Kopren said. “These kids wanted this more than they let on.”

Tri-Rivers Conference volleyball tournament

At Clarence

QUARTERFINALS

Lisbon def. Stamont, 25-13, 25-19

Central City def. North Cedar, 25-20, 25-23

Calamus-Wheatland def. Springville, 25-14, 25-19

Edgewood-Colesburg def. Easton Valley, 25-16, 25-14

CONSOLATION MATCHES

Starmont def. North Cedar, 21-18, 13-21, 15-9

Springville def. Easton Valley, 19-21, 23-21, 15-10

SEMIFINALS

Lisbon def. Central City, 19-25, 25-10, 15-13

Edgewood-Colesburg def. Calamus-Wheatland, 25-14, 25-17

CHAMPIONSHIP

Edgewood-Colesburg def. Lisbon, 25-20, 23-25, 19-17

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com