History in the making

Tuba City Starlings garners national championship

FORT DEFIANCE

For the first time in the history, the Tuba City Starlings club volleyball team nailed down the national championship.

The Starlings knocked off San Gabriel, California to earn the title.

Head coach Harlan Barlow said from the exact moment his team won the championship, it was unbelievable, but knew the Starlings could do it.

“All of our hard work paid off for that very moment,” Barlow said. “It felt good. The girls deserved it and I was beyond happy and filled with emotion.”

Since he’s been coaching, he’s guided the Starling to two national championship games but each time they come up short. In 2014, the Starlings lost to City of Los Angeles. The Starlings finished second in the silver bracket in 2015.

Prior to entering bracket play, the Starlings competed in two pools. The Starlings finished 3-0 in the first pool. The Starlings defeated Palmdale, California, 2-0, followed by a 2-0 win over San Diego. The Starlings completed pool play with a 2-0 win over San Diego Navajo.

The next day, the Starlings crossed over to play in the other pool. The Starlings knocked off Shonto, 2-0. The Starlings continued its winning ways, beating South Central Los Angeles, 2-0. The Starlings completed its pool undefeated, outlasting Brevard County, Florida, 2-0.

Entering the bracket, the Starlings defeated Indianapolis, 2-0. In the semifinals, the Starlings dropped a 2-0 decision to San Gabriel. The Starlings dropped into the loser’s bracket.

Tuba City outlasted Brevard County, 2-0. With the win, the Starlings moved into the championship game. Tuba City stopped San Gabriel, 2-0. Since this was San Gabriel’s first lost, the Starlings played an “if necessary” game and won, 25-10.

“We had to win, no matter what,” Barlow said. “We had to have a better record to be in the Gold Bracket. We had to dig deep. And we did. We beat most of the teams by a big margin and kept most of them under 10 points.”

Barlow said captains Deja Begay and Jayda Chee led the team.

“The team needed their support and guidance to keep the girls together,” he said. “It was all about communication between them and their team.”

And while they looked to the captains, Barlow said it took an entire team to win the championship.

“It was a team effort and even our bench,” he said. “They all had a role and they all played their part.”

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