Elite 18 club volleyball team dominates field in season-opening tournament

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Saturday, January 25, 2025 | 11:01 AM


The Pittsburgh Elite 18 girls volleyball team started off its club season impressively.

Coached by Maggie Smith and Alyson Londot, Elite 18 won the Pittsburgh Ice Breaker Tournament in its division Jan. 11 at the All American Fieldhouse in Monroeville.

Not only did they go undefeated in the tournament, they beat every team they faced in two games.

Key members of the 10-player squad include Quaker Valley’s Molly MacDonald, Bethel Park’s Cassidy Sullivan and Baldwin’s Avery Barrett. All three are seniors and all three were teammates last club season.

Sullivan, a 5-foot-7 setter, was a four-year starter and all-section player at Bethel Park. She plans to attend Ohio University where she will play club volleyball and major in secondary math education.

Sullivan’s resume includes 11 years of club volleyball experience.

“I was very impressed with our overall performance (in Monroeville), especially considering it was our first tournament,” Sullivan said. “We are so strong at every position on the court and in every aspect of the game. Everyone knows their role on the court as we have been well-prepared by our coaches. It is super exciting to win the very first tournament and makes us all so excited for the rest of the season.

“I expect huge success for us. I know we will continue to improve each and every practice and work hard in the gym. We are a very experienced group, and we all have a strong desire to succeed together and are willing to put in the work. We are working towards a bid to the national championship in Salt Lake City, Utah in April. I am excited to see where this season takes us, and I look forward to even more first-place finishes in our future.”

MacDonald is a 5-foot-11 outside hitter/right-side specialist who started for four years at Quaker Valley. She is a Middlebury College volleyball recruit.

“This year’s (club) team is a blend of two different teams,” MacDonald said. “Last year, our team went to the Nike Classic as one of our first tournaments and took first place in our division.

“We are hoping to win a bid for nationals in Utah this year. We have that goal set, and we will continue to work hard to accomplish it.”

Barrett, a 5-8 setter, was a four-year starter at Baldwin. She plans to continue her volleyball career at Pitt-Johnstown and will study civil engineering.

“I think our team did great at the tournament,” Barrett said. “With it being our first tournament, there are sometimes miscommunications or small mistakes. But overall, we handled the games well and were able to stay competitive.

“This team has a lot of talent and is going to be very strong this season. All of us have known each other for years and to get to play with these girls for my last (club) season is so special. One goal of ours is a bid to the girls junior national championships and I think this team is more than capable of achieving that.”

Other team members are MH Kaylie Baumgart (Chartiers Valley), OH Natalie Carr (Canon-McMillan), DS Becca Feczko (North Catholic), OH Ella Nicotra (Mars), OH Hannah Randolph (Upper St. Clair), MH Olivia Thompson (Carlynton) and DS Cassidy Trahan (Serra Catholic).

Baumgart has committed to Duquesne, Randolph to Seton Hill and Trahan to Eastern Kentucky.

“This is our last club season, and many of us have been playing together for years,” Sullivan said. “It has been a huge part of my life and I’m sure my teammates too.

“I’m so grateful to get to play one last season with these teammates and coaches. I’m looking forward to seeing all we accomplish.”

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