'Bermuda Triangle' has top-ranked Bishop McGuinness volleyball dreaming of 5A state title

MOORE — They have become known as the “Bermuda Triangle.”

Bishop McGuinness volleyball’s terrific trio of setter Clare Kierl, outside hitter Charlotte Nelson and libero Taylor Vann have thwarted the opposition this season with a dizzying trifecta of digs, sets and kills that utilizes both rows and both sides of the court.

“I loved it,” Kierl said of the nickname after the Class 5A top-ranked Fighting Irish swept Southmoore, 25-17, 25-21, 25-14 Monday night at Southmoore High School. “It makes me excited whenever Taylor passes the ball, a perfect pass, because I just then set Charlotte and it is always a kill. They get the three of us and then they don’t get the ball.”

With Vann on the left side of the back row, Kierl on the right and Nelson up front to the left, it is easy to make out a triangle formation as the ball volleys from back to front between them. It was Charlotte’s father, Bobby Nelson, that coined the group the “Bermuda Triangle.”

“Because we are different positions, he just thought it would be funny,” Charlotte said with a laugh. “And because we are killers. That is why he calls us that.”

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McGuinness (15-3) has been just that for much of this season. The defending state runner-up in 5A, it has now won eight of nine matches, including a tournament title at the Lincoln Christian Bulldog Showdown Aug. 25-26 in Tulsa where the Fighting Irish began the event with a loss to 4A No. 5 Oklahoma Christian School, then avenged the defeat by sweeping the Saints in a rematch for the championship.

“We were playing them four times in one week,” Vann said. “It is hard to go 4-0 against a team when that happens, but I think we did really good coming back in the finals of that tournament. … It was like a revenge thing.”

The “Bermuda Triangle” once again led the way as Kierl was honored as Most Valuable Player of the tournament, while Nelson and Vann were named to the all-tournament team.

Nelson and Vann have heightened chemistry from playing club volleyball together with Oklahoma Charge in Edmond, while Kierl brings tremendous athleticism by virtue of being a multisport standout in possession of a basketball scholarship offer from Oklahoma Christian University.

“We are trying to get her to do both (in college) because she is such a skilled player,” McGuinness coach Kelli Miller said. “She has done it her whole life. Why not just continue that? With basketball, she has court awareness, she has got an intensity that basketball has helped her to maintain and then general agility. That girl is the fittest person on our team. She can run us all in circles.”

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McGuinness brings loads of experience back from the team that reached last year’s 5A state championship match and has the maturity to accommodate Nelson’s front row move from the right side to the left, as well as inject a couple of fantastic freshmen into the rotation in middle hitter Arielle Yapi and left back defender Kenzie Smith.

“Of course it is amazing and it has the potential for longevity on our team, but I think the only reason we can have those two is because we have nine seniors, so they know how we roll,” Miller said. “We have seniors that lead the way and our freshmen know what to expect.”

What everyone at McGuinness expects is another run at a state championship. Last year, the Fighting Irish reached the state finals for the first time since 2010. With Mount St. Mary – the 5A state champion in each of the last two seasons – elevated to 6A this season, the door is open for McGuinness to claim the crown. But that notable opportunity also brings a sizable target in the eyes of opponents.

“We really like it,” Kierl said. “It just pushes us to be better and we have a higher standard for ourselves. We go into every game knowing that we should dominate, but don’t be overconfident and just push together.”

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma high school volleyball: Bishop McGuinness beats Southmoore