Saugus Centurions girls’ volleyball has gotten well-acquainted with bringing home hardware.  The Centurions won their second tournament this season after finishing a perfect 8-0 through the Crescenta Valley tournament over the weekend.   However, this trophy meant a little more for Saugus. The Centurions were without starting setter Morgan Guardado, a four-year starter, who has run the offense for the past two seasons.  Saugus took some time to find its footing without its injured leader, but found its rhythm with backup setter Bailey Posey. The junior setter’s play was vital for the Centurions as they battled tough opponents through the gold bracket.  “Backup setter Bailey Posey stepped in and did a great job,” coach Zach Ambrose said in a phone interview. “She had to start and didn’t really get time to ramp up, she just had to get in there and give us the same types of sets we had with Morgan and she did a great job doing that.”  Also stepping up for Saugus was tournament MVP Katelyn Nelson. The MVP had a quiet first day of action before the team entered the gold bracket on Saturday. Nelson had just two blocks through four matches on day one before exploding defensively on Saturday with 26 points.  The Centurions became champions when they defeated the hosting Crescenta Valley Falcons in the gold title match. The Centurions were pushed beyond straight sets for just the second and third time all season, but dug deep and took home the gold, 25-14, 25-27, 15-10.  Nelson had six kills and four blocks, including the tournament-clinching stuff for match point.   “(Nelson’s) one of these spark players, where the stats don’t always line up for her having huge numbers, but the ones that she does are really impactful,” Ambrose said. “She gives us momentum builders with her blocking and hitting. My other middle is really good, too. Katelyn and then Aiden Jacobson, when they’re both on, that’s when we’re winning comfortably. When they’re playing really well and impacting the game, it just kind of opens it up at every other level for us.”  Posey also had her most effective outing of the tournament with 30 assists, one ace and four blocks from the 5-foot, 3-inch setter.  Libero Gabriela Cascione also came alive in the title-match with a tournament-play season-high 25 digs.  “(Cascione) refused to let anything on her half of the court fall,” Ambrose said. “That really carried us through.”  The Cents were also pushed to a decisive third set in their semifinals match with the Mayfield Cubs. Saugus won the match, 25-15, 15-25, 15-7.   Saugus outside hitter Leila Ballard led the charge all over the court with 10 kills, 14 digs and three serving aces. Ballard finished the tournament with a team-high 95 kills.  The Centurions have now won two tournaments in three straight seasons; seven if counting the team’s 2022 CIF championship.  Saugus has dropped just one match and five sets all season. The Centurions fell to the Village Christian Crusaders earlier in the year but Ambrose’s team took plenty of positives away from the loss.  “That was a good game for us, even though we lost,” Ambrose said. “It really showed us some weaknesses, and we’ve been really working on those areas, strengthening that up as we head into West Ranch next week.”  The Centurions will likely return Guardado by Friday but are in good hands with Posey, who showed similar flashes to her predecessor as one of the better blocking setters in the Foothill League. Ambrose remains confident with both of his setters ahead of the team’s heavyweight matchup with West Ranch.  “Bailey stepped and played all the way around at 5-foot-3,” Ambrose said. “She’s not used to playing at the net, but it’s just something that we needed. She did it admirably, and I don’t think we actually missed the beat offensively. There was a little bit of a struggle in the first match we played with Hart. It wasn’t quite in sync, but by the time we got to Golden Valley, and to this tournament, our hitting numbers were identical, or even a little bit higher hitting percentage than when Morgan was there.”  One undefeated record in league play will fall on Monday when West Ranch heads to Saugus at 5 p.m.  “We’re focused,” Ambrose said. “We know it’s going to be a challenge, but we’re up for it and we’ll just see who the best team is when we get to Monday.”  The post Saugus volleyball wins Crescenta Valley tournament  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.