That is “Dots,” VolleyballMag’s weekly have a look at 10 issues in membership volleyball, previous or current, that curiosity me and hopefully will curiosity you. Search for Dots each Tuesday by Junior Nationals this summer season.
• Final weekend was a busy one on this planet of juniors volleyball.
That assertion wants no qualifier, as a result of “qualifier” was the secret. From New Orleans to Minneapolis, St. Louis to Spokane, groups lined up with goals of attending to Vegas or Baltimore to compete in opposition to the very best of the very best at Junior Nationals.
• Let’s begin in Minneapolis, the place the 16s division piggybacked on the children within the Twin Cities on the Mizuno Northern Lights Qualifier. TAV 16 Blue, Milwaukee Sting 16 White and South Texas 16 Navy have been colourful winners of the three Membership-level divisions, however the large prize was in 16 Open, the place 24 groups, none with bids, vied to be the entitled trio to make their solution to Vegas.
TAV 16 Black went 9-0 to say the title and earn the Open bid. The Dallas-area squad, which tied for third at Triple Crown; defended its No. 1 seed however was pushed, as 4 of its matches went to a few units. That was by no means extra true than within the championship versus Minnesota Choose 16-1, a match TAV received, 17-15 within the third.
“We have been actually examined by a couple of gifted Midwest groups and the finals was no completely different,” stated coach Paul Baxter. “We have been looking at a 11-14 deficit receiving serve in that ultimate deciding set in opposition to Choose, so we needed to prepare dinner up some magic for the comeback win.”
Baxter credit score improved blocking for TAV’s success. The crew obtained a couple of large blocks by Kinsley Younger and Danielle Whitmire throughout its large comeback.
S/RS Anna Flores in all probability had her greatest general occasion of the 12 months, Baxter stated. She contributed in all points of the sport. Younger hit .500 within the championship match regardless of being pitted in opposition to a prime center on Choose. Pins Layla Austin and Kylie Kleckner needed to take about 70 swings within the ultimate and carried an enormous load.
“Choose is a really powerful crew that performs with actually good depth, so nothing got here straightforward that’s for certain,” Baxter stated.
“The ladies have been doing an incredible job of studying and implementing all the brand new ideas and concepts we’ve been throwing at them from the beginning of the season,” Baxter added. “We’ve had quite a lot of good success in opposition to the highest competitors in nation, whether or not it’s right here in North Texas, The Tour of Texas, Triple Crown, and now at Northern Lights. It’s superior to get to be in that setting in opposition to nice groups constantly and the Northern Lights JNQ was no completely different. It was nice weekend and the ladies answered the powerful activity of being the #1 seed very properly.
“This TAV crew is nice and might make it work in quite a lot of other ways and we are going to hold getting deeper and supply extra seems because the season continues that’s for certain. However being a Minnesota native, I couldn’t have requested for a greater scripted occasion and all the ladies deserve that Gold Ball and the good recollections behind it!”
• MN Choose and Houston Juniors 16 Elite joined TAV in qualifying for Junior Nationals.
MN Choose completed 7-2 for the weekend. Along with shedding within the finals to TAV, Choose fell in three on Friday to HJV, a loss it avenged to win its Gold Pool on Sunday and clinch a bid. Nothing got here simply for Drew Rongere’s crew, as six of its ultimate seven matches went the space.
The trouble was an incredible bounce again after a disappointing Twentieth-place end at MEQ the weekend earlier than.
The Day 1 loss to Houston Juniors put MN Choose right into a brutal Day 2 pool with the likes of Houston Skyline 16 Royal, the No. 2 general seed; and Premier Nebraska 16 Gold.
“We performed a few of our greatest volleyball of the season and went 3-0 on day two to safe a spot in a Gold pool,” Rongere stated.
Houston Skyline additionally misplaced to Premier in a stunning early exit for one of many nation’s elite groups on this age group.
On Sunday, MN Choose outlasted Milwaukee Sting 16 Gold in three to get inside one win of a bid.
“We headed into the following match in opposition to the HJV crew we misplaced to on day one realizing {that a} win would get us the open bid that we made a crew purpose to safe firstly of the season,” stated Rongere. “We struggled out of the gate and misplaced the primary set, 19-25. This crew has been grinding all season with big comeback wins so we stayed targeted on the sport plan and made a couple of changes. We received the second set. 25-17. Midway by the third set we have been down 1-7 in entrance of an enormous crowd of 300+. “
Rongere known as for time and advised his crew they’d confronted related deficits earlier than.
“’Deal with 1 level at a time and battle each second you’re on the courtroom and we are going to get again on this,’” he advised his costs. “I actually believed this crew might win the match. We in the end fought again and received 15-12 to safe a 16-open bid.”
Whereas Rongere credited everybody on his crew for stepping as much as the problem on the weekend, he singled out setter Ellery DeBoer for operating an incredible offense and being an attacking risk herself in each match. MB Elena Hoecke performed like one of many prime middles nationally, which she is. She dominated the web hitting and blocking. Libero Sidney Burley led the crew in digs and “owned the backrow and refused to let balls hit the bottom.”
“She is a stud and I’m glad she is our backrow chief and never on one other crew,” Rongere stated.
“Hayden Reeder was in all probability the largest key to our success,” Rongere added. “She moved from an OH/DS position to [the right side] for the NLQ and did an incredible job. She had a ton of giant kills and blocks for us all through the weekend. Her need to be nice and assist her teammates achieve success has been key to making a successful tradition for our crew.”
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Houston Juniors’ loss to Choose in Gold Pool 2 was its first of the weekend. As a substitute of letting that loss – it had led 7-1 within the third – get the very best of it, the crew rebounded to win a tense match versus Premier Nebraska, 22-25, 25-23, 15-13, for the ultimate bid.
“Once you work so onerous to develop a tradition that believes in a household environment with onerous work ethic; nice issues occur!” exclaimed assistant coach John Turner. “Tara Cross Battle and I stress how necessary it’s to have our groups do the little issues that make us ‘Belief the Course of’ to go to struggle on the courtroom for each other! All of it begins with writing your objectives every follow on the dry erase board on our courtroom, with a distinct participant offering an inspirational quote; our crew assembly every morning of event play for breakfast to share our preparation for the day; crew dinners adopted by a crew assembly going over movie/scouting our next-day opponents with suggestions from gamers. That is just some issues we now have as expectations/accountability from our gamers. We belief/imagine in every one among them they usually in return do the identical by enjoying their hearts out for one another.
“The feelings we as a household felt on the successful second was overwhelming. These younger girls had by no means earned an Open bid earlier than after enjoying 4-5 years of membership volleyball. I’m tremendous proud to have co-coached with Tara Cross Battle to earn this bid. Now it’s time to get again to work setting our eyes on a nationwide championship in July at Vegas!”
• We’re off to St. Louis for the 15s age division at MEQ. TX Legacy 15 Elite, Mineral Space 15 Elite and KC Energy 15 Purple received the Membership-level divisions. Forty-eight groups – an enormous discipline – signed as much as check their skills on the Open degree.
TAV 15 Black, the age group nationwide champions in 2023, and each the Triple Crown and Sunshine Traditional champions in 2024, was the highest seed and Jason Nicholson’s crew didn’t disappoint. TAV went 10-0 and dropped only one set, within the championship match versus Dallas Skyline 15 Royal, on its solution to a second qualifier title this 12 months.
“What an incredible weekend of volleyball,” Nicholson exclaimed. “Clearly being the #1 seed we had a goal on our again going into the weekend however that’s one thing I believe this crew thrives on. We performed very properly in all phases all through the weekend. Now we have tons of offensive weapon however I felt our first contact was very constant, which actually allowed the setters to place their hitters in nice conditions. Having Sophee Peterson again on the courtroom offers me plenty of choices personnel-wise. She did an incredible job of setting in each 5-1 and 6-2 techniques. Brynn Stephens continues to indicate her versatility as each a setter and attacker. Gentry Barker was flying round on the surface and backrow terminating ball after ball. Lexi Martin and Naomi Livings have been big blocks and added a ton of spectacular kills. Nyla Livings was very environment friendly within the center getting kills in entrance of and behind the setter. Middles Mariah Akinsola and Onita Davis have been dominant on the web shutting down our opponents’ attackers whereas including well timed kills. Libero Ansley Shafer and defensive specialist Karsyn Evans have been big in extending rallies and making it onerous on our opponents to attain factors. It was a real crew effort with each piece to the puzzle having an influence on the crew’s success. We misplaced our solely set of the weekend within the ultimate. It felt like each groups have been trying slightly drained and we let Skyline steal the primary one. We used that to inspire us in set 2 and three to win the championship.”
• Skyline, A5 15 Kelly and VCNebraska 15 Elite completed 2-3-4 to earn bids at MEQ.
Every crew misplaced simply as soon as, Skyline to TAV within the ultimate, A5 to TAV within the Gold Bracket semis and VCN to Skyline within the different semifinal.
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Skyline got here into MEQ down a setter and needed to run a 5-1 all the weekend with Camryn Penn in cost.
“The ladies might have used it as an excuse, however as a substitute they selected to face tall and roll with it,” stated coach Mark Flores. “The complete crew did an incredible job acclimating and dug themselves out of holes we dug ourselves into at instances on days 2 and three.”
Again-to-back-to-back three-set wins over Auston Skyline 15 Royal, HP STL 15 Royal and 1United 15N Blue catalyzed Dallas Skyline’s run.
Pin hitters Ryan Spencer (OH) Grace Pinegar (OH) and Lucy Holmes (RS) all had nice weekends offensively.
“Lucy stepped into the serve obtain patterns greater than she has previously and did nice, which gave us loads of choices when wanted,” Flores famous.
Libero Dakota Huynh, one of many crew leaders, had an outstanding weekend along with her constant serve obtain and defensive wizardry. Penn not solely ran a fairly balanced offense, utilizing all her hitters back and front row, however she additionally performed an incredible all-around recreation with some large digs, blocks and assaults.
Middles Parker Horton and KC Chinnas have been environment friendly scoring machines.
“We had an incredible weekend and I’m so pleased with the ladies combating all three days,” Flores stated.
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A5’s path to a bid included revenge on HPSTL, the crew that ousted it at Sunshine. That allowed the Atlanta crew to maintain its prime 4 seed heading into the ultimate day.
“With out that match we have been in bother… with it we have been capable of hold that momentum on the final day and play our greatest,” famous coach Kelly Audia.
“It was in the end a ‘crew event,’ with a few of our greatest performances coming off the bench at instances,” Audia added. “Our blocking was particularly resilient and confirmed up large when factors mattered most and our protection was excellent on Sunday.
“Each match it appeared somebody new would step up and play their greatest once we wanted it most. It was a gritty efficiency that in the end noticed us win three three-set matches and pull out some unbelievable comebacks in lengthy two-set wins.
“We’re actually hitting our stride as a crew and can solely get higher earlier than Nationals come. We are able to’t wait to see what occurs subsequent.”
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VC Nebraska had eight straight sweeps to clinch a bid, then misplaced within the semifinals, 26-24, 26-24.
“We have been actually near qualifying at Sunshine two weeks in the past,” coach Blake Rawlins defined. “They made it their mission to do it in St. Louis. “They simply performed constant volleyball all three days. Actually pleased with this group!”
Rawlins stated his crew served and handed properly and defender at a excessive degree. Freshman setter McKinley Moser was very, superb and affirmed his place as one of many prime setters within the 2027 class.
“She does a unbelievable job getting our attackers 1-on-1 lots, particularly in transition.”
Libero Kaelynn Lottman additionally was unbelievable in her position and all three pins, Alli Bornschlegl, and Hallie and Gracie Lauenstein did an incredible job of attacking, even in opposition to taller groups.
• TAV’s weekend of successful continued at Music Metropolis in New Orleans, the place TAV 18 Black received the 18 Open division. The ultra-talented group, which initially certified at Lone Star, went undefeated for the weekend. TAV might be the favourite to win Junior Nationals in Baltimore. The crew completed second to Coast 18-1 at Triple Crown.
• Madfrog 18’s Nationwide Black positioned second within the 28-team event to qualify in Open, as did Florida groups Prime Choose 18 Elite and OVA 18 Black, which took benefit of the trickle-down course of in a discipline the place 10 had beforehand secured Open admission.
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Prime Choose was second in 17 Open at AAUs final 12 months and certified for Junior Nationals in its third try this 12 months. Coach Ross Usie, a local Louisianan, noticed his crew end nineteenth at Florida Fest and tenth in Boston earlier than breaking by in his residence state.
“Now we have progressively been getting nearer and nearer to prime 10 finishes because the season progressed,” he stated. “We by no means misplaced by greater than 5-6 factors in opposition to big-name groups, so we knew we might do it…and WANTED to.”
A sweep of previously-qualified Metropolis 18 Gold on Day 1 was big for Prime Choose, because it gave the crew the enhance of confidence wanted to beat different good groups. On Day 2, Prime Choose defeated Triangle 18 Black and, for the fourth time this season, OVA, in a match that was harder than the prior thrice.
OHs Diona Mitchell and Jayda Redd, each scoring and blocking; and libero Mayte Kamacho have been key performers.
Stated Usie: “I’m glad we certified right here as a result of I used to be born and raised in LA, about two hours West of NOLA, so this one meant lots to me for certain.”
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OVA certified regardless of a sub-.500 report. That may occur in the event you win the proper matches.
“I’m very pleased with the crew and the best way we competed at Music Metropolis,” stated coach Jen Darty. “It’s taken us a while and work to get to the extent that we did and it took everybody stepping us for us to get there.”
OH Ashtyn Sims was an enormous catalyst for OVA.
“She stepped up for us large time and performed lights out,” Darty noticed. “I’m so pleased with what she is doing for us on the courtroom and the expansion that I’ve seen from her. I believe our protection got here up with some large momentum performs as properly.”
• Out West, PNQ in Spokane bumped into competitors for resort rooms with the NCAA Ladies’s Division I opening-round video games, hosted by Gonzaga. The play on the ground noticed NPJ 18 Forefront and NORCO 181 end 1-3 to take residence the 2 Open bids.
NPJ received 18 Open for the second straight 12 months behind setter Alexis Haury, OHs Web page Thies and Maija Howse and MB Chloe LeLuge. The Oregon membership was undefeated and dropped solely two units. They have been 3-0 versus the 2 previously-qualified groups within the 11-team discipline, Pohaku 18-1 and Seal Seashore 18 Black; and likewise 2-0 in opposition to NORCO.
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NORCO’s bid got here due to an incredible effort from libero Julia Bohlinger.
“She actually performed among the greatest volleyball passing and defending I’ve seen from her,” stated coach Kyle Cox.
Bohlinger’s first-contact prowess allowed the crew to make the most of its large arms, center blocker Delaney Ewing and outsides Karli Krueger and Chloe Duzenack, to most effectivity.
“We gave NPJ completely every thing they may deal with and cut up with two actually good groups in Pohaku and Seal Seashore,” Cox famous.
• Not many groups have had a greater two-week stretch than Boiler Juniors 16 Elite Gold. First, Jasmine Fullove’s crew received 16 Open at Bluegrass in Louisville. One week later, the Northern Indiana crew completed second in a crowded 16 Open discipline at MEQ.
“Cali Foster had an outstanding efficiency in each tournaments,” Fullove stated. “She was an offensive weapon. Cali is an unbelievable chief and has a ‘take over’ character and angle in large matches. She thrives in large video games and is a participant we depend on through the season. Regardless that she stands solely 5-9, she is being recruited by Energy 5 colleges due to her tenacious spirit on the courtroom. She is a standout for certain, and massive applications are seeing that!”
• Infinity 16 Ren has received consecutive tournaments. This previous weekend, they performed in Birmingham at “Bama Beast.”
“We fought our method by pool play after which bracket play to finish up successful first place within the 16 Membership division,” famous coach Taylor Mraz. “This crew is a enjoyable and really gifted group of ladies. Irrespective of the circumstances, they’re all the time prepared to play wherever they’re requested to and provides 110% each time they step foot on to the courtroom.”
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Lastly, some Metro information. Metro 18 Journey ended its qualifier season with 5 Gold Bracket finishes and by triple qualifying. The crew is led by outsides Mimi Mambu and Alexis Ewing.
Metro 17 Journey on Saturday earned the Chesapeake Area’s Nationwide Bid on the CHRVA regional event. That is the second 12 months in a row this crew earned the bid.
Led by setter Isabelle Bardin, with 91 assists, Metro went 5-0 with out dropping a set. Exterior hitter Destini Pickett was dynamic in the back and front row, racking up 33 kills, 8 aces, 21 digs and averaged a 2.2 passer score. Libero Sadie Gladhill and DS Evie Huang mixed for 88 digs and every handed over a 2.1.