News, Updates, and More.
Academy Coaches/Alumni Compete for NCAA Bid
Academy Volleyball would like to congratulate Head Coach Bill Kropp and the St. Josephs College Men's Volleyball team on winning the Skyline Conference Regular Season Championship in only their second season in operation.
Not only is St. Joseph's College coached by Academy Coach Bill Kropp, but there are also a number of players on the team are Academy Volleyball alumni - including current Academy Assistant Coaches (Paul Curaro, Will Flohr, and Michael Bosco).
The Golden Eagles defeated Yeshiva Univesrsity on Thursday evening in the semi-finals of the Skyline Conference playoff bracket and have earned a trip to the Conference Finals, which will be played this Saturday afternoon at 12pm. The Academy contingent at St. Joseph's College will look to earn the school's first ever bid to the NCAA tournament with a win on Saturday.
Please come down to the Danzi Athletic Center at St. Josephs on Saturday April 14th at 12 pm to watch the fast-paced action and support your fellow Academy athletes and coaches. Show up early and be sure to make lots of noise!
For more information, click here.
Player Spotlight
Welcome to another edition of the Academy Volleyball Player Spotlight. In this edition of the Spotlight, we have more college commitments to share. Please see below for all the great news and join us in congratulating these athletes as they continue their journey.
Ben Sandt of our Boys 17 Red team will take his talents to Johnson & Wales University.
Mary Catherine Saladino of our Girls 18 White South team will continue her playing career at SUNY Geneso.
Megan O'Brien of our Girls 18 White South team has committed to Kings College, where we hope she'll be the Queen of Kings.
Troy Von Holt of our Boys 17 Red team will join fellow Academy Athletes Brennen Brandow and Jason Koehler at the top-ranked Springfield College
Dan LaRosa of our Boys 18 Red team will join Academy teamate Chris Shanley (as well as a few Academy alumni) at the Division III top contender, SUNY New Paltz.
Emily Rail of our Girls 18 White North team will continue her career at "the Bing" Division I, SUNY Binghamton.
Bryan Kaplan of our Boys 17 Red team is proud to be a Hawk next season, joining fellow Academy Athletes Chris Shanley and Dan LaRosa (and a couple of notable Academy alumns).
Make sure you visit our College Commitment page to see all of our athletes who are planning to continue their playing careers at the collegiate level.
16 White North Wins Sportime Tournament
Congratulations to the Girls 16 White North team for finishing in First Place at their tournament on April 7th at Sportime.
The girls lost their first match of the day, but went on to win every match the rest of the way en route to their tournament victory.
Nice Job!
ACAD Girls Compete in the Northeast Qualifier (NEQ)
Every year the Northeast Qualifier is held in Philadelphia, PA. The tournament has such massive participation that it's broken down by age group and spread out over three weekends - with some of the girls playing during Easter and Passover. First up are the 18s, followed by the 16/17 year olds, then comes the 13-15s. Now that all of the age groups have finished their competition, we have captured all of their recaps here. Read on!
GIRLS 18s - March 24-26
18 Red
With a bid to Nationals securely in hand, the NEQs are all about fine tuning their game to prepare for the big tournament.
On the first day of the tournament, the girls dropped matches to Forza and Rockwood Thunder before picking up a win over Dulles in their third match. The second day took a similar path as the first day with the girls dropping matches to VB Rags and PGH Elite before picking up a straight sets win over Whirlwind.
The girls had one more match to play on the second day as they were in a 5-team pool, which they dropped to EC Power in three sets. On the final day of the tournament, the girls dropped their opening playoff round match to Spiral. The girls are now getting set to compete in the USA Volleyball Junior National Championships in Anaheim CA later this month.
Talent abounds on the Girls 18 White Northh team - and not just on the court. Pictured above, Maria Vasiliou performs the National Anthem at the Philadelphia NEQs.
18 White North
Like the 18 Red, the Girls 18 White North team already have their bid to Nationals, so this tournament is all about fine tuning their game to prepare for the national tournament.
The girls came out strong picking up two straight wins over Surge and CEVA before dropping a match to Coastal. On the second day of the tournament, the girls dropped all of their matches, falling to 18 Elite, Renaissance, and Brandywine respectively.
The girls qualified for the Bronze playoff bracket, where they defeated AVVC in the first round (15-25, 25-20, 15-11). In the second round they faced CBVBC, who they also defeated in three sets (25-14, 20-25, 15-12). From there the girls advanced to the Bronze bracket finals – winning in straight sets over MDJRS 18 Elite (25-16, 27-25). Nice job by the 18 White North as they too will now prepare to compete in the USA Volleyball Junior National Championships in Anaheim, CA later this month.
18 White South
The Girls 18 White South team competed in the American division at the NEQs. On the first day of the tournament the girls dropped their matches to Metro, Husky, and Synergy respectively.
On the second day of the tournament, they fell to Horseshoe and Pinnacle before picking up a win over SOMD in straight sets (25-19, 25-18). This set the girls up for their first playoff match on the last day of the tournament, which they fell to SERV in three, very competitive sets (23-25, 27-25, 15-9).
The NEQs were the last tournament of the Girls 18 White South club careers and all of us at Academy would like to wish the girls best of luck as they move to the next chapter in their life. Many of the girls will be continuing to play volleyball at the collegiate level and we ask that you please keep in touch. Congratulations girls!
GIRLS 16s & 17s - March 31 - April 2
The Easter Bunny made a special visit to the NEQs - Just ask Mary Dexter! Word is that the bunny led the tournament in Digs.
16 Red
The Girls 16 Red opened their tournament in a three-team pool, dropping matches to High Performance St. Louis and AJV.
The girls had a very strong second day of the tournament as they went undefeated, picking up wins over DVA Aston, Coastal, and NC Elite.
For their strong play, they earned a spot in the Bronze playoff bracket where they defeated Princeton 16-1 in two straight sets (25-20, 25-20) before falling to the ECVC Hurricanes in the second round of the playoff bracket.
16 White North
The Girls 16 White North opened the tournament by going 1-2 on the first day of pool play, dropping matches to EC Power, and Madfrog before picking up a win over the ECE Cyclones (25-19, 26-24).
The girls also went 1-2 on the second day of the tournament as they defeated ASEVC (25-20, 25-22) and fell to Club SyrV and DVA Aston.
On the last day of the tournament, the girls won their playoff bracket by defeating the MDJRS 16 Elite (26-24, 23-25, 15-11) and Phoenix (19-25, 25-12, 15-11).
16 White South
The Girls 16 White South opened the tournament by playing hard in facing some very tough teams and falling to 0-3 on the day.
On the second day, the girls continued to battle ad they fell to Dulles, Ignit, and Phoenix.
In their playoff bracket, the girls picked up a big win over BRYC winning 25-21 in the first set, then following it up with an emphatic win in the second 25-15.
17 Red
The Girls 17 Red team opened the tournament by posting a record of 1-2 during the first day of pool play, picking up a three-set victory over Ballyhoo (25-21, 19-25, 16-8). Their day wasn’t done after pool play as the girls had to also play a crossover match, in which they fell to Revolution.
The girls also went 1-2 on the second day of pool play, falling to AP Asics and Brandywine, while picking up a win over ATTACK in two straight sets (25-23, 25-16).
On the third day of the tournament, the girls fell to Beach Elite in their playoff bracket.
17White
The Girls 17 White team also opened their tournament with a 1-2 record, picking up a win over NVA in three sets (18-25, 25-16, 15-12).
The girls a a great second day of the tournament as they went 2-1 in pool play – picking up wins over the CT Stars (25-20, 25-12) and Mill City (25-16, 25-20) while falling to Rocky Select. In their playoff bracket, the girls fell to Allegro in three sets.
GIRLS 13-15s - April 6-8
13 Red
The mighty 13s! The Girls 13 Red opened the tournament with a 3-0 record as they picked up wins over EC Power, Asphalt Green, and BRYC – all in straight sets.
The second day of the tournament, the girls continued their winning ways as they also went 3-0, picking up wins over Team VB Rags, Sportime, and WPVC – also all in straight sets.
The girls took their perfect 6-0 record in to the Gold Playoff bracket, where the fell to Asics Willowbrook. For the entire tournament, the girls finished 5th out of 45 teams – Great job!!
14 Red
The Girls 14 Red team opened the tournament with a 1-2 record. After dropping matches to TAV and MDJRS, the girls picked up a big win over NVVA in three sets (25-18, 19-25, 17-15).
They carried that momentum in to the second day as they went 2-1 for the day, picking up wins over NYC Juniors (25-19, 25-23) and Liberty Elite (25-22, 25-13), but falling to AP Asics.
The girls qualified for the Bronze Playoff bracket where they defeated the EC Power in the first round (23-25, 25-20, 15-11) be for falling to AP Asics in the second round.
14 White
The Girls 14 White team opened the tournament with two-straight wins and going 2-1 during the first round of pool play. Their wins came over CSA (25-14, 25-16) and Columbia Condors (25-19, 16-25, 16-14).
During the second day of the tournament the girls dropped their matches to OT, TAV, and Blocksport. The girls qualified for the Bronze “A” Playoff bracket where they fell to AP in the first round.
15 Red
The Girls 15 Red team had a tough first day of the tournament as they dropped all three of their matches with A5, Excel, and Metro.
The girls bounced back the next day as they picked up a win over Dulles in straight sets (25-13, 25-15) and going 1-2 on the day.
In their playoff bracket during the third day of the tournament, the girls picked up a win over Capital City Elite in straight sets (25-12, 25-21) before falling to the NYC Juniors in three sets in the finals for their bracket.
15 White North
The Girls 15 White North team also had a rough first day of the tournament as they dropped all three of their matches with Premier, Rocky Select 15s, and CPVBC.
The girls regrouped for they second day of the tournament as they finished the day with a. 1-2 record, picking up a win over AVA in three sets (25-20, 15-25, 15-10).
In their playoff bracket, the girls defeated the Surge 15 Lime in three sets (10-25, 25-20, 15-13). From there they advanced to play CJVA – where they fell in three sets.
15 White South
The Girls 15 White South team also had a rough first day of the tournament as they dropped all three of their matches with Beach Elite, Instinct, and PGH Elite.
Just like the 15 Red and 15 White North, the girls regrouped during the second day of the tournament as they went 2-1, picking up wins over CPVBC in three sets (23-25, 25-18, 15-7) and Dynamix in two straight (25-23, 25-14).
In their playoff bracket, the girls fell in the first round to EC Power.
Academy Girls 18 Red and 18 Advance to USA Volleyball National Championship Tournament.
For the first time in it’s history, Academy Volleyball will send two 18-year old teams to the USA Volleyball National Championships.
Over this past weekend, the 18 Red and 18 White North teams competed in GEVA’s Bid tournament, which is the only GEVA tournament where teams can earn a bid to USA Volleyball’s National Championships.
To give you some background on the format of the tournament:
- Only eight teams from the GEVA region qualify for this tournament
- All eight teams start pool play - winners advance and the losing teams drop to an alternate bracket, where they continue to play (in playoff bracket format).
- The winning team in the alternate bracket still has a chance to compete for a bid-to the USA Volleyball National Championships as they play a final match against the winning team from the main bracket.
In the opening round of pool play in the main bracket, the Girls 18 Red team defeated CHVBC 18 Black, while the Girls 18 White North defeated Princeton 18-1 National. Both of their victories set up a semi-final match between both Academy Girls 18s teams against each other.
In the sibling rivalry semi-final match, the 18 White North team came out on top. The 18 White North advanced in the main bracket, while the 18 Red moved over to the alternate. In the main bracket, the 18 White North team fell in the finals to VB Rags. At the same time, the 18 Red team advanced in the alternate bracket.
As the 18 Red team came out of the alternate bracket, the faced VB Rags in the finals - and defeated them. However, as that win gave VB Rags their first loss of the tournament, the teams had to play a one-set double final match, which the Girls 18 Red also won.
With a first and third-place finish respectively, both the Girls 18 Red and 18 White North team have earned bids to the USA Volleyball National Championship Tournament. The 18 White North team will compete in the American Division and the 18 Red will compete in the National Division.
The Girls 18-Year-Old USA Volleyball National National Championship tournament will be held April 27-19th in Anaheim California. Congratulations and good luck to the 18 Red and 18 White North teams as they move on to the National Championships!
Player Spotlight
In this edition of the Academy player spotlight, we have more college commitments to announce - including a committment to play NCAA beach volleyball! In addition, a number of our athletes have made the AVCA "players to watch" list. See below for more:
Academy Players on the AVCA All-American Watch List
The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) has announced their seventh annual Boys’ High School Senior All-America volleyball athlete Watch List for the 2017-18 season. The list serves as the starting point for the Boys’ High School Senior AllAmerica selection process.
In June, the AVCA will name 20 student-athletes as an All-American, with 10 players being selected to both a First-Team and Second-Team. Academy is pleased to annouce the following players who have made this prestigous list:
- Jason Koehler
- Dan LaRosa
- Alec Lehnert
- Conner Pallmann
To see the full selection list, please click here.
College Commitments
Brennen Brandow of our Boys 18 Red team has committed to Springfield College. Brennen will be joining his Academy teamate, Jason Koehler, as they both look to make an impact for the Springfield Pride in 2019.
Kathleen Doeherty of our 18 White North team has committed to the University of Tampa, where she will compete on the Womens' Beach Volleyball team.
Alec Lehnert of our Boys 18 Red team has committed to Lewis University. Alec looks to make Lewis a formidable team as he joins his fellow 18 Red teamates Kyle Shaffer and Connor Pallmann on the Flyers squad.
Matt Russo of our Boys 18 Red team has committed to SUNY Polytechnic where he will look to make an impact for the Wildcats in 2019.
Chris Shanley of our Boys 18 Red team has commited to the recent NCAA D-III National Champions (2016) and NCAA D-III National Runner Up (2017), SUNY New Paltz.
Naomi Ruffalo of our Girls 18 White North team looks to make a difference next season at Adelphi University - after she's finished competing at the Girls Junior National Championships!
Nicole Wagner of our Girls 18 White North team will play for the reigning NCAA D-II National Coach of the Year (Academy Director/Coach, Kevin DesLauriers) next season at Molloy College - after she's finished competing at the Girls Junior National Championships!
Bean Town Ball
As the volleyball season moves in to March, some of the Girls White teams travelled up to Boston for the 2018 Mizuno Boston Volleyball Festival. See below to find out how the teams performed:
15 White South
The girls opened the tournament on Friday by picking up two straight victories over South Country Tsunamis and the Premier Lightning. The girls went in to the second round of the tournament in a three team pool and came away with a 2-1 record, picking up wins over Alliance 15s Avalanche (25-11,25-2), and CMASS (25-22,25-11). The girls play positioned them in the Gold playoff bracket, where they opened with a win over Rival 15 Teal (25-27,25-23,15-10) before falling to USA South 15. The girls finished the tournament with 5-2 record and 5th place overall finish!
16 White South
The 16 White South team opened the tournament by going 2-1 in the opening round, picking up wins over Metrowest and Avidity. On the second day, the girls drew a tough pool and went 1-2, with a win over LIVBC 16 Blue in two straight sets (25-19,25-20). The girls overall record qualified them for the Gold playoff bracket, where they dropped their opening match to Whirlwind VBC in three sets (18-25,25-19,13-15). The girls finished the tournament in 9th place out of 60 teams. Great job!
18s
Both the 18 White teams competed in this tournament - the Girls 18 White South team began the tournament with a 2-1 record during the first day of pool play, winning matches over WMass and BOOM in three and two sets respectively. Drawing a tough pool for the second day, the girls dropped all of their matches. However, their overall performance qualified them for the Silver C playoff bracket. In the Silver, the girls dropped their match to Texas Coastal in two straight.
The Girls 18 White North team opened their tournament with three consecutive wins over Yorktowne, CRVBC, and the South Country Juniors respectively. During the second day of the tournament, the girls dropped a match to EC Power Sapphire, but quickly rebounded to pick up wins over EC Power Regal (22-25,25-17,16-14) and Kinights 18 Adidas (26-24,26-24). The girls qualified for the Gold playoff bracket, where they faced ClubSAV in the first round and won in three sets (26-24,12-25,15-11). In the second round of the Gold bracket, the girls fell to EC Power. The girls played one more match in the Gold for final playoff bracket placement, where they fell to the TX Assault. For the tournament, the girls finished in 5th place overall (out of 51 teams)!
Player Spotlight: College Bound Players
In this edition of the Academy Volleyball Player Spotlight, we have more college-bound athletes to announce. Please see below to see all the great news!
BANE Tournament A Huge Success!
The 2018 Boys Atlantic Northeast Championships (BANE) has shaped up to be the most successful Academy Boys tournament so far this season. For the first time this year, every boys team competed in the same tournament, which added to the excitement of the weekend's festivities. See below to catch up on all of the action!
14s
The Boys 14 Red team competed in their first ever major tournament and immediately showed their potential by winning their first two matches over WLVBC and BRYC before falling to PVC Sandlot.
On the second day of the tournament, the boys defeated the EC Power in three sets (14-25, 25-21, 16-14) before dropping matches to Pace and Niagra Frontier. However, with a 3-way tie in their pool, the boys had to play two, single set matches against Niagra and EC Power. In those matches they defeated Niagra, but fell to EC Power.
From there they qualified for the Silver Playoff bracket where they fell to LVC in the first round. Overall the boys finished in the top 10 (9th out of 24 teams) - a great first way to perform in their first major tournament!
15s
The Boys 15 Red team opened the first day of pool play by going 1-2, picking up a win over RCVC. The boys were competitive all day as one of their matches (against Pace) had two sets that needed extra points to decide (10-25, 27-25, 15-17).
On the second day of the tournament, they dropped their first match of the day to CJVA, but rebounded for wins over Club SyrV and Infinity - both in straight sets. Their play earned them a spot in the Bronze Playoff Bracket, where they defeated the Capital Sliders in the semi-finals. They went on to the finals where they defeated RVC in three sets (23-25, 29-27, 15-12).
The Boys 15 White team opened the tournament with a 1-2 record, picking up a win over Sporting Albany in three sets (16-25, 25-16, 15-9). On the second day, the boys were perfect in their pool as they defeated AVVC, Sportime, and the Capital Sliders. With an overall record of 4-2, the boys qualified for the Bronze Playoff bracket. In the Bronze, the boys dropped their first-round match to Club SyrV.
16s
The Boys 16 Red team had a great tournament. During the opening day of pool play, they picked up two victories over WLVBC and Yorktowne before playing an exciting and epic match vs. LIVBC, which they dropped in three sets.
On the second day, the boys drew a very tough pool, where they dropped matches to A-10, Pace, and Arlington. However, their strong play earned them a spot in the Silver Playoff Bracket. In the Silver, the boys defeated LVC in the first round in two straight sets (25-23, 25-18) to advance to the bracket semi-finals. In the semis, the boys defeated Niagra Fronteir in three sets (21-25, 25-23, 17-15). That victory propelled them to the bracket finals where they faced Club Lehigh.
The Boys 16 Red team defeated Club Lehigh in three sets (21-25, 25-18, 15-12) to win the Silver bracket. The Boys 16 Red finished 9th out of 30 teams for their best tournament finish of the season so far. Great job!
The Boys 16 White team drew a very tough pool on the first day of the tournament. They dropped matches to two virginia teams, Coastal and RVC, before picking up a win over TVP in three sets (25-21, 14-25, 15-10). On the second day of pool play, the boys picked up wins over Blast 16 Fuel and OVC - both in straight sets before falling to RVC. The boys strong play earned them a spot in the Bronze Playoff Bracket, where they fell in the first round to LIVBC.
17 Red
The Boys 17 Red team had their best tournament so far during this club season. They opened the tournament by going undefeated on the first day as they picked up straight-set victories over Plainview and RVC before defeating Prevail in three sets (25-22, 24-26, 15-8).
On the second day of the tournament, the boys also went undefeated as they picked up wins over OVC and Club Lehigh (both in straight sets). They also defeated Niagra Fronteir in three sets to finish pool play at a perfect 6-0. The boys earned a spot in the Gold Playoff Bracket, where they defeated Prevail in straight sets (25-17, 25-15) to advance to the semi-finals.
In the semis, they defeated Coastal in straight sets (25-15, 25-21). From there they advanced to the Gold Bracket finals, where they fell to a very strong Yorktowne team in three sets (18-25, 25-21, 12-15). Overall, the boys finished 2nd out of 29 teams - an amazing job by the 17 Red!
18s
Another tournament, another very strong performance by the Boys 18 Red team. The boys opened the tournament by going 2-1 during the first day of pool play, picking up wins over NEVC and Infinity, while dropping a match to Niagra Frontier.
On the second day of the tournament, the boys went undefeated as they picked up wins over MEVBC and Sportime in straight sets, while also defeating Warren Sixpak in three sets (25-17, 23-25, 15-4). The boys qualified for the Gold Playoff Bracket, where they defeated PVC Sandlot in the first round (25-16, 25-22).
From there, the boys went on to the semi-finals, where they fell to Niagra Frontier in two incredibly tight sets (30-28, 26-24). Overall, the boys placed 3rd out of 45 teams - an incredible tournament by the 18 Red.
The Boys 18 White team also had a very solid tournament. Drawing a tough pool on the opening day, the boys dropped matches to Smash, Warren Sixpak, and Blast 18 Fire. The boys came back strong on the second day of pool play as they went 2-1, picking up wins over Coastal Gold (25-23, 21-25, 15-13) and Coastal White (25-13, 25-12), while dropping a match to RVC.
The boys qualified for the Bronze Playoff Bracket, where they defeated SOSVBC in the first round, in straight sets (25-7, 25-22). From there, the boys went on to the next round where they faced Prevail and dropped in three very close sets (27-25, 22-25, 17-15).
This was a great tournament for every Academy Boys team as every team finished in a medal bracket. We're extremely proud of the progress that all of our teams are making.
Showdown on Capitol Hill
On Presidents Day Weekend, 15 Academy girls volleyball teams headed down to our nations capital to participate in the Capitol Hill Classic - one of the largest girls tournaments on the east coast.
The tournament had plenty of action, exciting finishes, and plenty of team spirit! Read on to catch up on all of this weekends' action.
12 Red
Academy Girls Stand Together - The girls of Academy surround the court as the Girls 12 Red competes in a match. The girls thrived in the support as Academy values were on in full display.
The Girls 12 Red team opened the tournament by going 1-2 on the first day, picking up a win over MOJO (25-11,21-25,15-8). On the second day the girls were undefeated as they picked up wins over Team VB Rags, Philly Storm, and Metro VBC.
With a 4-2 overall record after two days, the girls qualified for the Bronze playoff bracket where they picked up a first round victory over MOJO Elite in straight sets (25-18,25-22). That win catapulted the girls to the Bronze finals they faced Team VB Rags. In the finals, the girls picked up a Bronze win in three sets (24-26,25-18,15-11). A great tournament for the girls!
13 Red
The Girls 13 Red had a great first day as they jumped out to a 2-1 record, picking up wins over Virginnia Fusion and DUVBC. The second day brought about much of the same success as they also went 2-1, picking up wins over MVSAVBC and Infinity. For their outstanding play, the girls qualified for the Gold playoff bracket in the Open division where they fell to Metro VBC. Overall the girls finished in 5th place in the open division!
14s
The Girls 14 Red team had a great first day by going 2-1 in their opening round of pool play. They picked up wins over Core VA Platinum and Downstate Black. The girls were just getting started as they went undefeated during the second day of pool, racking up straight set wins over MSAVBC (25-22,25-22), Delaware Juniors (25-19,25-12), and 14 National (25-18,25-12).
The girls qualified for the Gold playoff bracket in the Open division, where they fell in the first round to ECJVC. Congratulations to the girls as they finished 5th overall out of 48 teams!
The Girls 14 White, competing in the Patriot division also had a great tournament. They started by going undefeated during their opening round of pool play, picking up wins over Stars, WLVBC, and Jammers in three sets (25-20,12-25,15-12).
They girls continued on the same way during the second day of pool play as they also went undefeated, picking up wins over Ocean, SOSVBC, and Paradigm Riot. Unsurprisingly, the girls qualified for the Gold playoff bracket.
In the first round of the Gold, the girls defeated LKN Elite in three sets (25-21,22-25,12-15), before falling to a different Academy team (from North Carolina). Congratulations also goes out to the Girls 14 White team as they finished in 3rd place out of 48 teams!
15s
Playing in the 15 Open division, the Girls 15 Red team opened the tournament by going 2-1 during the first day of pool play, picking up wins over Evo 15 BLK Smack and Tribe 15 Elite. On the second day, the girls also went 2-1 as they defeated the NYC Juniors (25-21,20-25,15-7) and the Vienna Elite Vibe (25-21,20-25,15-7), while dropping a match to the "other" Academy team (from North Carolina).
The girls play qualified them for the Gold playoff bracket where they defeated the Triangle 15 Blue in three sets (23-25,25-22,17-15) before falling to the VA Juniors (25-19,25-23). Congratulations to the Girls 15 Red team as they finished in 5th place overall out of 64 teams - awesome job!
The Girls 15 White North team competed in the Patriot division and had a rough first day as they dropped their matches during the opening round of pool play. They came back strong on the second day with a record of 1-2 as they picked up a big win over United in straight sets (25-14,25-15).
During the last day of the tournament, the girls found their stride as they won their playoff bracket by defeating the LKN15 Elite in the opening round (25-19,18-25,15-12). In the finals of their playoff bracket, the girls defeated DYNAM 15 in straight sets (25-12,25-14).
Also playing in the Patriot division was the Girls 15 White South. On the first day of the tournament, the girls went 2-1 picking up wins over Allegro and Keystone after dropping the first match to Jammers. The girls ran in to a tough pool during the second day of the tournament as they dropped all of their matches. However, the strong performance during the first day was enough to qualify them for the Bronze "A" playoff bracket, where they fell to the CJVA 15 white team.
16s
The Girls 16 Red competed in the Open division and had a great first day as they went undefeated during the opening round of pool play - besting Royal Legends, 16 ICE Elite, and RVC 16 National.
On the second day of the tournament the girls went 1-3, dropping matches to Scarborough Titans and the "other" Academy team (from North Carolina), while picking up a win over Coastal Hampton Roads in straight sets (25-18,25-7). The girls qualified for the Silver "B" playoff bracket where they fell to the VA Elite, finishing a respectable 21 out of 64 teams.
Playing in the Patriot division was the Girls 16 White North. The girls had a strong first day, going 2-1 in pool play. They picked up straight sets victories over Strive (25-15,25-18) and Evo Blk Smack (25-11,25-13). The girls had a rough second day of the tournament as they dropped all three of their matches.
However, their overall record was strong enough to qualify them for the Bronze "B" playoff bracket, there the fell in three sets to the Virginia Fusion.
Also playing in the Patriot division was the Girls 16 White South. The 16 White South went 1-2 during the opening round of pool play, picking up a straight set victory over the Philly Storm (25-20,25-18). On the second day of the tournament, the girls also went 1-2, picking up a win over CEVA Black (25-23,25-13).
In the girls playoff bracket during the last day of the tournament, they picked up a win over Strive (25-17,25-22) before falling to the CP-AC 16 Nationals.
17s
The Girls 17 Red competed in the Open division at a very competitive age group for this tournament. During the first day of pool play, they went 1-3 picking up a win over Phoenix Fury in three sets (25-21,23-25,15-5). During the second day of pool play, the girls had a very strong day as they went undefeated - picking up wins over Vienna Elite, VA Elite, and CMASS,
In their playoff bracket, the girls posted an opening-round victory over Triangle 17 White in three sets (18-25,25-23,17-15). In their bracket finals, the girls also defeated the Tribe 17 Elite in straight sets (25-17,25-21).
Competing in the Patriot division was the Girls 17 White, who had a fantastic start to their tournament as they went undefeated during the first day of pool play - picking up wins over Core VA, Royal Legends, and PPVC Black.
The second day was a bit tougher as they went 1-2, with a victory over XVA Purple in three sets (31-29,23-25,15-9). The girls qualified for the Silver "B" playoff bracket where they faced CORE NJ Platinum in the first round, picking up a three set victory (25-23,22-25,15-9).
That win propelled them to the finals where they defeated the XVA Purple in straight sets (25-18,25-22) to win the Silver "B" playoff bracket. The girls finished in 9th place overall - great job!
18s
Competing in the Club division was the Girls 18 White South team. The girls started out the tournament very strong by posting a 2-1 record as they picked up wins over NC Coastal (25-14,23-25,15-4) and Metro VBC 18 South (25-16,25-14).
The girls struggled during the second day of the tournament as they dropped all of their matches on the day. However, their strong play on the first day was enough to qualify them for the Bronze "B" playoff bracket, where they picked up a three set victory over Cut Shot VBC (25-19,16-25,17-15) before falling to MVA in the finals.
Playing in the Open division, the Girls 18 Red team got off to a hot start and never looked back. During the opening round of pool play the girls went undefeated as they picked up victories over Yorktowne, Valley Juniors, and CHVBC - all in straight sets.
Continuing the momentum on the second day, the girls also went undefeated as they picked up a win over Infinity Blue (25-11,25-27,15-9), followed by straight set victories over Sporting Albany Revolution and AVVC. With six straight victories, the girls qualified for the Gold playoff bracket. In the Gold, they faced Defensa in the opening round, where they won in straight sets (25-18,25-20).
In the second round, the girls defeated RVC 18 National in straight sets (25-23,25-16). From there the girls advanced to the semi-finals where they defeated the VA Juniors in three sets (25-13,23-25,15-13).
From there the girls advanced to the tournament finals where they faced perennial powerhouse Metro VBC and fell in two sets (20-25, 25-27). Overall, the Girls 18 Red finished 2nd out of 64 teams.
Also playing in the Open division is the Girls 18 White North team - who also had an amazing tournament. The Girls 18 White North team opened the tournament by going undefeated in pool play - picking up wins over CEVA, Evolution, and Infinity - all in straight sets.
The girls continued their winning ways on the second day of the tournament as they also went undefeated picking up two straight set victories over the Valley Juniors and DRVC, followed by a three set win over Dulles (25-16,7-25,15-12).
With six straight victories, the Girls 18 White North qualified for the Gold playoff bracket. In the Gold, the girls fell to the BVC Blackout in two very, very close (could've gone either way) sets (25-27,24-26). Overall, the girls finished in 9th place out of 64 teams.
Congratulations to both the Girls 18 Red and Girls 18 White North teams for their outstanding tournament performances. Special congratulations to Mackenzie Cole, who was selected as the best receiver in the tournament, and Mikyla Rodgers, who was recognized as the best blocker in the tournament.