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Bryan K. 7/27/16 Bryan K. 7/27/16

Manchenko Takes 3rd at USA Volleyball Junior Beach Tour Championships

Manchenko & Gibson finish in 1st place at the GEVA Open

Oakdale, NY: The Island Volleyball Academy would like to congratulate Boys 16 Red player, Jeremy Manchenko, for finishing in third place at the USA Volleyball Junior Beach Tour Championships.

The mission of the USA Volleyball Junior Beach Tour is to be the premier junior beach tour in the United States. The tour has had more than 60 events (tournaments) this year in 24 states and 26 USA Volleyball regions. Players who competed in these tournaments had an opportunity to earn bids (invitations) to the USA Volleyball Junior Beach Tour National Championships, which were held in Bradford Beach (Milwaukee, WI) on July 22-24, 2016.

Manchenko & Gibson finish 3rd out of 33 teams from around the USA.

Manchenko and his beach partner, Sammy Gibson, earned their invitation to the Junior Beach Championship tournament by finishing in first place at the Garden Empire (GEVA) Open on June 18th in South Beach, Staten Island NY.

Manchenko and Gibson competed in the Open division of the USA Volleyball 2016 Junior Beach Tour National Championships. In a field of 33 teams from around the country, Manchenko and Gibson finished third in the Gold bracket and third overall.

For more information on the Junior Beach Tour Championships, please click here.

Congratulations to Jeremy Manchenko!

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Bryan K. 7/25/16 Bryan K. 7/25/16

2016 Junior National Championships - In the books!

At the end of this past June and the beginning of July, The Island Volleyball Academy boys and girls teams spread their wings across the country to compete in USA Volleyball's Junior National championships. The girls traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana while the boys were off to Dallas, Texas.

Competing in the Junior National Championships is an honor for all teams that attended because they made it there by winning enough throughout the season to earn a bid. However, making it there is only part of the battle, because once you are there, you are facing all of the top teams from around the country. There are no weak teams and your best is counted on every match of every day.

This year Academy is proud to have sent eight (8) teams to the Junior National Championships and each team represented Academy honorably. Following is a quick round-up for each team.

First up are the Girls 12 Red who enjoyed their trip to nationals for the first time. The girls were excited to experience volleyball in such an intense atmosphere, facing teams from as far away as Colorado, San Francisco, and Hawaii. The girls played an exciting three set match against the Rockford Volleyball Club (Illinois). They dropped the first set in extra points (24-26), but came back to win the second set in dramatic fashion by winning 25-8. They eventually lost the match in the third set. Congratulations to the Girls 12 Red team on their first trip to Nationals!

Also in Indianapolis for the GJNC was the Girls 13 Red. The Girls 13 Red took full advantage of their time in Indiana as they went for a ride around the track at the Indy-500 in an official track car and also had a chance-encounter with Hoda from The Today Show! On the court, the girls were focused against their competition. While the girls played in many competitive games, their best match came against the NI Thunder (Northern Idaho) in a three-set victory. They opened the match with a 25-18 win, but the Thunder came back in the second as Academy dropped the set 17-25. In a winner-take-all third set, the Academy Girls 13 Red pulled out a victory by taking the set 15-13.

Meanwhile, over in Dallas, Texas, the Boys 14 Red team was competing in their first Nationals. The boys had a rough first day dropping all three matches, however they rebounded on the second day going 2-1 with victories over BRYC (25-23, 23-25, 15-13) and Central California (25-21, 25-21). The only match they dropped on the second day was to the Richmond Volleyball Club (12-25, 28-26, 13-15). In sports, earning the respect of your peers is the best compliment a team can get. That was the case between these two clubs as players from both teams bonded afterwards. There is no doubt these teams will have many more competitive games over the next several years. After dropping two matches on the third day, the boys finished the tournament by defeating the Pacific Rim (California) and Panther (Pennsylvania) volleyball clubs in their flight bracket, before falling in the finals to the Madfrog (Texas). Congratulations to the Boys 14 Red team on a strong performance at Nationals.

Also competing in Dallas was the Academy Boys 15 Red team, who had a very strong tournament. The boys opened the tournament going 2-1 on the first day with victories over the Milwaukee Sting (25-12, 25-19) and Bay To Bay (California, 29-27, 25-13) and one match dropped to 949 (California). The Boys 15 Red had a tough second day as they dropped all three of their matches. Although they didn’t have the result they wanted in those matches, the boys were very competitive in every match – as each set went right down to the wire. Their game against the Cincinnati Attack featured two sets that went to extra points – 28-26. The boys were both on the winning and losing side of those sets. They were back at it again on day three, going 2-1 and earning a spot in the Bronze bracket. In the Bronze Bracket, the boys defeated MVVC (California) in two straight sets (25-21, 28-26) before falling to High Performance St. Louis in three sets (25-16, 28-26, 15-7). The Academy Boys 15 Red team placed 15th overall – Congrats to the boys on a successful tournament.

The Academy Boys 16 Red team came into the tournament and immediately was placed in a pool with some of the top teams in the competition. In their second match of the first day they played the eventual national champions, 949 (California). While the boys lost the match, they took the second set 25-19 – it would be one of only four sets that 949 would lose all tournament. On the second day of the tournament, the boys picked up a thrilling victory over Pace (Rochester, NY) in three sets (25-23, 24-26, 15-13), while splitting games on the third day with MVC and Ocean Bay (Florida). The boys dropped the match against Ocean Bay, while picking up a victory over MVC (Milwaukee) in two straight sets (25-17, 25-23). Great job by the Academy Boys 16 Red!

Back to Indianapolis and the Academy Girls 16 Red team. The girls earned a bid to compete in the National division of the Junior National Championships. The girls had a tough first day dropping three matches. Like the Boys 15 Red, while the girls may not have had the result they desired they were competitive the whole way through. This includes an opening set against Adrenaline (Iowa) that went to the final score of 31-29. On the second day of the tournament, the girls picked up a victory over the Celtic Force (Illinois) in two straight sets (25-14, 25-19). The Girls 16 Red team also picked up a big victory over Sky High (Illinois) in three sets (16-25, 25-23, 15-12). Great job to the Academy Girls 16 Red!

The Academy Girls 17 Red team also earned a bid to compete in the National division of the Junior National Championship tournament. The girls started the tournament by going 1-2 in pool play. Their first match was a three set thriller vs. Tejas (Texas). The first set of the match went to extra points by the score of 28-26, as did the second set (26-24) before the girls fell in the third set to lose the match. They picked up a victory over Six Pack (Iowa) in two straight sets (25-16, 25-23). They split their matches on the second day losing to EC Power (Pennsylvania) and winning against Rockford (Illinois). The girls finished out the tournament by picking up victories over Lanakila (Hawaii) in two straight sets (25-20, 27-25) and Xcel (North Carolina) also in two straight sets (25-22, 25-23). Congrats to the Girls 17 Red for their performance at the tournament.

Returning to Dallas for our final recap for the Academy Boys 18 Red… The Boys 18-Open field at Nationals this year was an exceptionally strong field, which featured upsets in every pool on every day. Playing in their last tournament as a team, the boys came out of the gate strong the first day. While it is rare, playing five matches on one day can – and did happen. The boys picked up victories over the Hitmen (Illinois) in two straight (25-18, 25-18) and NCVC (California) in three sets (25-23, 20-25, 15-12). The boys fell to SG Elite (California) in two (25-21, 25-15), Ultimate (Chicago) in two (25-18, 25-19), and Santa Monica (California) in three (23-25, 25-17, 15-9). After 12+ hours of playing, the Boys 18 Red finished the day 2-3. The boys were not able to regain their footing after that marathon first day; however, after one of the most highly successful boys’ club careers, they will now soon embark on their college careers. All of us at The Island Volleyball Academy wish them luck on the next chapter of their lives.

NEWS & NOTES:

There is still time to pre-register for a spot in one of Academy’s upcoming summer camps, but spots are filling up fast! Acad camps are a great way to improve your skills and get a jump on the upcoming high school season. To learn more as well as to register for a camp, please visit our camp page on our website.

Bryan K. 6/22/16 Bryan K. 6/22/16

Academy Athletes Earn High Performance Honors

The Island Volleyball Academy is dedicated to providing the highest quality training to all of its athletes and is committed to helping them achieve their dreams of playing at the highest level they desire.

During the course of the club season, many Academy athletes choose to attend USA Volleyball and/or GEVA High Performance tryouts. Attending these tryouts provides them with the opportunity to compete for a spot in programs that will continue their development by placing them alongside the top players in the region/country at their age level.

Earning a spot and participating in these programs is a significant accomplishment that all athletes should be proud of.

On behalf of all of us at Academy, congratulations and good luck to all athletes participating in a High Performance program this summer.

Please click here to view all of Academy’s High Performance athletes.

Bryan K. 6/22/16 Bryan K. 6/22/16

Beckmann/Patsos Earn Bid to RoxVB National Championships

The Island Volleyball Academy is pleased to announce that Julia Beckmann (17 Red) and Cassandra Patsos (16 Red) have won the RoxVB National Qualifying tournament in Point Pleasant, New Jersey on Sunday June 12, 2016. This victory earned them a bid to the RoxVB National Championship Tournament in Florida, July 28 - 30, 2016.

The tournament was very challenging from both the excellent competition as well as having to play trough heavy wind conditions throughout the tournament. Beckmann and Patsos defeated a solid team from Pennsylvania in the finals to earn the top qualifying bid.

Congratulations and Good Luck in Florida to Julia and Cassandra!

Bryan K. 6/4/16 Bryan K. 6/4/16

Memorable Moments on Memorial Day (Weekend)

As the 2016 inaugural season of the Boys Volleyball program at The Island Volleyball Academy (ACAD) starts to wind down, the action is as hot as ever. Over the weekend of May 28 – 30, 2016, the boys headed south to Richmond, VA to compete in the 22nd Annual Boys East Coast Championships (BECC). The BECC is an important tournament for two reasons:

It’s the first major “bid” tournament since the end of February, which means it’s also the best competition the boys have faced after a long layover, and
This tournament is used in determining rankings for the 2016 Boys Junior National Championships – as well as the last chance of the season for teams to earn a bid for Nationals.

The competition is always intense at this tournament and the ACAD boys came ready to play.

14's

ACAD’s newest team, the 14 White, was assembled following Academy’s middle school clinic last month. In just a short amount of time, the boys prepared for this tournament and held their own against teams that had been together all season.

On the first day, the 14 White team faced well-established clubs MVC (Milwaukee, WI), RVC (Richmond, VA), and Pace (Rochester, NY) and fell to 0-3. The second day of the tournament though, the boys picked up wins over Plainview Volleyball Club in three sets (16-25,25-19,15-12) and a second RVC team in two straight sets (25-22,25-18).

Their play qualified them for the Bronze bracket, where the boys fell to the Victor Volleyball Club (upstate NY) in two very close sets (23-25,24-26). The 14 White team put out an impressive effort for which the boys can use to spring in to the next step in their volleyball careers.

Coming off a 3rd Place finish and a bid to Junior Nationals at their last tournament in Harrisburg, PA, the ACAD 14 Red team came to the East Coast Championships looking to build on their impressive season. The 14 Red bolstered their roster with newcomers Matthew Tsororos and Michael Domozych and their presence was immediately felt. The boys came out of the gate flying with wins over Coastal VBC and Plainview VBC, finishing the first day of pool play 2-1 after a losing a close match to BRYC (24-26,23-25). The second day of pool play brought a great deal of challenges as the boys went 1-1, defeating Coastal Navy (a “top 5” team) in three sets (25-18,19-25,15-6), and losing to the #1 seeded team, Pace, in three sets (14-25,25-23,16-18).

After a loss to Eden in the challenge bracket, the 14 Red team qualified for the Silver bracket. In the Silver bracket finals, the boys defeated MVC (Milwaukee, WI) in three sets to win the Silver (22-25,25-17,15-12)! With their win, the boys placed 9th out of 24 teams. Congrats to 14 Red for winning the Silver!

15 Red

The ACAD 15 Red team was also coming off a 3rd place finish overall and a bid to Junior Nationals at their last tournament in Harrisburg, PA. The boys came flying in to the BECC tournament by sweeping their first day of pool play, going 3-0 and defeating Eden, RVC, and LIVBC’s 15 National team in straight sets each. There was no slowing down this team on the second day of pool play either as they swept this pool too, defeating LIVBC 15 Regional, LVC, and and Plainview VBC all in straight sets.

Through the first two days of this tournament, the ACAD 15 Red had yet to surrender a single set to their opponents. Their strong play earned them a spot in the Gold bracket. Their opponent in the first round of the Gold bracket was Pace (Rochester, NY). The boys dropped the match to Pace in three sets (19-25, 25-19, 15-8). Pace would go on to win the Gold bracket. Overall, the boys finished 3rd out of 16 teams.

16s

The ACAD 16 White team came into a very competitive pool bracket on the first day of the tournament. After dropping matches to the Baja and BRYC volleyball clubs, the boys defeated Coastal Gold in a very close three-set match (25-20,22-25,15-11).

On the second day of the tournament, the 16 White team won their pool by going 2-1 on the day. Their first match of the day featured a straight-set victory over fellow Long Islanders, LIVE (25-19,25-17). They followed that up with another straight-set victory over the TVP volleyball club (25-21,25-12), before dropping a match to Lockport.

The boys earned a spot in the Bronze bracket, where they defeated Coastal Gold in three sets (27-25,21-25,15-5) before falling to the ACAD 16 Red.

The ACAD 16 Red team also started the tournament in one of the most competitive pools in the tournament. The boys defeated the Annapolis Volleyball Club in straight sets (25-13,25-22) before dropping matches to the Pace and A5 volleyball clubs.

The boys came back strong on the second day of pool play as they swept their pool (all in straight sets) with victories over Coastal White and fellow Long Island clubs, Sportime and LIVBC 16 Regional.

The 16 Red took a 4-2 record in to the Bronze Bracket on the third day of the tournament where they defeated the Annapolis Volleyball Club and ACAD 16 White team in straight sets before falling to Coastal Navy in the Bronze bracket finals in three sets (25-18,23-25,13-15).

17 Red

The 17 age group is traditionally one of the toughest and largest age groups in USA Volleyball. The ACAD 17 Red team had a great season and a great tournament at the BECC.

The boys opened the tournament with a straight-set victory over Lockport Volleyball Club (25-17,25-19), before dropping matches to Richmond and Ocean Bay. The boys rebounded on the second day of pool play by sweeping their pool with victories over Warren Sixpack (25-22,25-21,25-18) and RVC (27-29,25-18,25-22).

After the first two days of pool play the 17 Red were 3-2 and qualified for the Bronze Bracket. The ACAD 17 Red continued their winning ways in the Bronze by picking up a first round victory over Maryland Volleyball Program (MVP) in three sets (18-25,25-19,15-9).

In the second round they faced a fellow Long Island club, LIVBC 17 Regional, who they defeated in three sets (25-19,19-25,17-15). To cap off their tournament, the boys won the Bronze Bracket by defeating yet another fellow Long Island club, Sportime 17-1, in two straight sets (25-21,25-18). Congrats to 17 Red for winning the Bronze!

18 Red

Playing in their last ever Boys East Coast Championships, the ACAD 18 Red team was loose and focused heading in to the tournament. They swept the first day of pool play going 3-0 against TVP, Hampton Roads Juniors, and Southtowns volleyball clubs.

On the second day of pool play, the boys rolled to victories over Jacksonville Juniors (25-18,21-25,17-15)and Carolina Union Volleyball Club (25-15,25-16) before dropping a match to the Eden Mizuno 18-1.

After the first two days of pool play, the boys were 5-1 and qualified for the Gold bracket. In the opening round of the Gold bracket, they defeated NVVA (Northern Virginia) in two straight sets (28-26,25-15). From there they advanced to the semi-finals where they faced a second Virginia-based team, Coastal 18 Navy.

The boys picked up a victory over Coastal in straight sets (27-25,25-21) before advancing to the Gold finals. In the finals, the ACAD 18 Red team faced a team from Baja, Mexico. The boys played them very close, but ultimately fell in two sets (23-25,21-25). The ACAD 18 Red finished the tournament 2nd out of 31 teams.

NEWS & NOTES

With the completion of the 2016 Boys East Coast Championships, the main part of the inaugural season of the boys volleyball program at The Island Volleyball Academy has concluded. Academy would like to thank all of the players and coaches for their hard work and effort, as well as the parents for their support. This season has truly been a season to remember.

ACAD Summer Programs – Academy is proud to offer summer camp opportunities to sharpen volleyball skills as well as to prepare for the upcoming school season. Click here to learn more and register.

2016 Junior Nationals – Academy is pleased to announce that the 14, 15, 16, and 18 Boys Gold teams will be traveling to Dallas, Texas to compete in the 2016 Junior National Championships. For all the details on the tournament, please visit our tournament page.

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Bryan K. 5/22/16 Bryan K. 5/22/16

Cole Invited to USA Volleyball Youth National Training Team

May 19, 2016 Oakdale, NY – The Island Volleyball Academy is pleased to announce that Mackenzie Cole, 16, a sophomore from Connetquot High School, and a Libero on the Girls 18 Red team, has been selected as one of the 24 players invited to the USA Volleyball’s Girls Youth National Training Team this July in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The U.S. Girls’ Youth National Team is the highest level a girl can achieve for the Youth age group in USA Volleyball’s talent pipeline program. The 24 players who attend this camp will be split in to two teams of 12 and will compete in USA Volleyball’s High Performance Championship tournament, which features high performance teams from USA Volleyball regions around the country. After the High Performance Championships, the 24 players will be narrowed down to a team of 12, who will travel to Puerto Rico to compete in The North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) Women’s U18 Continental Championship.

Mackenzie Cole is one of only two players from the entire east coast to be invited to this special team. Cole will be coached by Erin Virtue, the Women’s Volleyball Associate Head Coach at Northwestern University, Stacy Sykora from USA Volleyball, and Jared Hazel formerly of Colorado State University. “On behalf of the entire coaching staff, we are thrilled to announce this exceptional group as the 2016 U.S. Girls’ Youth National Training Team,” Virtue said. “These 24 athletes are among the best in the nation in their age group and will compete to represent USA at the NORCECA Championship. Our staff is honored to implement and teach the core values, philosophies and strategies of our U.S. Women's National Team to these young athletes.”

Academy Volleyball wishes Mackenzie continued success as she continues her development among the best competition the country. For the full details of the Girls Youth National Training Team, please click here to read USA Volleyball’s official release.

Brooke Cole 12/23/15 Brooke Cole 12/23/15

ACAD's Coach Bill Kropp Named Mens VB Coach at St. Joesph's College

Patchogue, NY| St. Joseph's College (L.I.) Assistant Vice President & Senior Director of Athletics & Recreation Shantey M. Hill announced on Tuesday Morning the appointment of Bill Kropp as the institution's first-ever men's volleyball head coach.

"The St. Joseph's College men's volleyball program secured its first win by hiring Coach Kropp," said Hill. "He is a trailblazer in the sport of volleyball having led many successful programs on both the men's and women's side. SJC is lucky to have one of Long Island's legendary coaches lead us in our inaugural season and, hopefully, for many years moving forward."

Kropp arrives at St. Joseph's having most recently served as varsity boys' head coach at Sachem High School East since 1989. During his tenure, Kropp led the Flaming Arrows to five Suffolk County Championships ('92, '94, '95, '00, '13) and one Long Island Championship in 2013. He compiled a 366-115 record having earned 12 division titles, six league titles and six Suffolk Coach of the Year honors. His St. Joseph's side will begin play in the Skyline Conference in the spring of 2017.

"I'm excited to be a part of creating and developing a collegiate volleyball experience for young men on Long Island," said Kropp on Tuesday. "I have 35 years of coaching experience and I look forward to using it to establish a men's program at St. Joseph's. I'm proud to be a new member of the staff and am dedicated to helping this institution excel for years to come."

In addition to his duties with Sachem East's boys' program, Kropp worked as a coach at the Long Island Volleyball Club (LIVBC) starting in 2010, where he headed boys teams at the 14-, 17-, and 18-year-old levels. From 1989 to 2000, Kropp headed Sachem East's girls' program, posting a 220-44 record and claiming three Suffolk County titles ('94, '95, '98), seven league championships and four League One Coach of the Year selections.

"Long Island produces some of the best volleyball players in the nation," said Kropp. "It has been many years since players have had the opportunity to stay home, get a great education and play volleyball on Long Island. The time is right to reestablish a program where players can play at the collegiate level in their own backyard."

A former Newsday Long Island Boys Volleyball Coach of the Year, Kropp also worked with Rebels Volleyball Club (2009-10) and Blaze Volleyball Club (2007-09). In 1994-95 and 1997-98, he served as head coach at the Long Island Region's boy's and men's teams, respectively, at the Empire State Games. His boys side claimed the gold medal, and the men the bronze.

The founder and current director of the Sachem Youth Advisory Group (S.Y.A.G.) Volleyball Camp—Long Island's largest volleyball camp—Kropp also served as director of Islandwide Volleyball Camp (1988-91) and the Stony Brook Boys Volleyball Camp (1986-88). Prior to his head coaching duties with LIU-Southampton's women's program in 1988-89, Kropp worked as an assistant for the Stony Brook's women's team in 1986-87.