2017 Girls 18 Junior National Championships

Jamie Smith of Academy Volleyball's 18 Red team is featured by USA Volleyball on their social media handles during the opening of the tournament.

April 24, 2017 – This past weekend, the Girls 18 Red team traveled to Dallas, TX to compete in the 2017 Girls 18 Junior National Championships.  For the girls, this is last tournament in their Academy Volleyball careers as they will now be moving on to the college ranks.

The Junior National Championships at the 18 age group is one of the toughest to get in to – and has the most intense competition.  The girls faced teams from as far away as Arizona, Colorado, Louisiana, and Idaho.   They battled and were competitive in every match of the tournament, which was highlighted by a straight set victory over Vision 18 Indy Elite (25-23, 25-12).

Congratulations to the 18 Red on an excellent season.  On behalf of everyone at Academy Volleyball, we wish the girls on our 18 Red and 18 White teams much success in college and beyond.  Please make sure to check back in with us and let us help you celebrate your future achievements.

Part 2 of Academy Double-Header - Easter Weekend

The second half of the Academy Double Header Philadelphia was played this past weekend over the Easter break as all three 16s and 17s competed in the Northeast Qualifier.  The competition was tough all weekend as the Academy girls represented themselves and the club very respectably.

See below for quick recaps of each team’s performance.

16s

The 16 Red team opened the tournament going 1-2 in pool play as dropped matches to A5 Mizuno and EC Power.  They picked up a win over the NYC Juniors in two straight sets (25-14, 25-22).  The girls then went 2-1 on the second day of pool play as they won against Dulles and Blue Ridge in three sets each, while dropping a match to Revolution 16 White.  The girls qualified for the Bronze playoff bracket, where the fell in the first round to the Elite VBTC in three sets (20-25, 25-22, 15-11).

The 16 White Dills started off on the right foot as they went 2-1 on the first day of the tournament picking up wins over Beach Elite and NYC impact, while dropping a match to American.  On the second day of pool play, the girls also went 2-1 as they picked up a pair of three-set victories over USPAV (25-21, 17-25, 15-12) and CJ Heat (25-15, 23-25, 15-10), while dropping a match to Triangle. 

The girls then had to play a 1-set playoff game to determine their playoff bracket, which they fell to USPAV (25-22). 

The girls moved on to the Bronze C playoff bracket where they fell in the first round to the Stealth National.

Also playing in the Philadelphia Northeast Qualifier was the 16 White Dave, who also went 2-1 on their opening day of pool play. 

They picked up wins over Coastal 16 Gold (25-20, 25-19) and Momentum Black (25-12, 25-12), while dropping a match to WPVC. 

On the second day of the tournament the girls dropped all three of their matches to CPVBC, CJVA, and the CJ Heat. 

In their playoff bracket, the 16 White Dave went undefeated as they picked up wins over CJ Heat (25-15, 25-18), Rennaisance (24-26, 25-19, 15-8), and Delaware United (22-25, 25-12, 15-11).

 

17s

The girls 17 Red team also had a successful first day as they went 2-1 during pool play.  They picked up wins over Brandywine and Dulles, while dropping a set to OT 16. The girls had a rough second day of pool play as they dropped all three of their matches.  They qualified for the Bronze playoff bracket, where they fell in the first round to A5 Mizuno.

17 White Dani Wins the Silver Bracket!

17 White Dani Wins the Silver Bracket!

The 17 White Dani team’s season keeps rolling along as they also went 2-1 during the first day of pool play.  They dropped a match to Coastal to start the day before picking up wins over Princeton (20-25, 25-23, 15-7) and High Line C17 (25-12, 26-24).  During the second day of pool play at the tournament, they went 1-2 as they picked up a win over Rennaisance. 

The girls then had to play a 1-set seeding match against Rennaisance, which they won, 25-18.  From there the girls had to play another seeding match, which they lost to Triangle won in two straight sets.  From there the 17 White Dani had a 1-set play-in match against Beach Elite, which they won 25-21. 

That victory earned them a spot in the Silver bracket, which they won by picking up wins over BEVBC and Infinity 17 Black.  For the tournament, the girls finished 17th out of 79 teams

Rounding out the tournament was the 17 White Steve team.  Like the other teams, the 17 White Steve opened the tournament by going 2-1 as they picked up wins over Synergy (25-19, 25-27, 15-9) and MDJRS (25-16, 25-15). 

From there the girls went 1-2 as they dropped matches to LVA and the TX tornados, while earning a victory over RVJ. 

The girls qualified for the Bronze A bracket, where they picked up a win over Beach Elite in the first round in three sets (18-25, 25-22, 15-9) before dropping their second round match to CJV.

Congratulations to all the girls on a great tournamet.

Living Legend

The sound is unmistakable.  Sneakers squeaking across a gym floor. Volleyballs spiked on the floor echo off the high ceiling in the gym.  Non-stop chatter fills the spaces between the relentless movement during a volleyball practice – and then you hear it.... 

“fwheeeeet!!”

The distinct sound that instantly rises above it all.

“fwheeeeet!!”

Suddenly, everything stops.  Silence takes over the gym in an instant.  The only sounds you can hear now are the low hum of the fluorescent lighting and that of a single man’s voice.  

That man, is Academy Volleyball’s Coach Bill Kropp.  The man whose whistle can silence a gym in an instant – even though he’s never carried one.

If you’ve ever played for Coach Kropp or have been at one of his practices, you know the sound – and it IS unmistakable.  If you’ve been around Coach Kropp’s practices, you would also know that what comes after the whistle was always worth its weight in gold.  That’s because Kropp is the consummate teacher, dedicated to making those around him better every day.  

For those of you who only see Coach Kropp on game day, you see an intense competitor. A passionate and demanding coach with high expectations.  You don’t always see the coach who cares deeply about the players who play for him.

Ask anyone who has played for Kropp and they will tell you that it is not always easy, but is always for the better. A coach who never stops teaching no matter how late in a game, or how late in a season. He knows that it is always a good time to get better.  Players who have played for Coach Kropp have the highest volleyball IQ and are among the most prepared players on the court.

This past fall the Boys Volleyball Suffolk County Coaches Association honored Coach Kropp with a Lifetime Achievement Award.  As the recently retired Sachem East High School history teacher had also retired from coaching high school volleyball.  

Academy Head Coach, Rick Cole, presents Bill Kropp with a SCHVA Lifetime Acheivement Award.

Academy Head Coach, Rick Cole, presents Bill Kropp with a SCHVA Lifetime Acheivement Award.

Honoring Kropp with a Lifetime Achievement Award must have been an easy decision to make.  

If there was a Long Island Volleyball “Hall of Fame”, then he would be in that too.  

That’s because Bill Kropp has blazed a trail of success in volleyball on Long Island that may never be duplicated.  It would be a difficult task to find someone who can match the success that Kropp has had throughout his coaching career.

But for those who are wondering, Kropp is far from retired.  In many ways, he’s just getting started. But before we get to that, let's take a moment to reflect on what has led to this point in Kropp's coaching career.

And Then, There Was Volleyball

Growing up on Long Island, Bill Kropp was an athlete.  An avid cross country runner, he was a tall, lean, and fast young man.  Not a hint of volleyball was on his radar.  After graduating from high school, Kropp enrolled at the State University of New York at New Paltz.  While at the university, Kropp continued to run cross country on the school team. Until IT happened.

One day, on a fateful walk through the gym, Kropp noticed the New Paltz men's volleyball team practice. It was not long before the team would spot this tall, lean kid and invite him to give the sport a try during their practice.  Instantly, he was hooked.  The athletic left-handed cross country runner soon developed into a talented right side and quickly made a name for himself as a dominating blocker.

The stars seemed to be aligning as Kropp did what you might now have expected him to do, he started coaching.  While still in college, Kropp began coaching a local New Paltz high school cross country team and hasn’t stopped coaching ever since.  That one fateful walk through the gym would set him on a direction that would affect not only his life, but the countless other lives of the people who have played for him the next 35 years.

Blazing a Trail

Kropp and one of his Sachem teams.

Upon graduation from college, Kropp moved back to Long Island and accepted a position at Sachem High School as a history teacher.

His effusive personality quickly made him a popular figure in the classroom with his students as well as his peers.  His Halloween costumes would become the stuff of legends.

His passion for volleyball still strong, he took a position as the Assistant Girls Varsity Volleyball coach.  It was not long after that, that Kropp would move up to the head coaching position.

Then, in 1989, Bill Kropp started a boys varsity volleyball program at Sachem High School.  For Kropp, coaching became a year-round endeavor.  

In the fall, he would coach the boys and in the spring, he would coach the girls.  In fact, the only reason he stopped coaching the girls was when they moved the girls season to the fall – which overlapped with the boy’s season.

In the process, he set a standard of excellence by which every Sachem volleyball team would be measured against.  He also set the bar by which every competing program would try to beat.  His programs were so steeped in winning traditions they often drew the ire of opposing teams and players.  

His teams always had a target on their back as opponents often circled the Sachem game on their schedules because they so badly wanted to beat them.

But if you peel back the curtain and look at what drove all that winning, it’s hard not to have respect for it, no matter which side of the fence you sit on.  Kropp was a teacher in the classroom and in the gym.  

He is constantly teaching and guiding.  His belief was that your first job as a coach was to care for every one of your players and your second was to get them to perform at the best of their abilities.  

He is competitive and his expectations are high.

It is not always easy to play for a coach like that, but those that did, left the program with a mastery of fundamentals that were necessary on the court as well as a respect for preparation that is necessary in life on the court or off.  

In addition to coaching the boys and girls high school team, Bill Kropp’s other efforts include running volleyball camps every summer, coaching the boys teams for the Empire State Games (a former intra-state athletic competition event), playing volleyball for the men’s division at the Empire State Games, and coaching at the collegiate level for the women’s programs at Stony Brook University and Southampton College.

His list of accomplishments may never be duplicated:

Coaching Accomplishments -  BOYS

  • Led the sachem boys program from 1989 through 2016 (27 years), amassing 366 wins and only 115 losses (that’s a win percentage of 76%)
  • 76 regular season game winning streak 1992 - 1996
  • Led the boys teams to 10 county championships winning 5 of them
  • Led the boys to 12 Division championships
  • Won Long Island boys volleyball championships in 2013
  • New York State Finalist in 2013
  • Qualified for boys playoffs 25 out of 27 years
  • 8x Boys Suffolk County Coach of the Year
  • Voted as Newsday’s’ boys coach of the year in 2013

Coaching Accomplishments - GIRLS

  • 12 years as Girls Varsity head coach, leading them to an overall record of 222 wins and only 44 loses – a win percentage of 83%
  • Led the girls to 6 county championships, winning 3 of them.
  • 6 league championships (girls)
  • 12 playoff seasons (girls)
  • Led the girls to Suffolk county final four 10 out of 12 seasons
  • 6x girls coach of the year

Coaching Accomplishments - OVERALL

  • Total sachem record 707 wins to 165 losses – a winning percentage of 81%
  • Appeared in 16 county championships winning 8 of them
  • 12 league championships
  • 12 division championships
  • 1 Long Island championship
  • 1 state finals appearance
  • Qualified for playoffs 37 out of 39 attempts
  • 14x Suffolk County coach of the year
  • Coached three collegiate teams
  • Coached 6 years at Empire State games
  • 1 Gold medal at the Empire State games
  • Coached club (travel) volleyball for 17 years (girls and boys)

Indeed, Fewer people have done more for their sport, than Bill Kropp has done for volleyball on Long Island.

Leaving A Legacy

Looking back at Coach Bill Kropp’s high school coaching career, it’s easy to see how he has both set the standard for what it means to be a winning coach and has also changed the landscape of a sport he loves so dearly.  

Coach Bill Kropp has left a legacy of success that will endure and multiply simply by way of all the lives he has affected.  In fact, two of his former players now helm the boys varsity program at Sachem North.  Many of the coaching concepts and techniques they learned from Kropp, they are now passing on to their players.  

Here are just a few things that some of his former players and coaches have had to say:

“I am proud to call him a friend, a mentor and a role model. Not only is Bill a great coach - he has developed a cadre of successful coaches under his mentorship that have gone on to build on his legacy. We have the great fortune to stand on his shoulders to reach new heights - the shoulders of a giant in our game.”
— Rick Cole, Academy Volleyball Head Coach
“Coach Kropp’s passion for teaching and ability to inspire are truly the bedrock of Mens Volleyball on LI. His influence has not only led to the rapid growth of the sport but his competitive nature continues to push the standard of excellence.

It is only fitting that in introducing a new collegiate program to Long Island, St. Josephs College chose Coach Kropp who will no doubt continue to raise the bar for everyone. ”
— Matthew Rivera - Head Coach Sachem North Boys Volleyball & Director/Head Coach Academy Volleyball
“Coach Kropp was not only my coach but he was also a role model. He taught me the game of volleyball and also how to work hard, stay motivated and achieve goals. Coach Kropp has opened the path to success for hundreds of athletes he has touched in his life. I’m just lucky enough to be one of them!”
— Matthew DiStefano - Director/Head Coach Academy Boys Volleyball & Assistant Boys Varsity Coach, Sachem North High School
“When I think about all the successes I have had in volleyball, I am humbly aware that none of it would have been possible without Coach Kropp.

He pushed me beyond the limits I believed I had. He taught me about commitment, work ethic, and always giving 100% every time I step on the court.

The lessons he instilled in me on the volleyball court have stayed with me in my life as a mother, a friend, a teammate, and a person.

It is because of him that volleyball has played such a vital role in my life and I aspire to someday be half the coach he was to me. It is an honor and a privilege to have played for him.

”A good coach improves your game... a great coach improves your life” ”
— Connie Alamia - Head Coach, Academy Girls Volleyball
“Playing for Mr. Kropp was, without question, one of the most rewarding, inspiring, and fulfilling years of my life. Aside from the countless physical lessons we all learned from Coach, like “how proper platform preparation prevents poor passing” or “1 above 2 above 3, 3 before 2 before 1”, what I take most from Mr. Kropp is how he instills in his players just how to be an athlete.

How to compete against yourself and to settle for nothing less than your best; how to never stop learning the game, how to win with humility and lose with pride and regardless of what happens, get back in the gym and work even harder the next day.

Coach Kropp helped me to discover who I was as an athlete, and more importantly showed me the kind of athlete and person that I wanted to be.

Mr. Kropp was so much more than my volleyball coach, but in a sense he was my mirror. Playing for him was the first time as an athlete that I took a good, hard look at who I was and what I wanted to do.

In so many ways, he shaped who I was as an athlete and person, and I could not feel more blessed to have been able to call him my coach.

He is truly one of a kind, irreplaceable, and one who I credit with instilling in me the many values I try to pass on to my student-athletes today.”
— Danielle Turner - Athletic Director, Port Jefferson School District

Pioneering A New Frontier

When a man has accomplished as much in his sport as Bill Kropp the question becomes, “what else can he possibly do next?”.  The answer is simple.  Find a new challenge in which to create a new path.  That is exactly what he has done.

For the first time in Long Island’s modern history, there is now a men’s volleyball collegiate program as a varsity sport.  This is a tremendous opportunity for a sport that continuously sends players off Long Island to compete at the NCAA level.  The college that introduced this new program in 2017 is St. Joseph’s College in Patchogue. The man they trusted to establish and lead this new era… Bill Kropp.  

Armed with the man with the legendary record leading them, the challenge ahead is daunting. A new program, playing in the Skyline division with a coach and players who have never played together,  playing alongside established programs.

Additionally, their roster boasts two juniors, one sophomore, and eight freshmen – no seniors.  Despite the challenges, Kropp has led this group to an excellent 18-10 overall record, including 4-3 in their conference.  In the school’s first ever Men’s Volleyball playoff game, Kropp guided his team to a 3-1 victory over Sage and is now headed to the Skyline Conference Semi-Finals against perennial powerhouse, Kean University.  Safe to say that Kropp and his team have burst on to the NCAA stage and are positioned to do some damage over the long-term.  And once again, Kropp is in the familiar place of being the standard bearer for which future programs to follow.

Academy Volleyball would like to congratulate Coach Kropp on his outstanding high school coaching career and wish him continued success in his collegiate career.  Academy is honored to have a coach of Bill Kropp’s caliber on its current roster of coaches.

UPDATE:

Coach Bill Kropp has just added to his legacy with another coaching accolade as he was named the 2017 Coach of the Year for the Skyline Conference (St. Joseph's College, NCAA III).

Double Header in Philadelphia

With April bringing the start of the MLB baseball season, it’s only appropriate that the Academy Girls begin the month with a volleyball double-header.  Except this version of a double header means the girls program heads to Philadelphia in two consecutive weeks for the Northeast Qualifiers (NEQ).  In the first round of the double header, the girls 13 – 15s teams were on deck. See below for a quick recap of the weekend’s performance.

13 Red

The 13 Red team opened their tournament the right way – by going 3-0 during the first day of pool play.  The girls day featured wins over AVA, Penn Highlands, and Vienna Elite.  During the second day of pool play, the girls dropped matches to NVVA and Beach Elite, while picking up a win over Ignite in two straight sets (25-18, 25,8).  After the first two days of pool play, the girls had a record of 4-2 which qualified them for the Silver Playoff bracket.  In the Silver, the girls faced the DE Juniors in the first round and won in three sets (21-25, 25-12, 15-7), before falling in the second round to the eventual Silver bracket champs, Coastal 13 Blue.

14s

During the first day of pool play, the 14 Red were 2-1, picking up wins over the TCA Magic (20-25, 25-14, 15-13) and Beach Elite (25-21, 25-16).  From there the girls had an even stronger second day of pool play as they went 3-0 by defeating the Paradigm Riot, SMJ 14 United, and Keystone Juniors Premiere.  After two days, the girls had an overall record of 5-1 and headed to their playoff bracket where they defeated the PGH Elite in the first round, the EC Power in the second round, and Summit CJVA in the finals to win their playoff bracket!

The 14 White had a rough first day of pool play as they went 1-2, picking up a win over CHVBC in two straight sets (25-23, 25-19).  The girls also had a rough second day as they dropped three matches, including a tough 3-set match against No Panic (25-23, 21-25, 15-8).  In the girls playoff bracket they faced MDJRS in the first round and won in three sets (25-13, 23-25, 15-9) before falling in the finals to Cali.

15s

The 15 White team hung tough during this tournament.  During the first day of pool play they dropped their matches.  The second day of the tournament, the girls would face a similar challenge, however the day was highlighted with a three-set match with No Panic (17-25, 25-20, 15-11).  In their playoff bracket the girls faced dropped a match against the Firebird 15s.

The 15 Red team opened their tournament by dropping matches to Triangle and Metro before picking up three straight wins over the next two days.  The girls defeated the Husky 15 National, NVVA, and CPVBC before dropping a match to Brandywine. With a 3-3 record after two days of pool play, the girls qualified for the Bronze playoff bracket, where they faced the NYC Juniors in the first round and fell in three sets (21-25, 25-16, 15-10).

 

Up Next:

Stay tuned as this weekend the girls 16 – 17s teams head to Philadelphia for the second week of the volleyball double-header!

Girls March GEVA Round-Up

March 30, 2017 – This past weekend many of our girls teams competed in GEVA tournaments located around the region.  See below for a quick recap of the weekend’s games:

12s

The 12s continued their winning ways as they travelled to Sportime in Bethpage for their tournament.  The girls had a winning record as they won 5 sets and lost only 3.  This was good for third place in their pool!  Great job in only their second tournament of the season!

 

13s

The 13 Red team traveled to Iona College for their tournament, which consisted of a mix of age groups.  The girls faced some teams who were 14 and 15 years old, which presented them with a good challenge.  The girls held their own and finished 5th out of 8 teams!

 

14s

The 14 White team played in the GEVA tournament located at Sportime in Bethpage.  They were undefeated in pool play going 3 – 0.  In the playoff bracket, the girls defeated the LIVBC 14 White team in the first round, the Sportime Black team in the second round, and fell to the B&B Black team in the finals.  The girls placed 2nd out of 12 teams.

The 14 Red team played at the Powerzone Volleyball Center tournament in New Jersey.  The girls played up age as they were in the 15’s age division.  The girls went 0-3 in pool play and lost to the Allegro 15s in the opening round of the playoff bracket.

15s

The 15 White team played their GEVA Power League tournament at All Seasons Sports Academy in New Jersey. 

They finished third in their pool and took 2nd place in their conference playoff bracket.

The 15 Red team’s Power League tournament was held at The Masters School.  The girls went 3-0 during pool play.  In the playoff bracket they defeated Princeton 15-1 Nationals to advance to the finals, where they defeated the New York City Juniors 15 National team in three sets.  Congratulations to the 15 Red team for winning the 2017nGEVA Power League!

16s

The 16 White Dave team traveled to the Masters School for their Power League tournament.  The girls went 2-1 during pool play. The girls advanced to the playoff bracket where they fell to the Aspire 16-Mirage in two sets.

The 16 White Dills team played at All Seasons Sports Academy for their tournament.  The girls finished in fourth place during pool play.  In their playoffs, they defeated the Rival 17 Attack and Sportime 17 Black to win their playoff bracket.

The 16 Red team’s Power League tournament was held at Molloy, where the girls competed in the 17s age bracket.  They were up to the challenge as they went 3-0 during pool play before advancing to the playoff bracket.  In the playoff bracket, the girls defeated Sportime to advance to the finals, where they fell to the New York City Juniors 17 National team in two straight sets.

17s

The 17 White Dani’s Power League tournament was played at Molloy.  The girls went 1-2 during pool play and fell to the ASEVC 17 Premier team in the first round of the playoffs.

The 17 Red team played their Power League tournament at Hosftra University.  They went 3-0 during pool play before advancing to the playoffs.  In the opening round of the playoffs, the girls defeated the SOSVBC 17s in three sets to advance to the finals.  In the finals, the girls fell to the VB Rags 17 National team in two straight.

Congrats to all of the girls teams for their efforts in the GEVA tournaments! 

Next up for most of the girls teams is a major tournament – the Philadelphia Northeast Qualifier (NEQ) during the second and third weeks in April.  The 18-White team has a GEVA regional tournament before both 18s teams will be heading off to Dallas, TX for the 18s National Championship tournament.

 

 

Curaro Earns Rookie of the Week Honors

Academy Volleyball would like to congratulate Paul Curaro on winning his second Skyline Conference Rookie of the Week honors this season.

Curaro played for the Academy 18 Red team during the 2016 season – the inaugural boys season for Academy Volleyball.  In addition, Curaro is also the current Assistant Coach for the boys 15 White team.

Curaro’s latest Skyline Conference Rookie of the Week recognition comes amid his 32 kills over the three matches played during the previous week.  He had a team-high 13 kills vs. Ramapo and 15 kills vs. Kean.  He had a season high of 8 aces in a single game vs. Sage.  That single game stat is also the 8th highest total for a three-set match in the nation.  Curaro currently has 244 kills on the season and 31 aces. 

To see more, click here.

ONE Academy

While the major part of the tournament season has slowed down a bit - the action did not.  See below for all the latest news around Academy.

Boys Middle School Clinic/Tournament – A big hit!

On Sunday March 19th the Academy Boys program ran a successful clinic for middle school age boys. With over 100 boys registered, there was plenty of action to go around.  

First the boys were provided with valuable skills development training before breaking up in to groups an playing in a fun (and instructional) tournament.  

Boys from the Academy 15 – 18 year old teams were on hand to demonstrate drills and help teach the boys the basics of the game. The gym was boisterous throughout as the middle schoolers had a blast throughout the entire tournament. We hope that all the boys and their families had a great experience and hope to see as many as possible as we plan to form teams to take to a tournament later this spring!
 

Girls 18 Red Wins Bid to USA Volleyball Junior Nationals!

Congratulations to the girls 18 Red team as they earned a bid to USA Volleyball Junior National Championships in Dallas, TX.  

The tournament will be held this spring, April 21 – 23, and will feature top teams from around the USA.  The girls earned their bid at the GEVA Bid tournament on March 19th at the Aviator Sports Complex in Brooklyn, NY.  Congratulations to the girls and good luck in April!
 

14 White Competes With 15 Year Olds!

14 White Competes With 15 Year Olds Academy Volleyball would also like to congratulate the girls 14 White team as they recently competed in the CJ Heat GEVA volleyball tournament.  

The girls competed in an older division as they faced 15 year olds from around GEVA.  The girls went 3-0 during pool play as they defeated CJ Heat 15 Club, Core 15 Iron, and CALI 15 National Gold.  

In the playoff bracket the girls defeated Cut Shot 15 Selects in the opening round.  The girls advanced to the Semi-finals were they fell to SOSVBC 15-1 (the eventual tournament winner).  Congrats to the girls on an amazing tournament!

 

News & Notes:

View the latest Academy games on ACAD-TV!  New games have just been added.  If you're team is not already on ACAD-TV, e-mail us to day and ask us how.  

Remember, ACAD-TV is designed to get you college exposure.  If you're team is not on already on, ask us how you can today!

 

Stay on top of Academy Volleyball news by following us on twitter at @ACADblog!

Cole Named High School All American

Her name is Mackenzie Cole.  Her friends and family call her, "Macka".  And now there is one more thing you can call her - All-American.   A Junior on Connetquot High School's varsity volleyball team and currently playing on Academy's 17 Red team, Mackenzie Cole was recently recognized by Newsday for this achievement.  See below for a the transcript of the Newsday Article:

Each line on Mackenzie Cole’s resume is more impressive than the last.
The Connetquot girls volleyball standout is a state champion (2015), a member of Newsday’s All-Long Island first team in 2015 and Newsday’s Suffolk Player of the Year in 2016.

The junior libero has already verbally committed to Duke and is a member of the U.S. Girls’ Youth National Training Team. And now she’s an All-American, even though she didn’t even know she was nominated.
“I had no idea,” she said. “My mom sent me the article one day, and that’s how I found out. I was out to lunch with my friends and they were all super congratulating. It was super humbling.”
Cole said it was an honor to be named on the same list as Sante Fe Christian’s Lexi Sun, MaxPreps’ Player of the Year.
As a member of the U.S. Training Team, Cole is exposed to different coaches and trainers. Even after being trained by some of the nation’s top volleyball minds, Cole said Thunderbirds coach Justin Hertz is “part of the reason I was able to receive this award.”
Cole’s goals for her senior season in the fall are lofty. She wants to avenge Connetquot’s loss to Penfield in the state Class AA championship game and improve as much as possible before playing for Duke, where she wants to make an impact right away.

But for now, she’s just happy to be recognized among the top talents in the country.
“Being All-State this year and last year was awesome,” Cole said. “But being All-American is an even higher achievement. It’s definitely a cool thing to receive.”

Visit Newsday.com to see the article.

Academy Boys Hit Pennsylvania

What better way to cap off a the winter break than to play in a major volleyball tournament? That’s exactly what the Academy boys did as they traveled to Harrisburg (Hershey), PA to compete in the Boys Atlantic Northeastern Championships that were held at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex.  For the boys, this is the last major tournament they will compete in until Memorial Day weekend, when they travel to Richmond, VA.   Read below to see how the boys did this past weekend.

15s

Both the 15 Red and the 15 White teams competed in this tournament.  

The 15 White team had a rough start to their tournament, dropping matches to LIVBC 15 National, Vanguard, and Club Lehigh.  However, the boys rebounded after that and defeated the CJVA club (25-17, 25-16) in their playoff challenge bracket game to qualify for the Bronze playoff bracket.  

Once in the bronze bracket, they defeated Club Lehigh in their rematch after an earlier loss, in three sets (20-25, 25-17, 15-6).  The boys fell to Phoenix in the semi-finals in two straight.

The 15 Red team opened the tournament going 2-1 in pool play. They defeated the LIVBC 15 Regional Blue team in two straight sets (25-16, 25-22) and the LVC 15 Black, also in two straight sets (25-18, 25-15) before falling to UVS.

Their 2-1 record set them up for a playoff play-in match the next morning with the LIVBC 15 National Gold team.

The boys won the opening set 25-19, but dropped the next two 22-25, 6-15.

The boys qualified for the Silver playoff bracket, where they dropped their match to Infinity 15-1 in two straight.

 

16 Red

Academy has only one boys team at the 16 age group – and these guys are good!  

The boys won all of their matches in the opening pool play against Club Lehigh, BRYC, and Phoenix – all in two straight sets.  This set them up with a match against the LIVBC 16 National Gold team in a playoff challenge bracket.  

The boys won the match in two straight sets (25-17, 25-15).  From there they advanced to the Gold playoff bracket, where they defeated Warren Sixpack in the opening round match (27-25, 25-20).  

In the semi-finals, they boys defeated RVC in three sets (21-25, 25-16, 15-11) to advance to the Gold bracket finals.  In the finals, the boys fell to UVS in two sets.  For the tournament the boys finished in 2nd place overall – great job!
 

17s

All three Academy boys teams competed in the Atlantic Northeastern Championship tournament.  

The 17 Blue team opened the tournament against some of the strongest teams at the tournament, dropping a three-set match to Prevail (25-21, 19-25, 8-15).  The boys fell to Coastal 17 Navy before picking up a win over Yorktown Soul in two straight sets (26-24, 25-22).  In their playoff challenge bracket, the 17 Blue fell to Sportime 17-1.

The 17 White team opened the tournament with a win over Sportime in three  sets (25-23, 11-25, 15-11) before falling to Pace and Club Lehigh.  The boys faced the Totally Extreme Falcons in their playoff challenge bracket, who they defeated in two straight sets (25-13, 27-25) to qualify for the Copper bracket.  

In the Copper bracket, the boys picked up a semi-final win over the CJVA Boys 17 team in three sets (21-25, 25-18, 15-7) before falling to Sportime in the Copper finals in three sets (22-25, 25-14, 10-15).

The 17 Red team opened the tournament with three straight victories as they picked up wins over First Capitol, Princeton, and Infinity all in straight sets.  Those three victories set them up for a Gold bracket playoff challenge bracket, which they also won in straight sets, defeating LVC (26-24, 25-22). In the Gold playoff bracket, the boys picked up a three-set win over Pace (25-17, 21-25, 18-16) before falling to Coastal 17 Navy. For the tournament, the 17 Red finished 4th overall (out of 39 teams).

18 Red

The Boys 18 Red team opened the tournament by going 2-1 during pool play as they picked up wins over Blue & Gold 18 (25-12, 25-13) and Revolution (25-15, 25-19) before falling to Club Lehigh in three (23-25, 25-23, 11-15).  The boys fell to Pittsburgh in the playoff challenge bracket, but was able to qualify for the Bronze playoff bracket.  In the Bronze, the boys fell to the Yorktowne Orange (22-18, 18-25).

The Academy Boys  next major tournament will be Memorial Day weekend in Richmond Virginia for the East Coast Championships.

ACad takes on DC!

On President’s Day weekend 2017 the Academy Volleyball girls teams went down to Washington D.C. to participate in the Capitol Hill Classic – one of the largest volleyball tournaments of the year.  The classic usually takes up two entire convention halls that are situated next door to each other.  The competition is always intense at this tournament and the Acad girls took to the competition and accomplished some amazing things.  Read on…

13 Red

The girls 13 Red team kicked off the tournament by going 2-1 in the first round of pool play – picking up wins over the 13 Select and TCA Philly Thunder teams.  The girls had a rough second day as they dropped all three of their matches, but were able to rebound and qualify for the Silver playoff bracket on the third day of the tournament.  The girls made it to the semi-finals of the silver bracket, but fell to the eventual bracket champs, MVSA 13 Wahoo in three sets (25-22, 20-25, 8-15).  Overall the girls finished tied for 9th place out of 23 teams  with the NYC Juniors national team.

14’s

With 64 teams playing in the Open division and 94 teams playing in the Club division, the 14 year old age group had intense competition!  The girls 14 Red team competed in the Open division and went 1-5 over the first two rounds of pool play.  The girls picked up their win over CSA Hawkeyes in two straight sets (25-10, 25-13). On the third day of the tournament the 14 Red won their bracket by going 2-0, picking up wins over the DUVBC 14 Lime and CJVA Summit 14 Black teams.

The 14 White team competed in the 94-team club division.  The girls went 1-2 during the first day of pool play where they defeated the Synergy Storm in two straight sets (25-15, 25-15).  

On the second round of pool play, the girls swept the pool by defeating MVA, TCA Philly Mystic, and Firebird VBC.  On the last day of the tournament the girls split their matches, going 1-1, where the defeated WLVBC, but fell to PVBDE.

15’s

Both Academy 15s teams competed in the Capitol Hill Classic.  The 15 Red team competed in the Open division and the 15 White team competed in the Club division. The 15 Red team cam out strong by sweeping the opening round (going 3-0) and picking up wins over BRYC 15 National, Triangle 14 Black, and CALI 15 Black – all in two straight sets.  In the second round of pool play the girls went 1-2, picking up a win over SYAVBC in three sets (25-17, 18-25,  15-3).  For their performance, the girls qualified for the Silver A playoff bracket, where the girls made it to the finals by defeating the Keystone Juniors 15 Premier team in two straight  sets (25-20, 225-18) before falling in the finals to FJVC.  Overall they girls finished 19th out of 64 teams in the Open division.

The 15 White team also started the tournament strong by going 2-1 in the opening round of pool play.  The girls picked up wins over NVVA Maroon and Arlington Elite 15 White.  The second round of pool play was rough on the girls as they dropped all three of their matches.  For the tournament, the girls qualified for the Bronze A playoff bracket where they made it to the finals after defeating the Beach Elite 15R Adidas team in two straight sets (26-24, 25-20).  The girls fell in the Bronze A finals to  Metro VBC 15 Central.

16s

All three Academy 16 year old teams went down to Washington DC to compete in this tournament. First up is the 16 Red team, who competed in the open division.  The girls started out the tournament strong, going 3-0 during the opening round of pool play.  In the second round, the girls went 2-1 as they dropped matches to SYAVBC 16 Blue and VA Jrs 16-1, and picked up a win over Revolution PGH 16 White.  After the first two rounds of pool play the girls had a record of 4-2, which qualified them for the Silver A bracket.  The girls won the Silver A bracket by picking up wins over Revolution Cburg 16 White in three sets (18-25, 25-15, 17-15) and American 16 in two straight (25-20, 25-20).  For the tournament the girls finished 17th out of 64 teams – great job!!

Competing in the 16 Club division was 16 White Dills, who certainly left their mark in this tournament!  The girls came out of the gate strong by going 3-0 during the first day in pool play, picking up wins over MVC, CJ Heat, and Keystone Juniors.  

The second day produced more of the same as the girls also went 3-0 en route to the Gold playoff bracket.  In the Gold bracket, the girls defeated MOJO 16 Explosion in three sets (15-25, 25-17, 15-11) before falling to Brick City 16 Ignite in two (12-25, 22-25). Congratulations to the 16 White Dills team who finished 5th out of 96 teams!

Also competing in the 16 Club division was 16 White Dave.  The girls opened the tournament by going 2-1 during the opening round of pool play.  They picked up wins over NC Elite 16 Silver in three (18-25, 25-19, 15-8) and WAVE 16s in two straight (25-19, 25-22).  On the second day, the girls dropped three straight matches, but came back on the third day winning their final three matches of the tournament over CHVBC 16 Black, Rival 16 Black, and BEVBC 16 White.

17s

Also fielding three teams in this tournament was the 17s age group.  Competing in the 17 Open division was the 17 Red, like so many of the other girls teams the 17 Red opened the tournament with three straight wins during the first round of pool play as they picked up wins over DUVBC 17 Navy, Team VB Rags 17, and SMASH 17s.  The second day of the tournament produced more of the same as once again the girls swept their pool picking up wins over Sportime 17 Gold, PVC, and TCVA – all in two straight sets!  The girls earned a spot in the Gold playoff bracket where they fell in the first round to SMASH in two straight sets. For the tournament, the girls finished 9th out of 64 teams in the Open division – Excellent Job!!

Next up is 17 White Dani, who came down to Washington DC and never looked back!  The girls went through the opening round of pool play by going 3-0, defeating Volley FX 17, Quandomania 17s, and Champion 17 all in two straight sets.  The girls were ready to go on day two as they once again swept their pool – all in two straight sets!  For the girls outstanding play during pool play, they earned a spot in the Gold playoff bracket where they defeated the NYC Juniors in the first round (25-9, 25-10), the ECJVC 17 Purple in the next round (25-16, 25-16), and the Performance 17-1 in the semi-finals (25-9, 25-20).  

In the Gold playoff bracket finals, the 17 White Dani defeated the Xtreme Xplosion 17-1 in three sets (22-25, 25-23, 15-8).  Congratulations to 17 White Dani for winning the 17 Club division, coming in 1st out of 64 teams!  This is the second tournament victory of the season for 17 White Dani as they also won the MLK Kick-Off Classic (their first tournament of the season).

Also playing in the 17 Club division was the 17 White Steve team.  The girls opened the tournament on the first day by going 1-2, picking up a win over Firebird VBC in two straight (25-13, 25-15).  The girls went on to win every match they played for the rest of the tournament as they swept their pool on the second day, defeating Rival 17 Black, Legacy 17s Premier, and TEVA 17-1s.   On the last day of the tournament, the girls also swept their pool, picking up wins over GSA 17 Green (25-20, 25-9) and PVC (25-9, 12-25, 15-11).  Great job girls!

18s

If you’ve never been to the Capitol Hill Classic, it’s really hard to grasp just how big and how competitive this tournament is.  For those of you who have been to this tournament, you can really appreciate the accomplishments of the Academy girls teams.  Playing in the toughest age group of all were the 18s. The 18 Red team competed in the 18 Open division and immediately grabbed three straight victories by defeating Team VB Rags 18 National, CORE Volleyball, and CJ Heat 18-1.  

During the second day of the tournament, the girls swept their pool once again by picking up wins over Virginia Top Team 18, SRVC Storm, and CJVA 18 Black.  

Coming off of two straight undefeated days, the girls qualified for the Gold playoff bracket.  In the opening round of the Gold, the girls won over Revolution Cburg 18 White in two straight sets (25-19, 25-23).  

In the second round, they defeated MDJRS 18 Elite in two straight (25-15, 25-11) before eventually falling to the Metro VBC 18 Travel team in three sets (25-20, 14-25, 12-15).   The girls had a tremendous tournament as they finished 3rd overall out of 64 teams in the 18 Open division.  Awesome job girls!

The 18 White team competed in the 18 Club division where, like so many of their Academy counterparts, also opened the tournament with three straight victories in the opening round of pool play.  The girls defeated Aviator Sports 18 Black, Quandomania 18s, and Virginia Fusion all on the first day.   During the second day of the tournament the girls went 1-2, picking up a straight set victory over Outbreak 18-1s (25-11, 25-22).  The girls 4-2 record qualified them for the Silver A bracket where they fell in the first round to SJOC 18-1s.

Overall the Capitol Hill Classic was a resounding success for the Academy girls.  Understanding how many strong clubs compete in this tournament – and just how massive this tournament is, every girls team represented themselves and Academy in an amazing way.  Please join us in congratulation all of our girls for their effort in Washington D.C.