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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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)!

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.
 

Player Spotlight: Kyle Shaffer

Shaffer Commits to NCAA DI, Lewis University

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Kyle Shaffer, a setter on the Boys 18 Red team has committed to Lewis University. 

Shaffer is a Senior at Smithtown East High School and is looking forward to the opportunity to playing on the NCAA D1 Volleyball Program.

Please join us in congratulating Kyle on his achievement and wish him luck on his continued success.

Girls GEVA & Boys FloridaFest Results are In!

The first weekend in February was an active one for the Boys and Girls teams at Academy Volleyball.  Many of the girls teams competed regionally in GEVA tournaments, while the boys 16, 17, and 18 Red teams travelled to Jacksonville Florida for the 2018 FloridaFest.  See below for more.
 

Girls GEVA Results

See below for the results of the girls GEVA Regional tournament:

12 Red - finished 3rd in their pool, won playoff bracket over Sporttime (25-22-25-18)

13 Red - finished 4th in their pool, won playoff bracket over LIVBC 15 Blue (19-25, 25-14, 15-5)

14 Red - finished 2nd in their pool, won playoff round over Princeton (25-13, 23-25, 15-4)

14 White - finished 3rd in their pool, won playoff round over Allegro National (26-24, 25-21)

15 Red - finished 2nd in their pool, won playoff round over Princeton (25-18, 25-13)

15 White North - finished 2nd in their pool

15 White South - finished 3rd in their pool, won playoff round over OCVBC (26-24, 25-23)

16 Red - finished 4th in their pool, won opening round of playoffs over Downstate Black (25-17,25-21), lost to Academy  17 Red in playoff final.

17 Red - finished 3rd in pool, won playoff bracket over Academy 16 Red (16-25,25-16,18-16)

17 White - finished 1st in their pool, won playoff round over DIGS (25-23,25-21)
 

Sunshine & Volleyball at the 2018 FloridaFest

February usually means more snow and cold weather, but for the boys 16, 17, and 18 Red teams, it also meant to break out the shorts for a weekend as they headed down to Jacksonville, Florida for the 2018 FloridaFest.  See below for more:

16 Red
A last minute addition to the tournament placed the Boys 16 Red team in one of the most competitive pools to open the tournament with.  They started out with a win over Miami United (25-14, 25-9), then dropped the next three matches to RVC, Ponce, and Infinity.  They closed out the day with a play-in match win over A5 (19-25, 25-17, 15-12).

On the final day of the tournament, the boys competed in the Bronze playoff bracket where they defeated Pipeline Nike in straight sets in the first round (25-23, 26-24) before falling to High Performance St. Louis in the second round.

17 Red
The Boys 17 Red team was red hot on the first day of the tournament as they picked up 4 wins over Toreros Coastal (25-22, 25-23), RVC (25-23, 25-13), Warren Sixpak (25-15, 25-14), and Infinity (25-17, 21-25, 15-5).  

Their undefeated first day of pool play earned them a spot in the Gold playoff bracket, where they fell in the opening round to Team Rockstar (California) in straight sets.

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The boys finished in 5th place overall.

18 Red
The Boys 18 Red team continued their winning ways at the FloridaFest as they went 2-1 during the opening day of pool play - picking up wins over Vanguard (25-16, 25-23) and Coastal Toreros (25-14, 25-8).

On the second day of the tournament, the boys picked up a win in their play-in match over Pipeline Nike (25-18, 26-28, 15-11) to qualify for the Gold playoff bracket.  In the Gold, the boys picked up a win over CVC Onslaught in the first round (25-17, 22-25, 15-13) before falling to MVP Academy in the second round (25-23, 20-25, 18-16).  

The boys finished in 3rd place overall (out of 36 teams).
 

MAPL, Nook, and GEVA Tournament Wrap UP.

The first month of the 2018 club volleyball season is coming to a close and there were a few teams in action to wrap things up.  The girls 15, 16, and 17 Red teams were down in Hampton, VA for the competitive Mid-Atlantic Power Leauge (MAPL) tournament.  

Meanwhile, in Manheim, PA the Boys 14 Red team competed in thier first-ever tournament.  Last, but not least, the girls 18 Red, 18 White North, and 18 White South teams were in the tri-state area, competing in GEVA tournaments.  

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GEVA 18s
All three 18s teams were in action in the tristate area this past weekend.  The 18 White South was at the Diamond Sports Center in New Jesey, while the 18 Red and 18 White North competed at the Downstate Athletic Center.

At the Downstate Athletic Center, it was an all-Academy affair as the 18 Red team won the tournament and the 18 White North team finished second.  Great job by all of our 18s! 

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BOYS 14 RED COMPETES IN FIRST TOURNAMENT.
The Boys 14 Red team competed in their first-ever tournament, the Nook Winterfest, in Manheim, PA this past weekend. 

It was a great start to their club careers as they boys went 5-3 in pool play and qualified for the Gold playoff bracket.  In the Gold bracket, the boys defeated the Trojan Volleyball Club in the first round and advanced to the finals.  In the finals, the boys defeated Prevail for the tournament win!

Mid-Atlantic Power League Tournament ReCap.

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The Girls 15, 16, and 17 Red teams traveled down to Hampton Roads, VA to compete in the Mid-Atlantic Power League tournament.  This tournament always draws tough competition and is a good test for the Academy girls.

15 Red
The 15 Red opened the tournament by going 3-2 in pool play. After dropping a very close match to Brandywine (26-28, 21-25), the girls picked up wins over CORE and EC Power.  

On the second day of pool play, the girls dropped a match to 

Triangle to start the day.  They qualified for the Bronze playoff bracket, where they fell to CJVA in three sets (13-25, 25-12, 15-9).

16 Red
The 16 Red started off the tournament on a hot streak as they won the first three matches they played, defeating MDJRS, Metro, and Deleware United - all in straight sets, befor dropping their last match of the day to BRYC.

On the second day of the tournament, the girls picked up a win over TCVA in straigt sets (25-15, 25-22), which set them up for the "Copper A" playoff bracket.  In the Copper A, the girls defeated Coastal in the first round in straight sets (25-13, 25-20).  That win advanced the girls to the finals where they defeated the Brandywine Bobcats in three sets (25-16, 18-25, 15-12).

17 Red
The 17 Red had a busy first day as they competed in five matches.  They began with three straight victories, defeating Delaware, Triangle, and MDJRs before dropping  a match to American.  The girls had to play in a one-set challenge match to determine the following days' brackets.  In that match, they fell to the MDJRs.

On the second day of the tournament, the girls went 2-0 in their next bracket as they picked up wins over the Triangle 18s and the VA Juniors.  With those two victories, the girls qualified for the Copper A playoff bracket.  In the Copper A bracket, the girls defeated the Triangle 17s in straight sets (25-19, 25-19).  That win sent them to the Copper A finals, where they defeated the FJVC in three sets (25-23, 14-25, 15-10).

Congratulations to all three of our teams who competed in the MAPL tournament.

NEXT UP FOR ACADEMY:

Next up for Academy will find a majority of the girls teams competing in GEVA tournaments during the first weekend in February, while the boys 16, 17, and 18 Red teams will head down to Jacksonville, FL for the 2018 Boys FloridaFest.

Later on in February, the girls will be heading to Washington D.C. for the Capitol Hill Classic and the Boys will head to Harrisburg, PA for the Boys Atlantic Northeastern Championships (BANE).

Academy Volleyball: Player Spotlight

Welcome to another edtion of the Academy Volleyball Player Spotlight.  In this edition we're pleased to announce that Kara Haase [link] has committed to Merrimack College and Mackenzie Cole [link] has been named the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of New York!

Please see below for more information on their outstanding accomplishments!

Kara Haase Commits to Merimack College

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Kara Haase of Academy Volleyball's 18 White South team has committed to play volleyball at Merrimack College (NCAA D-II) next year.

Besides Academy, Kara also played at Kings Park High School and competed in the New York State Championships three times. 

Twice her team finished in 3rd place, another year they finished as New York State Runner-Up.

Kara is really looking forward to playing at Merrimack next year and all of us at Academy Volleyball wish her the best of luck!
 

Cole Named Gatorade Player of the Year for New York State

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Academy Volleyball player, Mackenzie Cole, has been named the 2017-18 New York State Gatorade Player of the Year for the sport of girls volleyball.

The Gatorade State Player of the Year award was established in 1985 to recognize the nation’s most outstanding high school student-athletes for their athletic excellence, academic achievement and exemplary character.

This is a tremendous honor as Cole is being recognized not only for her on-court efforts, but her community service off the court.  Please visit Gatorade's website to learn more about this special achievement.