Tawa’s Club Volleyball Dots: It’s March 1, so USA Volleyball qualifier season is upon us
This is “Dots,” VolleyballMag.com’s weekly look at 10 things in club volleyball, past or present, that interest me and hopefully will interest you. Look for Dots every Tuesday through Junior Nationals this summer:
• Hey, did you see? It’s March 1! Are the strawberries ripe where you are yet?
In the past, March 1 would mean that qualifier season was on the horizon and that it was time to prepare for Crossroads, the first national qualifier of the season. Indeed, Crossroads is this weekend for 15s, 16s and 17s, but don’t expect it to be the mega-event it has been in past years. Last May, Crossroads lost its qualifier status as the result of a controversy involving admitting nursing babies to the event — even those belonging to club coaches — because of a tournament-imposed age limit rule for attendance.
USA Volleyball issued its ruling on May 28, just two weeks after the COVID-delayed tournament concluded:
“COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 28, 2021) – In light of recent events and effective immediately, USA Volleyball has terminated its agreement with Colorado Crossroads Girls Junior National Qualifier. Effective 2022 and beyond, Colorado Crossroads will no longer be a qualifying event for the USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championship. USA Volleyball will honor all bids that have been awarded to teams who competed in the event in 2021.”
You can read the story by VolleyballMag.com editor Lee Feinswog here.
As of Tuesday morning, Crossroads had not released the schedule for Week 1, which begins on Saturday. You can look here, when the schedule is in fact made public: https://results.tm2sign.com/#
• A decade ago, there would be zero teams yet qualified in the Open divisions for Junior Nationals. In recent years, however, the 18s have used an accelerated schedule, which culminates this year with 18s Junior Nationals the third weekend of April in Phoenix. And in 2020, the Northern Lights Qualifier moved its 17s to coincide with its 18s qualifier and January Thaw Tournament.
Thus, as of today, there are three Open-qualified 17s teams: 1st Alliance 17 Gold, Premier Nebraska 17 Gold and MAVS KC 17-1. In case you’re curious, those teams placed T-3, T-7 and T-5, respectively, at the Triple Crown NIT over President’s Day Weekend. Triple Crown is widely considered the most prestigious, talent-laden event in the nation, with virtually all national elite teams in attendance.
• In the 18 Open division, a total of 26 teams have earned Open bids from 10 18s qualifiers held to date. That includes three teams, OT 18 T Chad, Gainesville Juniors 18/17 and Triangle 18 Black, which secured Open bids at the Southeast Qualifier last weekend near Atlanta.
Seven 18s qualifiers remain, including two this weekend in Boston and Reno, to complete the rest of the Open field. Here, as of now, are the 26 teams making big plans for Phoenix, in alphabetical order:
1st Alliance 18 Gold
A5 Mizuno 18-Marc
Academy 18 Diamond
Absolute Black 18-1
Adversity 18 Adidas
AZ EVJ 18N1-Tempe
AZ Sky 18 Gold
Club V 18 Ren Reed
Dallas Skyline 18 Royal
Dynasty 18 Black
EXCEL 18 National Red
FC Elite 18 Elite
Gainesville Juniors 18/17
Houston Skyline 18 Royal
Madfrog 18 National Green
Metro 18 Travel
Northern Lights 18-1
OT 18 O Felix
OT 18 T Chad
Premier Nebraska 18 Gold
PVA 18 Elite
Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite
Sunshine 18 LA
Team Indiana 18.1
Triangle 18 Black
WAVE 18 Kevin
• How good are the 26 18 Open qualifiers so far? Twenty (20) participated at Triple Crown two weekends ago. This is how they fared:
A5 Mizuno 18-Marc — ninth (8-1 record)
Academy 18 Diamond — T-21 (3-4)
Adversity 18 Adidas — T-13(4-3)
AZ EVJ 18N1-Tempe — T-21 (2-5)
Club V 18 Ren Reed — T-7 (3-5)
Dallas Skyline 18 Royal — 19th (5-3)
Dynasty 18 Black — T-27 (5-3)
EXCEL 18 National Red — 33rd (6-3)
FC Elite 18 Elite — T-29 (1-6)
Gainesville Juniors 18/17 — T-67 (5-2)
Houston Skyline 18 Royal — T-5 (6-2)
Madfrog 18 National Green — 18th (6-3)
Northern Lights 18-1 — T-21 (2-5)
OT 18 O Felix — T-11 (4-4)
OT 18 T Chad — T-7 (6-2)
Premier Nebraska 18 Gold — T-29 (2-5)
PVA 18 Elite — T-3 (4-4)
Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite — T-11 (5-3)
Sunshine 18 LA — second (7-2)
Triangle 18 Black — T-45 (3-4)
These six teams did not play at Triple Crown:
1st Alliance 18 Gold
Absolute Black 18-1
AZ Sky 18 Gold
Metro 18 Travel
Team Indiana 18.1
WAVE 18 Kevin
• Triangle 18 Black clinched its bid by placing in a tie for fifth in the 23-team field. Logan Barber’s team did its heavy lifting over the first two days, clinching its bid on Saturday after a 5-0 start.
“The team as a whole really came into their own this weekend, and won some very hard fought battles,” Barber said. “Their commitment to working as hard as possible for each other really paid off in Atlanta.”
Standouts for the team included kill leader Brooke Doherty and blocks leader Ava Toppin. Triangle also got big time contributions from libero Maddy May, who missed the last qualifier and was a difference maker this week. Also standing tall was uncommitted middle Ella Philpot, who was a real sparkplug for the team with her ability to find a way to make plays, especially in long rallies.
• The Open teams weren’t the only ones punching tickets. In 18 American, Tallahassee Juniors won to make it to the Dance. Cajun Elite 18s Adam and Vienna Elite 17-F finished 1-2 in 18 Liberty. And NIVA 18 Purple, Asics Willowbrook 17 Gold and TK 18 Legends captured the three USA bids.
The story of TK’s qualification is pretty remarkable.
This is a team whose core group qualified last year in 17 American. Coach/director Suzanne Fitzgerald wanted to push them to USA this year. In its first two qualifiers, each played without a healthy roster, the team finished middle of the pack and one win away from securing a bid.
“The Southeast Qualifier was our last shot,” Fitzgerald explained.
TK went 2-1 on Day 1, losing to ECVC 18 Black. Another 2-1 day followed. Survive and advance, right?
Looking at Sunday’s bracket, Fitzgerald thought the formula of winning twice and having already-qualified Ocala Power 18 Adidas win would yield at worst a back door bid. TK did its job, though it needed a rally from down 13-11 in the third versus Beach Elite 18 B Adidas to stay alive. TK also defeated OT 18 T Tony, which had yet to lose in the tournament.
OPU, however, did not render assistance, and TK went to the semifinals knowing it would need one more win to qualify.
The win did not come versus eventual champion NIVA. The Indiana squad won 15-10 in the third, aided by a mismarked lineup card. TK was faced with having to beat the same ECVC team that swept it on Day 1, in order to capture a bid.
ECVC, dominating at the net, won the first set by shutting TK down on the pin. TK served tough in Game 2 and forced a third and deciding set, only to go down 14-10.
After a side out, TK defensive specialist Claudia Loyola stepped behind the line. Loyola had been doubting herself on serve all year but served TK to the lead, 15-14, erasing all of those match points. TK eventually won when backup setter Avery Brown, used as a serving specialist, provoked ECVC into an out-of-system hitting error.
“That was it,” Fitzgerald said.
• Lee Lamb, the coach/director of Hawaiian side Ka Ulukoa 17 Black, relayed this story about his team at Triple Crown in Kansas City. Ipresent it with only light edits…
“So I’m at the Triple Crown NIT with an amazing 17s team. It’s a large roster at 13, but they are incredibly team-centric. They personify what it means to be a team. They compete against each other every day, but they also support each other. They understand the importance of each and make it work seamlessly.
They aren’t perfect. None of us is. But they are operating at such a high level of decency. They are funny. Hard working. Trusting. Trustworthy. Their character is of the highest quality. And it was on full display today.
“The night before the tournament, there was a junior/senior unsigned showcase. Most of our team went since opportunities for exposure are limited in Hawaii.
Ten minutes into the warmup, one of our liberos, Sydney Sniffen, jumped to hit a ball and came down on one leg. Bam! Instant pain. Instant immobility. Tears. Both in response to pain and to the reality of her new situation.
“After getting evaluated by the trainers on-site, it was clear that she would be out for the tournament. Although mobility was difficult and she knew she wouldn’t see the court, the athlete and her father, Roger Sniffen, stayed. She fought through the physical and mental challenges and supported her team. She was present for them.
“So it made this moment all the more special. Game point of the final match on Day 3, when she came in to serve. Roger Sniffen, hats off to you for leading by example. Not only for your daughter, but for everyone else, too.
“This was for both of you.”
• Pat Madia of Northern Lights was at the Asics President’s Day event in Omaha over President’s Day Weekend with two teams. His 13s played in the AM wave; his 16s in the afternoon.
The 16s came over to the convention center late in the morning to cheer on the 16s. They then went back to the hotel, grabbed lunch, packed dinner and headed off site to play.
Madia jumped into his car as soon as the 13s were done to join his 16-R team. He reached the location just as the third set of the match his team was reffing was set to begin.
I’ll let him finish…
“My injured middle [Grace Teersteg] sees me first, smiles, and grabs her backpack. She pulls out a big ole baggie with a sandwich and assorted snacks and says, ‘I figured you weren’t going to have time to eat, so I made you this.’”
“At that point, I realized, ‘Ah shucks, I haven’t eaten…whoops!’” I profusely thanked her, and then took a step back. This is a kid who, unprompted, thought of others. She didn’t have to do that; she chose to.
“Kids these days. Lemme tell ya…she’s apparently more of an adult than me. She can feed herself and others.”
Follow up: X-rays on Tersteeg’s knee were negative. “The kid drives 1:45 each way to practice 3x a week,” Madia said. “First-year player to the club, is already one of the culture leaders of a big personality team. Phenomenal human being.”
Northern Lights 16-R finished third in the 16 Club division.
• Chuck Matthews officiated the Synergy 17s February Freeze in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania over the weekend. He went on Facebook to write about an amazing experience he had with Equinox 17 Meteors, from Chester PA.
Matthews described the team as one that didn’t score more than eight points in any set all day long.
“It was clear that these girls were new to volleyball,” Matthews wrote. “I spent some time talking to their coach [Lexington Everett]. They were a small charter school team that wanted to continue to play together. The girls were grades 8-12. They come from a high crime, high drug, high drop-out area. These kids are the statistics we all read about and hate. They wanted a way to stay off the street, fell in love with volleyball in their first year as a HS team and wanted to continue. The charter school board sponsored the team within the club, donated gym use for practice time for free. The girls only had to buy their uniforms. Many had to fundraise to get the t-shirt and spandex.
“Despite the scores, you could see these kids just enjoyed the opportunity. Seeing a world not usually afforded to them, they played hard all day. Encouraged each other. I never saw anything negative. The coach was amazing with them as well. I had a chance to talk to the team at the end of the tournament and let them know that they have a fan. Not just of them as a team but as people. I put a note in my calendar to get their HS school schedule and make at least one match to support them. This is how we can grow the game. This is using our game to improve the lives of players. It’s not always about the best teams and the best players. It is an experience that neither they, nor I, will forget.”
VolleyFX 15 Chant made it to the 15 Open finals at the Capitol Hill Classic in Washington DC over President’s Day Weekend. In so doing, it proved that a small club out of Western New York can hang with the big clubs, even when one of its starting outsides could not participate. VFx was undefeated until it lost to Metro 15 Travel in the championship match and won most matches easily.
Olivia Solomon was named best setter in 15 Open.
“Her passion and leadership really make her stand out. She is a team-first type of player,” said VFx head coach Nicksen Sivongsa.
Eighth grader Ingfah Siphakongviseth was named best digger.
“She is 13 years old and has played up with this core group for the last 4 years,” Sivongsa noted.
15 Chant’s offense goes through two ultra-talented middles. Teams know they have to stop Gabrielle Nichols and Lola Sageer. They simply cannot.
Nichols is a 6-2 freshman touching 10-2.
“She is the most athletic middle I’ve coached and has come so far in the last four months of practices and tournaments,” Sivongsa said. “This is her second year ever playing volleyball after switching from basketball.”
Sageer is a 6-0eighth grader touching 10 feet.
“She is a special player – her power and volleyball IQ are higher than any 14-year old I’ve ever seen,” Sivongsa said.
Look for VolleyFx 15 Chant at the Sunshine Classic in Orlando April 1-3, where the team expects to play with a full roster for the first time this season.
Until next time …
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