July 1, 2022

At-large gold medalist. Alamo 15 Premier provided a fairytale ending to 15 Open at the USAV Girls Junior National Championships that nobody saw coming in Indianapolis. MVP Megan Fitch went up on the left side and for the final time in 2022 delivered a kill that set off a frenzied celebration. It was not last year’s 14 Open champ going back-to-back, as it was not meant to be for top-seeded and national No. 1 Arizona Storm 15 Thunder. Instead, Alamo wrote a script that only comes from the wildest imagination. “It feels like a dream,” Alamo 15 coach Debra Gonzalez said. “Everyone wants to be in gold. Everyone wants to come in first. There’s always a little doubt if we could do it or not do it. Everybody coming in wants the same thing. Everybody is fighting for everything. The girls did it. I’m so proud of them.” Long before arriving in Indy, Alamo had already accomplished a mini-miracle. Not in receiving the lone at-large bid into 15 Open. But rather building such a sound case that there was no real debate as to which club it should have been awarded to. Alamo was that much of a clear-cut choice. A month later, the decision was further backed up at every stage of the four-day tournament. Alamo – seeded No. 28 to begin with – opened Day 1 going 3-0. It broke pool on Day 2 in second place at 4-1. On Day 3, Alamo made it through the second round of pool play then topped Mich Elite 15 Mizuno in challenge play. Then there was Day 4, Alamo defeating 1st Alliance 15 Gold in the quarterfinals, Drive Nation 15 Red in the semis and ending Storm’s reign and undefeated run in the final, 25-18, 25-22. “They came in so excited to be here,” Gonzalez said. “They’ve never been in the Open division. They came in with a lot of energy and perseverance. They didn’t know how far they would get but they were going to give it their best shot.” That Alamo was even in contention on the final day was already a headline in the making even if the Lone Star club hadn’t won another contest. Earning a medal by outlasting 1st Alliance – the original No. 3 seed – in three games was unthinkable only days earlier. If any opponent could relate it was Alamo’s semifinal partner in Drive Nation, which started as the No. 18 overall seed and barely survived the first round of pool play before eventually upsetting Hou Skyline 15 Royal in the quarterfinals and earning at least a bronze. Between Alamo and Drive Nation, one was going to make the final and that in itself was enough of a head-scratcher to figure out. When Alamo prevailed in three games to reach the championship match that’s when reality figured to set in for sure. Storm came into the gold medal match without a loss, including sweeping OT 15 Randy in the quarters and TAV 15 Black in the semifinals. However, Alamo could do no wrong, jumping on Storm and never letting up. “It’s amazing,” Gonzalez said. “We played them in Utah and lost. This was unbelievable. Everything was working. Everything we told them to do just worked.” To Alamo, there was no guarantee of receiving the lone at-large bid. The girls and coaches were sweating the process, unsure of if they would be selected or not. It led to tense times until it became official. “I was kind of leery,” Gonzalez said. “We knew there was a chance we would get it but anything can happen because it’s not in our control.” *** Getting to some closing thoughts on 15 Open. It was just the fourth loss of the season in its own age group for Arizona Storm. The first came to Dynasty 15 Black in February at Triple Crown. Another came to Aspire 15 Premier in Arizona regional play. Then Storm fell to Seal Beach 15 Black at the JVA West Coast Cup in Long Beach over Memorial Day weekend. And then of course to Alamo in the 15 Open final. It’s a tough ending to a terrific season. A loss like this one should sting, but not overshadow the fact that Storm remains one of the best teams in the country. As for TAV, there was no question the North Texas club was good enough to not only contend but possibly win it all. TAV was surprised on Day 1, falling to Absolute Black 15 in its last outing but still managed to win its pool the next day after knocking off Alamo to earn the head-to-head tiebreaker. TAV reached the top eight by stopping AAU 15 Open champion Legacy 15-1 Adidas in the challenge round. TAV opened up the final day by ending the run of surprise quarterfinalist Coast 15-1 to reach the semis. TAV and Storm played each other in the 14 Open final last summer but met a round earlier this go around as TAV tied for the bronze. Drive Nation came on at the right moments. Drive Nation finished the first round of pool at 2-3 and advanced with some tiebreaker luck. Northern Lights 15-1 and HPSTL 15 Royal were 2-3 as well. Northern Lights beat both head-to-head and took third in the pool. Since Drive Nation defeated HPSTL head-to-head, Drive Nation took fourth despite having a lower set percentage than HPSTL. Drive Nation took advantage. A victory over Dynast in its three-pool on Day 3 allowed Drive Nation to reach the challenge round. There, Drive Nation swept GP 15 Rox. Drawing Hou Skyline in the quarterfinals was a tall task, as Drive Nation was a heavy underdog. But Drive Nation pulled off the shocker in three to earn its bronze medal.   *** In 15 National, Rockwood Thunder 15 Elite defeated FC Elite 15 Navy in three, 17-25, 25-21, 15-8, for gold. Aspire 15 Premier and Club V 15 Ren Adam tied for the bronze medals.

Throw predictability to the wind. There was no way of calling shots as the 14s and 15s divisions reached their pinnacles Thursday at the USAV GJNC in Indy. The unpredictable and unbelievable conclusions to those divisions was something remarkable to witness. The lone at-large team in 15 Open in Alamo 15 Premier caught a wave and didn’t stop riding it until the championship trophy and gold medal were in hand. It was one of the more memorable performances in a very long time, as Alamo knocked off top-seeded Arizona Storm 15 Thunder in the final. In 14 Open, Mintonette Sports m.41 dug the deepest and wasn’t going to be denied the top spot on the podium. The Ohio club capped its storybook day by downing Flyers 14 Anthony in the championship match. We’ll have separate articles on both winners, as well as recaps on other division winners in the next day or two. For now, we present our final Show Stoppers from the two divisions featuring the players who stood out the most on Day 4. Kylie Parker, OH, SG Elite 14 Rosh – Parker helped anchor an unbelievable run to the 14 Open semis. Her fierce attacking, stringent defense and accurate passing were all on display during the team’s final-day effort. Aberdeen Callaway, OH, SG Elite 14 Rosh – Also a six-rotation outside, Callaway was a key piece in the offensive puzzle. She’s a smart attacker who doesn’t do too much and can use tip and tools as part of her arsenal. Kathleen Hollingsworth, MB, SG Elite 14 Rosh – Hollingsworth isn’t a flashy middle and that’s fine. She doesn’t need to be to be effective. She has a good scoring knack and a tendancy to deliver timely blocks. Layla Austin, OH, Madfrog 14 Green – Austin has a lively arm and can bring real heat with her swings. She puts tons of pressure on defenses to make plays and slow her down. Paisley Pavliska, OH, Alamo 14 Premier – One of Alamo’s most consistent point scorers, Pavliska has a variety of shots she uses to keep the defense off guard. Rayna Christianson, S/RS, Northern Lights 14-1 – Christianson has tremendous upside and potential in her 6-2 frame. She has a strong, consistent delivery as a setter. And with her height, she can easily go over blockers and is a scoring threat all across the front row. Karys Campos, L, Actyve 14 Black – Campos was on fire defensively when we caught her. She was diming every attack and serve coming her way, not to mention she was covering tips and touches with ease too. Addison Haberthy, S, Circle City 14 Purple – Haberthy does a solid job at the setting position. She has nice hands, sets a clean ball and doesn’t miss her window very often. Skylar Jackson, OH, Flyers 14 Anthony – A six-rotation mainstay in the lineup, Jackson is a key contributor toward Flyers’ success. She’s active in the back row and is a reliable scorer in the front. Keoni Williams, MB, Flyers 14 Anthony – You’ll be hearing Williams’ name for years to come. At 6-3, she’s a serious presence in the middle. At this age group, she’s virtually impossible to stop when the set is there and she’s able to get extended. Hannah Lee, MB, Flyers 14 Anthony – Lee is a high-octane middle who never lets up. She runs an effective slide and possesses a strong arm that generate plenty of pop. Layla Hoying, OH, Mintonette m.41 – An all-around contributor, Hoying did her part as Mintonette brought home the 14 Open gold medal. She’s a strong attacker with a nice arm who is adept at finding gaps and seams. Sara Snowbarger, OH, Mintonette m.41 – Snowbarger gives Mintonette one of the most formidable 1-2 punches on the left in the division. She has a nice extension and does well tooling blockers. Emma Cugino, L, Mintonette m.41 – Cugino was off the charts good as Mintonette chased gold on Day 4. She was picking up cross court shots at left back with her eyes closed. Mallory Matheny, S, Mintonette m.41 – Matheny is in command of the offense. She has a nice touch and can be tough to read when in system. It allows her to get all her hitters involved and get them good looks as well. Ella Grimes, L, Elevation 14 Molly – Grimes was a defensive stalwart in anchoring the back row. She was consistently on point in serve receive and made scrappy plays to keep rallies going. Makenna Kirlin, S, Elevation 14 Molly – Kirlin is steady and has a great demeanor for a setter. She has a soft touch and puts up a very hittable ball with consistent location. Danielle Whitmire, S/RS, TAV 14 Black – A two-way contributor, Whitmire flashed her future potential as a star. She’s a terrific setter with a great touch and strong accuracy. With her height, she’s also a capable scorer and helps spread out the attack being a threat on the right side. Mandy Lawson, L, Rockwood Thunder 15 Elite – Lawson was doing a solid job defending and providing her team defensive support. She was passing well out of serve receive too. Erika Sayer, MB, Co Jrs 15 Shannon – Defenses have to pay attention and mark Sayer – a three-star star recruit. She’s a wonderful offensive option who can run the slide effectively and deliver big kills with her powerful arm. Alyssa Aguayo, OH, Aspire 15 Premier – A lanky outside, Aguayo is a three-star recruit who carries a big load on offense. She has a great arm and hits with plenty of pace. BreAnna McMillan, S/RS, Triangle 15 Black – McMillan is a dangerous attacker. She can get up and absolutely unleash with authority. Emma Koceja, OH, MKE Sting 15 Gold – A three-star recruit, Koceja is a six-rotation outside who Sting relies on to provide an offensive punch. She’s capable of hammering impressive kills when she catches