July 8, 2022

Throughout the season, the strength and depth of the 17 Open division was something to marvel at. Everywhere we traveled coaches spoke about all the teams which could possibly be in the running for a gold medal at season’s end. Simply put, there was no way the four days in Indianapolis for the USAV GJNC could disappoint. All season long 1st Alliance 17 Gold proved itself as a serious threat, winning both the Northern Lights and Windy City national qualifiers, taking fifth at the Sunshine Classic and third at Triple Crown. There was no arguing 1st Alliance was worthy of the No. 1 seed it received in 17 Open. The only question mark was could 1st Alliance hold it throughout the four-day gauntlet it was about to enter? “I think the competition is so even in this division,” 1st Alliance coach Danielle Mikos said. “I have so much respect for so many of these teams. I didn’t really know if we could do it. It comes down to matchups and who was more mentally confident. I think our team is very confident and they woke up ready to win today. We beat some very good teams. I don’t think the score reflects how good those teams were who we beat.” There were a few moments of doubt, as 1st Alliance did drop two matches along the way. However, when it mattered most and 1st Alliance could not afford to lose is when the club shined brightest, ending with a convincing sweep over MN Select 17-1, 25-20, 25-20, in the championship match. “This is the culmination of what this team has been about all season,” Mikos said. “We don’t have one all-star and that’s what makes it so special about them. They take turns getting everyone their moment to shine. They relish and support each other. This match was no different.” Downing MN Select in straight sets capped an impressive final day. 1st Alliance was all business, first sweeping Premier Nebraksa 17 Gold, 25-21, 25-14, in the quarterfinals, then stopping Coast 17-1, 25-23, 25-15, in the semifinals. 1st Alliance was so unstoppable on Day 4 it seemed like lightyears ago the gold medalist was fighting just to stay in contention. It was a rocky start to Day 3 for 1st Alliance, which was surprised by AZ Rev 17 Premier, 17-25, 25-19, 15-13, in its first outing in its three-team pool. The loss left 1st Alliance in a must-win position against a Legacy 17-1 Adidas squad that was 6-0 after winning its pool and defeating AZ Rev already on Day 3. It turned out to be a statement match for 1st Alliance, which swept handily 25-16, 25-14, to not only advance, but surprisingly knock Legacy out of contention on top of it. “Our mantra we’ve had all season is one play, one point, one set and one match,” Mikos said. “We lost a couple matches in pool play over the first three days. All that mattered is doing enough to stay alive up to the elimination matches.” The only other time 1st Alliance lost was on Day 1. It also came in a three-set nail biter as OT 17 John prevailed, 25-23, 22-25, 15-13. It just so happened the only times 1st Alliance lost was went it went to three. Other than that, 1st Alliance earned all sweeps in finishing 9-2 overall. 1st Alliance’s run was a classic lesson in volleyball 101. There were bigger teams. There were stronger teams. There were teams which brought the wow factor. Yet, the passing and serving of 1st Alliance was the backbone of its success and no one was better at it than the eventual champs. “Our ball control, defensively and our serve and pass might have been arguably the best in the gym,” Mikos said. “That helped. If we got into trouble we could cover it back up. We had the confidence if the other team made a big play, we get to pass again and we get to reset again. “I want to say how much I love this team. How unselfish they are. If you see them in the gym at practice you would think they were ranked No. 200 in the nation. They have so much confidence when they play but they are the most humble individuals when you watch them train.” *** With its size, physicality and setting, the pieces were there for MN Select. Really, the only question mark was passing. When MN Select took second at the Show Me Qualifier in April, the club flashed its potential and showed what’s possible when it can take care of the ball. MN Select tuned up for Indy by first participating in 17 Open at AAU, where it took fifth after losing to OT 17 John in the quarterfinals. No doubt the field and competition in Indy was going to take a huge step upward and it was difficult gauging where MN Select would ultimately wind up. The first sign MN Select was poised to make a run came on Day 1. MN Select edged Drive Nation 17 Red, 21-25, 25-21, 15-13. MN Select went on to win its pool, despite losing to Tstreet 17 Naseri in its last outing. By that point though, MN Select already had first place locked up so the result was irrelevant. MN Select didn’t lose again until running into 1st Alliance in the championship clash. MN Select took care of KC Power 17-1 and Dynasty 17 Black in its three-team pool on Day 3 before sweeping Mintonette m.71 in challenge play. AZ Rev was a bit of surprise quarterfinalist for MN Select to start Day 4 but there was no looking back in that one as MN Select swept handily. Up next was Club V 17 Ren Reed in the semis. Club V was playing as well as any team and seemed to have the advantage, but MN Select held firm, staying in system and playing strong defense to overcome Club V in straight

Welcome back to an action-packed Day 2 at the AVP 16U Junior Nationals. The field was trimmed in half, from 64 to 32 teams vying for the gold. There weren’t too many surprises as most of the top-two seeds in each pool advanced. Here are the Show Stoppers who caught our attention the most on Day 2. Sarah Woods/Gella Andrew – A USC commit, Andrews continues to impress with her dominance at the net. Standing at 6-3 her blocking forces many errors or easy roll shots for Woods to pick up and demolish. Maddy Byrne/Mallory Labreche – This is a team which is truly comfortable with their ball control. They both have amazing serves capable of runs to give them separation. When they both drop and defend they have no problem covering sideline to sideline with ease. Elise Lenahan/Keira Tanioka – You can tell this group has ball control when they run the option play with ease. The option play is when the defender digs the ball close to the net and the partner hits it over with the second contact. They did this multiple times with good results. Hannah Taylor/Ally Fuchs – Taylor had a strong day both on the net and on the end line. She picked up multiple stuff blocks and overpass kills, then headed to the serving line and recorded a bunch of aces. They showed some grittiness rallying from a 5-1 deficit in the third to win and move on. Molly Labreche/Avery Towne – This duo is very strong in serve receive. Watching them we felt they got a lot of clean looks because of their first contact. They also shined in defense as they scrambled well and had plenty of well-placed cut shots leading to easy points. Aubrey McBride/Lily Davis – McBride plays the net well with good eye work she reads the hitter’s arm swing well. She was also getting touches and consistently slowing down balls for Davis to pick and convert to points. Kathleen Morley/Erin Inskeep – This duo crushed it as no team scored more than 10 points against them! Watching Inskeep is fun as she has good court vision and has a high volleyball IQ. Sometimes you wonder why she runs the option but when it scores it amazes that she sees what’s open and where the defenders are. Madeline Walker/Adeline Walker – This duo was involved in a nail biter in their first match. Down 13-10 in the third, they showed heart and toughness with exceptional defense. Hustling and scrapping for loose balls they ended up winning 16-14. It set the tone for the rest of the day as they breezed through their next two matches and taking first. Stacy Reeves/Isabella Gamache – A well balanced team as both are splits with the ability to play the net and defend with no drop off. Gamache has a tough jump serve that doesn’t get returned much. Reeves’ energy defending and ability to convert makes this a team to watch. Carly Hixson/Adelina Okazaki – They are a smaller team but play with big energy. Hixson has a powerful swing and doesn’t need much room to approach to score. Okazaki is a wizard defending, from her placement to her hustle getting to balls. She’s got an array of shots to help her convert and score. Audrey Jackson/Kennedy Coakley – Coakley – a UCLA commit – continued to dominate net play. She got tons of blocks but her foot speed dropping back defending and then converting with a powerful swing was a huge reason for her team’s success. Myriah Massey/Lennox Langham – The more we watch Langham, she has to be the fastest defender on the beach. Paired with Massey’s strong net play and big swing makes this team one of the favorites for this tourney.

After a two-year absence, the AVP professionals returns to Hermosa July 8-10. Starting July 5-10 the AVP will concurrently host its Junior Nationals at the courts surrounding the Hermosa Pier. Tuesday was the start of the 16s age group. The field cut from 119 teams to 64 teams for the top half. There was action everywhere on this beautiful day and here are the Show Stoppers who caught our attention. Sarah Wood/Gella Andrew – Both Wood and Andrew are over 6-0 tall with skills to match. Their net presence changed the way other teams attacked, getting tons of blocks and errors from their opponents. With their good ball control they breezed through Day 1. Myriah Massey/Lennox Langham – Massey – just off her USAV U19 championship – continued her dominance. She’s extremely athletic at the net and paired with Langham, who is one of the quickest defenders, makes them one of the favorites in Hermosa. Taylor Ponchak/Danielle Sparks – Sparks’ ball control is truly amazing. She turns medium to hard defensive digs into legitimate easy scoring conversions. Paired with Ponchak’s net play makes this team well balanced. Kathleen Morley/Erin Inskeep – Inskeep has such great imagination. Whether it was digging one handed to hitting a wide set with her off hand, her skill set gave her team more chances than most. Savanna Lau/Charlotta Bell – Bell’s size and presence at the net dominated their matches. They seemingly won every point against a tight set by the opposing team. With Lau covering the back with her speed and relentless effort this duo has a chance to make some noise. Calliandra Otjen/Reese Thai-Sandoval – This group would catch anyone within earshot’s attention. While they are both defenders in size they played with energy and emotion unmatched by any other team there. It was definitely fun to watch them as they pulled of an upset to finish second in the pool. Audrey Jackson/Kennedy Coakley – Coakley plays the net well. From her ability to either read or drop combined with Jackson’s stellar defense is what makes scoring on this team a tough task. They frustrated a lot of teams on offense as they tried but couldn’t find a consistent way to score against them. Carly Hixson/Adelina Okazaki – This group can defend. Both are really fast covering. Hixson has a powerful swing and Okazaki converting from defense to offense with her cut shots makes them well balanced. Elise Lenahan/Keira Tanioka – One word to describe this team is “solid.” They do everything so effortless and clean. So many rallies were controlled by their reads and ball control leading to many easy conversion points. Hannah Taylor/Ally Fuchs – Taylor and Fuchs were impressive all day. This duo’s ability to put tough serves in the same area continuously put so much pressure on their opponents. Combined with sound ball control and good arm swings let the dominate pool play. Nya Coury/Ryan Lambert – Lambert bringing the heat and Coury’s defense was the formula they used to take first in their pool. This team is tough. After losing a set they showed their resiliency battling in a seesaw third set and winning a drama-filled match. Giselle Lau/Sadie Snipes – This duo does all the small things well. Their ball control was excellent and both had good serving runs picking open areas. They were also not afraid to hustle and dive on defense and their ability to convert points after digging led to exciting points. Madeline Walker/Adeline Walker – Both of these girls showed such confidence in their ability to read and cover the court. Time and time again their ability to hustle and scrap their way to winning rallies was amazing.