June 24, 2024

Day 4 meant GJNC CHAMPIONSHIP DAY in Dallas! And before we breakdown the 13 Open and 12 National finals here are some fun facts about athletes in the finals. In 13 Open, A5 is the defending champion from last season’s 12 National match. But did you know A5 actually took the silver in the 11’s season? Also, in regards to A5, outside hitter Macurdy Harden was a part of the inaugural Red Hat Games Middle School championship team, the Cowgirl Crushers, in December. Her teammate on that squad was Skyline 13 Royal outside hitter Julianna Godbey. And focusing on Skyline, MacKenzie Carr also played at the inaugural RHG. And more from Skyline includes Carr and teammate Kendall Hill winning the 12 American Gold medal last season with Drive Nation. Also in the 11’s season Godbey and Kennedy Jefferson were a part of the Madfrog 11 Green squad that won the 11 National title over A5. So tons of experience on the court in the finals! That being said, let’s talk about the 13 Open Finals. Both squads had to overcome tough semifinals matchups. Skyline defeated Legacy 25-22, 25-19 while A5 defeated Mizuno Long Beach 13 Rockstar 25-16, 25-15. Out of the gate Skyline started quickly and scored early points behind solid defense from libero Brynli Burgess and big kills from outside hitter Alexis Elsey. A5 came back swinging which was led by outside hitter Kari Knotts. A5 middles Madison Middleton and Milan Tallman came in clutch for the squad both offensively and defensively. And despite being down most the game, A5 ended up winning 25-23. The second game had A5 on top from the jump. Outside hitter Macurdy Harden, setter Sophie Holt (2030), setter Olivia Hayden, libero Brooklyn Howard all shined. On the other side of the net Skyline never was out but definitely struggled in a few areas. Middle blockers MacKenzie Carriddle and Kendall Hill, setter Kennedy Jefferson (2030) and outside hitter Julianna Godbey (2030) played well. But in the end A5 ran away with the title, 25-23, 25-20. In 12 National, Skyline 12 Royal squared off against Tribe 12 Elite Cardinal. In the division to get to the finals both teams had to upset a ton of great squads! Skyline took out Mizuno Long Beach 12 Rockstar 27-25, 25-14 and then A5 12-1 Lori 25-13, 25-18 in the morning. Tribe knocked out Excel 12 Red 25-19, 25-11 and then defeated Legacy 12-1 Adidas 14-25, 25-16, 15-12. The Skyline vs Tribe finals only featured one athlete that played in the 11 National finals last season which was Skyline libero Hayden Leavitt. That being said, this match went back and forth the entire time. Tribe jumped on Skyline from the beginning and captured game one 25-18. Tribe outside hitter Perla Antuchas did a great job leading her team. Game two flipped back to Skyline who ended up winning. Aniston Barnett was blocking really well on the right and was able to shut down the Tribe outside hitters. Also, setter/right side hitter Olivia Rylee and outside hitter Alexis Walker starred for Skyline. Skyline won the game 25-20. In game three Tribe found themselves leading from the beginning. Tribe outside Luiza Queiroz started to really catch fire in this game along with middle blocker Kendall Fugate. And in the end Tribe won the 12 National title 25-18, 20-25, 15-12. Here are the other divisions’ results. Congrats to all!! 13 National: Circle City 13 Purple defeated GJ 13 Nicole 25-16, 16-25, 15-12 13 USA: GVA/Mizuno 131u White defeated Madfrog 13’s N Black  25-19, 23-25, 15-`12 13 Liberty: Madfrog 13’s N White defeated Club One AZ 13Platinum 25-18, 25-23 13 American: Gulfside 13U Prime defeated SG Elite 13 Roshambo 25-22, 25-19 13 Patriot: Aspire 13 Premier defeated PCVC 13-1 25-17, 25-16 12 USA: WPVC 12 Armour Black  defeated SG Elite 12 Roshambo 27-25, 11-25, 15-12 12 American: NorCal 12-1 Black defeated AZ REV 12 Premier 25-20, 25-21 12 Patriot: Texas United 12Red defeated FORZA1 12 ONE 25-12, 25-19 11 National: Madfrog 11’s N Green defeated Dynasty 11 Black 25-18, 18-25, 15-9 10 Patriot: 1United 10N Blue defeated Madfrog 10’s N Green 17-25, 25-23, 15-12

There were national championship matches played Sunday so let’s get right to it. First up was the 10 Patriot division that featured 1United 10N Blue against Madfrog 10’s N Green. In the end 1United defeated Madfrog in three, 17-25, 25-23, 15-12. Next up was the 11 National Championship match. Madfrog 11’s N Green and Dynasty 11 Black squared off in an intense championship match that ended up being a fierce three-set battle. Madfrog ended up winning the title, 25-18, 18-25, 15-9. One side note in regards to the 11’s, there are girls on both sides of the net that we will be hearing about in the future. Tons of future stars. In the 12’s and 13’s divisions Day 3 means upsets, intense competition, and finals day setup! Like I said previously, 12 National is loaded talent wise and there were some big upsets heading into the crossovers. Monday’s gold bracket will be fun to watch for sure. And in 13 Open, after a few shakeup’s in the pools and crossover matches, the defending champions A5 13-Karen will be facing Mizuno Long Beach 13 Rockstar and Legacy 13-1 Adidas will be facing Dallas Skyline 13 Royal. And a quick side note on these two matches, A5 13-Karen is the defending champions from 12s last season while Legacy has two members who won the 13 Open title with the now 14s team a summer ago. So needless to say there is a lot of championship experience heading into the semis! *** DAY 3 SHOW STOPPERS Olivia LeDoyen S TAV 13 Black: LeDoyen is scrappy on the court. She has great speed and movement in the setters role. She is a scrapper and isn’t afraid to hit the ground on defense either. Joelle Wasson MB Omni 13N1: Wasson is huge defensively at net. She shuts down hitters with ease. Marcela Santiago S GVA/Mizuno 131u White: Santiago is an athlete who dishes well along with playing some scrappy defense. Leeya McDaniel OH OP2 13-1 Elite: McDaniel is a physical outside who can crack on the ball when she connects. Kaia O’Malley L OT 13 T Patty: O’Malley isn’t the flashy libero but rather the calm, smooth, keeping a rhythm libero who holds down the back court for her squad. Gia Stokes MB Boiler Jrs 131E Gold: Stokes is smart and very effective in the middle. She knows how to shut down opponents and hits a mean quick. Madison Nolting OH MIZ LB 13 Rockstar: Nolting is part of a 1-2 outside hitter punch for the Beach. She hits wells on the pins. Tyleani Allen OH MIZ LB 13 Rockstar: Allen is the other part of the 1-2 punch for the beach. She is a no fear scrapper on the court. Alexandria White OH GP 13 Rox: White is a leaper who can hit a heavy ball over blocks. Sophia Baron OH Gulfside 13U Prime: Baron is a flier on the outside who hits incredibly well and makes an impact. *** Taylor Sembower OH GJ 13 Nicole: Sembower is part of a 1-2 outside hitter punch for her squad. She has a great physical presence and hits with a heavy hand. Holdyn Moore OH GJ 13 Nicole: Moore is the other part of the 1-2 outside hitter punch. She is fast and explodes well off the ground. Hattie Fansler S High Street 13-1: Fansler moves the ball well around the court to her hitters and does a great job getting her hands on balls. Kate Berghoff OH Legacy 13-1 ADIDAS: Berghoff is an outside who does a little of everything. She finds the holes in blocks with ease. Aubrey Coleman Axtell MB EXCEL 13 National Red: Coleman Axtell might not be the loudest one on the court BUT her defense at the net speaks volumes. Piper Hudson RS KC Power 13 Black: Hudson, a lefty on the right, was hammering through or around blocks with ease. Taylor Wardell OH TAV Houston 12 Adidas: Wardell is a hammer on the court. Literally she hits with a ton of power wherever she is. Wanli Sakugawa S/MB Surfside 12 PV Legends: Sakugawa is just a gamer. She has a knack for whatever role she is in, whether it be setting or in the middle. Leila Rendon S SA Juniors 12 Adidas: Rendon is a no fear, all out hustler who has a great touch on the ball. Sierra Johnson S AZ Sky 12 Gold: Johnson did a great job connecting with her hitters. She is also very offensive minded setter too. *** Kennedy Watkins S CVC 12 BLACK: Watkins has no fear and makes very aggressive plays on the court. She dishes her hitters well too. Elke Venter MB Tejas 12 Black Jeff: Venter is both a big block at the net and attacks well in the middle. Olivia Coulter S Sunshine 12 Westside Red: Coulter is a smooth operator on her squad. She makes plays happen. Corinne Redmond OH DYNASTY 12 Black: Redmond is a presence on the outside. She can power through blocks with ease. Senalah Sagiao S WAVE 12-Binh: Sagiao dishes efficiently and effectively on her squad in the 5-1 role. Emily Lin S COAST 12-1: Lin is a two-way threat on the court. She dishes well in the back row and attacks well in the front.