Tuan Nguyen

Welcome back to Hermosa Beach. Sunday marked the final day at AAU Junior Nationals or as AAU calls it “Sandday”. There is a lot on our plate from the day as the Gold bracket for 18U, 16U, 15U, and 14U all played out. There was tons of quality volleyball and action on the courts so without further ado here are the Day 4 Show Stoppers.18UErin Inskeep/Ashley Pater – After coming in second in pool play Day 1, this team won eight straight matches to win the title. They are a solid group who can beat you in so many different ways. Their serving was accurate, combined with two outstanding defenders who read well and can finish the rally with great court vision proved to be a winning combination.Madison Goellner/Grace Hong – This duo had a good run taking second overall. A traditional team with Goellner blocking and Hong defending gave each teammate a specific role and they both excelled at their craft. Goellner covers a lot of court blocking while also being able to score with a heavy swing. Hong has a good feel for positioning in defense as she regularly makes the right read and converts with a good lefty swing.Macey Butler/Jenna Colligan – Colligan was solid on defense. Showing great athleticism, we watched her chase down and dive for balls on consecutive rallies that made it hard for opponents to score. Butler brought swagger with sharp kills and blocks propelled this team to a bronze at AAU.Malia Gementera/Kylie Vaickus – This duo played solidly all tournament and had a great third-place finish. Vaickus was very active at the net. We saw her block and drop multiple times consecutively showing her stamina and strength as an elite blocker. Then Gementera adds her scrappy defense and finishing with an attack that features a high snap that punishes the ball. 16UHaylee Lafontaine/Danielle Sparks – The winners of 16U, it all starts with their ball control. Lafontaine is clean with her touches around the net. As a blocker she punishes overpasses and tight sets, while also showing touch with scramble plays and a good arm capable of putting away any set. Sparks’ defense and serving sets a good tone for her team. Her accuracy in serving and instincts in defense combined with a great touch on offense makes her a scoring machine.Claire Sun/Logan Tusher – Sun serve was on point today. A hard flat serve gave opponents fits all day, giving her opportunities to use her cut shot to score ofter. Tusher was a beast at the net, making great reads blocking leading to big roofs for her team. They had a great run and finished second overall.Sophia Martinez/Demi Wagdy – They were the definition of a team that hustles. Combine that with their athleticism jumping and attacking we saw some great highlight plays. Seeing Martinez dive sideways for a touched ball and getting back up and putting a big swing for a point gave this duo a well-deserved third-place finish.Elise Lenahan/Kiera Tanioka – A steady duo, this team didn’t make too many errors forcing opponents to play a perfect game to beat them. Showing great chemistry by moving around each other and covering the open court they picked up and converted on defense without any hesitation. Lenahan’s big arm combined with Tanioka’s stellar defense solidified their bronze medal. 15UElena Fisher/Kyra Zaengle – The amount of pressure Zaengle produces with her jump serve was stunning. Her ability to snap a ball to a corner with consistency gave her team so much momentum. Add that both her and Fisher were punishing balls with the easy balls coming over gave them a dominating win and gold at AAU.Elena Lam/Zara Stewart – A team that possesses good ball control led the way to their second-place finish at AAU. This group’s passing touch in serve receive and defense gave them so many opportunities on offense. Attacking wise for this duo they had not only court vision but countless shots and wrist aways that completely stretched the defense and left them scrambling.Lily Dee Davis/Aubrey Mcbride – Mcbride’s energy and willingness to dive on defense brings some exciting rallies to her matches. She usually converts with a good court awareness cut shot or booming deep kill. Davis is a perfect complement for Mcbride’s defense with a solid block and ability to transition and finish with big kill for the 6-0 blocker. They teamed up for a good 3rd place finish.Audrey Davis/Samantha Hsu – This team’s third place relied on the arm of Davis. Davis’ swing is textbook example of something repeatable with success. An over-the-top high reaching swing gives her so much range she’s able to hit around most blocks. She gets so many opportunities due to Hsu and her ball control. Her hands delivering sets are strong and coupled with quick feet she gets to most balls and is a beast on defense. 14ULayla Austin/Jordyn Scribner – Austin was on fire. She was getting her feet to the ball and let that big arm produce some impressive kills all day. Scribner provided excellent ball control with not only her sweet sets but also a strong serve that produced long runs resulting in a gold medal for this duo.Ella Olson/Addison Terrell – Watching Terrell go swing for swing with Austin in the finals was fun. Terrell’s jumping abilities along with a great wrist snap allows her hit hard straight ahead or cutting the ball towards the sideline. Olson has great court sense and continuously makes strong reads on defense and converts with cut shots helping this duo to a strong second-place finish.Gentry Barker/Sophee Peterson – This team showed resilience, placing a well-deserved third. After losing 29-31 on Day 1 they bounced back and won six straight sets before losing to the eventual champions. Peterson showed good explosiveness with her block and approach along the net. Combined with strong hands she easily wins joust and scores with her swing. Barker compliments her with a hard serve and quick feet

On a sunny Saturday from Hermosa Beach we attended Day 3 of the AAU beach championships. The 14 and 15U finished pool play for a chance at the gold bracket. The silver brackets for 18 and 16U finished up. Here are the Show Stoppers for Day 3.18U Consolation ChampsAlexa Fernandez/Carys Patton – We were able to see a couple of this team’s matches and they were exciting to watch. Fernandez looked fearless out there. She played with a high defensive intensity going for every ball then converting with big swing after swing. Patton has an effective jump serve tracking towards the sideline and scoring points in bunches. She also possesses good court vision by continuously being able to chip the ball over the block and eluding the defender. 16U Consolation ChampsMadelynn Hokanson/Jordan Patrick – Although we only saw them once we were impressed. Patrick is a good defender and a low-error attacker. She perfectly compliments the 5-11 Hokanson and her big swing. An athletic lefty with a good jump and a high reach on her swing, we saw Hokanson absolutely crush it. We can’t wait to see her return next season with a year to train. The sky’s the limit for her. 14UElla Olson/Addison Terrell – Terrell dominated with her attack today. She can crush a ball, while also mixing in a roll shot made defending her a chore. Olson chipped in with some strong serving and low attack errors in a recipe for success.Sara Moynihan/Simone Roslon – Moynihan is a lefty who can play effectively on both sides and was solid again. She’s active defensively, leading to a powerful transition swing. Combined with Roslon’s ball control and a myriad of offensive shots gives this duo a good chance at a medal.Olga Nikolaeva/Thais Treumann – This duo’s ball control is solid. They were one of the better teams in serve receive that we witnessed. Nikolaeva can defend the best attackers with her reading and passing touch. Treumann is a spark, playing with good energy. It seems her team always goes on a long run with the momentum she gives.Nafanua Alofipo/Janie Mccanna – After watching these two play they can definitely make a run in the gold bracket. Both are plus defenders with good anticipation of where the attacker is looking at. Combined with a good court vision on offense made their day relatively easy. 15UElena Fisher/Kyra Zaengle – The No. 1 seed overall was impressive. Fisher was steady with her digging and offense. Rarely making errors she has a good feel for where the set and block are and made good choices. Zaengle put on a serving clinic. Her jump serve was on point. It blended her intensity with a consistent high velocity serve that scored in bunches.Mikki Carlin/Kiara Edwards – Both of these splits are not only tall but very skillful. Carlin’s moves are athletic and quick, constantly getting to shots usually reserved for smaller defenders. Edwards has a high reaching swing that makes it hard to block, combined with some feel for the block, she has no problem scoring.Lily Dee Davis/Aubrey Mcbride – Davis and McBridge are a well-balanced team. Mcbride covers the defense with her quickness and high conversion rate. Davis plays the net well. Getting good touches and blocks, Davis also shows quickness reading a shot then dropping to defend and getting back up to put down a big kill.Avery Cukjati/Ariana Medchill – We saw this team for the first time and came away impressed. Both possess good ball control making their defense and serve receive solid. Medchill moves well in the back defending and making good reads. Cukjati sees the court well offensively mixing in hard shots with a couple of wrist away swings finding the sand for points.

Hermosa Beach welcomes the 29th Annual AAU Junior National Beach Volleyball Championships running July 21-24th. We are excited to be here and catch all the action. Day 2 play featured 18, 16, 15 and 14U. 18U and 16U were battling in pool play to make Gold bracket. For 15 and 14U it was Day 1 of their pool play. With all matches at AAU played to one set anything can happen. Here are the teams which impressed us and made our Day 2 Show Stoppers.18UErin Inskeep/Ashley Pater – This team battled through the consolation pool to make the gold bracket. One of the top defending tandems, they can do it all with top tier ball control. Finding more offense can give them a deep run.Bailey Showalter/Madison White – This duo of USC commits dominated play. Showalter’s ability to reach over the net blocking is solid. White puts away balls with a quick and powerful swing, they are playing like the No. 1 seed overall.Ensley Alden/Taylor Hagenah – The power that these two possess is daunting. Both have a heavy swing complimented by excellent ball control. What really stands out watching this group is their on court chemistry. Communication, body language and energy is a big part of this team.Indigo Clarke/Phoenix Clarke – We love watching these two sisters play. Their tempo and style is upbeat, catching many teams scrambling to get into position. Phoenix has a good swing capable of some extreme angels.Malia Gementera/Kylie Vaickus – This team dominated. Gementera has an impressive high reach on her swing, giving her the ability to cut the ball sharply inside the block and score with ease. 16UVictoria Henkel/Stacey Reeves – Reeves continues to impress with her energy and court presence. Playing upbeat and backing it up with big swings sets a strong tone for her team. Henkel adds sound defense and good serves puts this duo in medal contention.Katherine Morley/Julia Waugh – Morley and Waugh are a sound ball control group who doesn’t make too many errors. Morley is very savvy at the net with her ability to mix up her shots confusing defenders. Waugh has an excellent passing touch and places the ball well with her swings.Claire Sun/Logan Tusher – This team has a deep run in them. Both 6-0 splits have good ball control and definitely can put balls away. Tusher has a good touch and controls the ball well. Sun has good court vision combined with a power swings, giving this duo plenty of offense.Haylee Lafontaine/Danielle Sparks – Sparks defense is clean. She reads and covers most shots complimenting Lafontaine’s effectiveness blocking. A good blocker Lafontaine can also hit a good heavy ball, making this a very balanced team. 15UElena Fisher/Kyra Zaengle – This group showed excellent ball control. They both locate their serve well leading to long serving runs. Zaengle is very quick picking up shots and on scramble plays not allowing opponents any easy points.Mikki Carlin/Kiara Edwards – Edwards was a force attacking today. A 6-0 attacker with a nice over the top swing, she see’s the court well. She’s able to not only power the ball cross court but also showed a good wrist away swing that produced good results.Audrey Davis/Samantha Hsu – Davis’ attacks were scoring a lot. Her athleticism shows when she simply overpowered the block with her jump to crush the ball straight down.Jade Curtis/Pyper Nelson – Curtis plays with good energy. She covers the court with her quick defense and proceeds to put balls in play while not making errors to put a lot of pressure on defenses. Nelson plays the net well, showing good athleticism reading the ball and then being able to hit a good ball in transition. 14UElla Olson/Addison Terrell – We enjoyed watching this duo. A smart team that takes advantages open spots on offense either with a variety of cut shots, plus the occasional option play, but also with the power of Terrell. She brings the heat with a good over the top swing peppering the sidelines.Layla Austin/Jordyn Scribner – Austin continues her hot play as of late. Making deep medal runs the last two tournaments her team dominated pool play. Her arm is electric and if she gets on top of it, watch out because that ball is coming in hot!Olga Nikolaeva/Thais Treumann – Olga continued her victory at the BVCA last week with a dominating day in pool play. On defense her fast feet combined with good footwork and powerful makes her conversion points hard to dig.Emma Champagne/Anabelle Redaelli – Champagne is a 6-0 blocker who has a good feel for the ball. She has the ability to block and contend tight sets. Also, she has a good jump and swing putting balls in play with pace.

July 19 marked the final day of the BVCA 2022 National Championship. Below is a recap of the Gold bracket for 14U, which had exciting finishes along with the dominating performance of Madsand in the Open Division of 5 versus 5.14UQuarterfinals Gentry Barker/Haylee Wright vs Tiana Shaw/Layli Ostovar – Shaw and Ostovar were patient defending the power of Wright. Wright’s got such a powerful swing it was scoring tons of points leading up to this match. Ostovar’s answers with a big swing of her own and along with Shaw’s defense, they served smarter and kept the ball in play more often for a three-set victory.Layla Austin/Jordyn Scribner vs Allyn Brewer/Sophee Peterson – Austin has one of the hardest swings on the beach and it sure helped keep her team undefeated into this match. Both Peterson and Brewer handle the net duties well. Peterson was really strong blocking at the net winning most blocking and jousts. While Brewer, who jumps well and has a whip for an arm swing, had no problem scoring. This duo won in straight sets with their ball control.Blaire Bowers/Gabriella Rodriguez vs Shayla Martinez/Ciela Luna Hendrickson – Martinez and Hendrickson have good ball control. With Hendrickson’s good serves and stellar defense, matching up with quickness and good left-handed swing of Martinez, they made for a well-balanced team. They just ran into the power of Bower’s big swing, whether with a full approach or short one she gets the same results, a big kill. While Rodriguez digs most balls that get past the block and can also convert with a good jump for this small defender. They won in two close sets to move on.Audrey Flanagan/Olga Nikolaeva vs Kennedi Diamond/Paisley Pavliska – Diamond and Pavliska complement each other well on offense. Diamond primarily on the right side has got a good cross court swing that gave defenders fits, while Pavliska has got a good high reach and disguises her swing with roll shots to keep defender guessing. Nikolaeva had a big impact in this match going on long serving runs with her pinpoint accuracy. Flanagan chipped in with big swings of her own and this duo won in straight sets.Semifinals Blaire Bowers/Gabriella Rodriguez vs Audrey Flanagan/Olga Nikolaeva – What an exciting match. Within the first seven points there were three blocks and many defensive thrillers. The tone was set. Rodriguez and Nikolaeva were both amazing to watch as they mirror each other with their hustle and energy playing behind the block. Bowers had big moments with her kills that gave her team momentum. Flanagan matched her blocking counterpart with big swings of her own, but the separation came from her blocking. That skill took the other team out of the game plan and the moved on to the finals with a 2-0 victory.Tiana Shaw/Layli Ostovar vs Allyn Brewer/Sophee Peterson – These two teams mirrored each other with the same style. Low error, ball control groups that force opponents into errors. In this match Brewer and Peterson excelled at their craft. Peterson’s athleticism at the net blocking was forcing a lot of errors and easy dig and conversions for Brewer. With Brewer’s tough serves this duo breezed into the finals with a dominating two-set victory.FinalsAudrey Flanagan//Olga Nikolaeva vs Allyn Brewer/Sophee Peterson – This match pitted the ball control and Brewer and Peterson going up against the strength of Flanagan at the net. Brewer continues to impress with her arm as she was getting big swings past the block of Flanagan early on and winning a joust versus the 6-1 blocker. Peterson was showing her athleticism with quick drop off the nets then quickly transitioning for amazing points. Flanagan got her revenge with three blocks in the set coupled with many aces as her team won 21-17. The second set was a blend of power and savvy for Flanagan’s team. Nikolaeva surprised everyone by going with the option play continuously to keep the defense off balance. While Flanagan absolutely dominated at the net recording five blocks in this set as they cruised to 21-11 win giving them the BVCA 14U title. ***Open Division 5v5A recap of how this tournament is formatted. This division pits club versus club. Each club picks five pairs to represent a team and in the matchup the first team to have three out of five pairs wins. Madsand won the Open Division of 5v5 in dominating fashion. This club brought enough pairs to make two teams, a Madsand White and Madsand Black. The Black team had a strong run, going undefeated on Day 1 and eventually lost in the quarterfinals. This team had a pair that went undefeated in play. The domination was with the White team which won it all with a 7-0 record. The amazing numbers comes from their pairs as they went 30-0 in matches and an unbelievable 60-3 in sets! They were only pushed to three sets in three out of 30 matches. Below we have highlighted Madsand’s six pairs that went undefeated as our Show Stoppers of Day 5. Maggie Boyd/Gabrielle Walker – Boyd-UCLA, Walker-USC Liv Johnson/Madison Morrow – Johnson-LMU, Morrow-SFA Mabyn Thomas/Madison Goellner – Thomas-USC, Goellner-USC Kaileigh Truslow/Harper Cooper – Truslow-FSU, Cooper-UCLA Kaylee Young/Dylan Kate Brewer – Young-USC, Brewer-FGCU Presley Wright/Katherine Hansen – Wright-South Carolina, Hansen-Santa Clara A big spotlight goes to Maggie Boyd/Gabriella Walker as they won AVP 18U, BVCA 18U and 5v5 titles this past two weeks. They should bring some Hermosa sand back home to Texas as a reminder of their great run. In their their tournaments they were pushed to three sets five times, while going undefeated with a 26-0 record!

The excitement and good times rolled on during Day 4 of the Beach Volleyball Club of America at Hermosa Beach. Monday’s play included the start of the Club versus Club National Championships, as well as the continuation of gold bracket for 14U. We followed the Open Division 5-on-5 Club versus Club. In this format there are 4 clubs in each pool. Each club chooses its best pairings and proceeds to play against another club’s five pairs at the same time. The first club to win three out of the five matches is declared the winner. After Monday’s pool finishes all 16 teams are reseeded for Tuesday’s championship bracket. Here are the pairings that impressed us in our Day 4 Show Stoppers.Club v ClubTaylor Hagenah/Ensley Alden – The duo of tall and strong attackers showed hustle and touch on a play we saw. Alden dug a hard driven ball to the end line, forcing Hagenah to hustle and bump set a high, perfect set to the net. It culminated in Alden’s big swing for an impressive kill.Arden Besecker/Macey Butler – Butler, a UCLA commit, is a savvy attacker. While she does possess a good arm swing, we saw her change it up and chip to an open area for seemingly effortless points.Mackenzie Miller/Kealy Dirner – Miller has a good smart swing. The tall blocker has a good wrist snap that produces good topspin. Couple that with her ability to hit line or angle makes her hard to stop.Haylee LaFontaine/Danielle Sparks – Sparks generates many easy points. The serving catches opponents off guard, and when digging the easy balls her court sense allows her to put balls in spots that are impossible to get to.Presley Wright/Katherine Hansen – Wright has a good swing. Her high reach and wrist snap gives the ball heat and lands at sharp angels. With a quick approach it’s hard to time a block against her.Bailey Showalter/Kelsey Richards – Showalter has one of the highest reaches on the beach. On tight sets she has the ability to snap and hit good angels and if her opponents set tight, she usually smothers the ball with her block.Kyleen Filimaua/Abbie Wolf – Filimaua has the strongest hands on the beach. Her great timing allows her to win most jousts while watching her set the ball is very satisfying as it comes off so smooth and clean.Carra Sassack/Ashley Vincent – Sassack is one best athletes we’ve seen. Her net play leaves you speechless at times. Not only does this lefty have a powerful swing, she often hangs in the air. Blocking wise this helps her delay block and get more touches and with hitting she’s just able to wait and see what’s open.Maggie Boyd/Gabriella Walker – Boyd has one of the best jump serves. At the net she’s a beast blocking with good timing and strong arms. Walker hitting on the right side is amazing as she has a hard cross court shot or a wrist away down the line that is impossible to read.Liv Johnson/Madison Morrow – Johnson’s power and quickness showed on plays we saw her on the net. She has a strong jump and times her blocks and jousts well. Her quickness showed when she block jumped then picked up a shot behind her and proceeded to get back up and get a good swing in. It was impressive. Kaileigh Truslow/Harper Cooper – Truslow can do it all. Her quickness in defense and ability to convert is good. Her supportive and positive attitude on the court makes her a great teammate.Savannah Standage/Erin Inskeep – Standage’s net play was instrumental in going undefeated. Good footwork and strong hands gave her key blocks while her explosive jump and strong arm finished off her attacks with big kills.Zoey Henson/Clara Stowell – Henson’s ball control was evident. Her stellar serving forced opponents into tight situations. Stowell finished a couple of those points off with big blocks.Kate Morley/Stacey Reeves – Reeves hustles on defense. We saw her pick up a couple of roll shots and immediately converted to points with good swings. 14ULayla Austin/Jordyn Scribner – This duo of strong attackers gives this team a good shot at a deep run. Scribner’s swing has good pace while Austin’s high contact gives defenses so many different looks.Blair Bowers/Gabriella Rodriguez – The energetic Rodriguez frustrates her opponents. Never giving up on any shot, she will dive and hustle for any ball and convert it for a point.Audrey Flanagan/Olga Nikolaeva – Flanagan is impressive at the net. Her block timing is good and creates some blocks but many soft touches. Nikolaeva in turn picks up the soft contact and easily converts with her many shots.Nafanua Alofipo/Ella Olson – Olson’s court sense and her ability to control her shots makes defending  her a tough task. Alofipo compliments her with good net play and consistent setting.Zoe Znider/Addison Williams – Znider’s left-handed float serves gives opponents problems as she goes on many long serving runs. Williams chips in with some well placed cut shots.

On Day 3 of the Beach Volleyball Club of America the 18 and 16U national champions were finally crowned on the sands of Hermosa Beach. The 18s division featured 157 teams battling it out while 16s included 125 pairs competing for gold. Sunday also marked the start of 14U division. Here are the teams from all three divisions which caught our attention in our Day 3 Show Stoppers. 18U Maggie Boyd/Gabriella Walker – It was back-to-back 18U champs for this team! They are the most complete team on the sand. At the net both are strong attackers but Boyd produced some big blocks. Defensively and in serve receive they both read and have a good passing touch allowing for consistent looks for offense. Boyd has got one of the best jump serves on the beach. It’s consistent and has a little cutting action making it tough to read. Carra Sassack/Ashley Vincent – What a great run to second place for this team. Vincent is just exciting to watch. Her big swing produces so much force and always gets the crowd going. Sassack athleticism was on display in the finals. Being a smaller block she would delay and hang up to get touches while also cutting amazing shots by the big blocks. Savannah Standage/Erin Inskeep – Inskeep had a week to remember. Last weekend she got second in both 16U and 18U at the AVP tourney. On Sunday, her team had an impressive third-place finish in a stacked field. Her defensive ball control is absolutely amazing, then you add her ability to hit for power and finesse and you get an absolute stud. Delaney Karl/Chloe Hooker – Karl – a USC commit – was dominating. Her ball control for a blocker was a big reason for her third-place finish. Her serve receive has good passing touch and the defensive transition for big kills showed how athletic and powerful her swing can be. Sydney Miller/Kaitly Smith – This group was the winner of the silver bracket and Miller impressed in the championship match. With a 6-2 frame and a high reach she hits tough to defend angels. Her athleticism shows in her footwork at the net blocking and ability to drop and defend. 16U Madeline Walker/Vivian Johnson – This duo’s run to gold here showed poise. With a deep field, not only was their ball control relied upon but they showed how tough they were with a couple of three-set wins. Johnson is an athletic blocker with good control and court vision. Ingrid Timon-Johnson/Mallory LaBreche – This duo had a great run and finished second. Johnson has good defensive energy with the ability to convert with power. LaBreche doesn’t rattle under pressure. Time and time again she produced big points in tight situations. Kate Morley/Stacey Reeves – This duo’s ball control and defense rivals anyone else on the beach. Both Morley and Reeves cover an enormous amount of court. While they don’t hit for power their court vision and shot making abilities got them a third-place finish. Alexandra Kurz/Bella Adishian – Adishian’s net play contributed big time to her team’s third place. She has an excellent block reach allowing her to surprise teams with her block coverage. Kealoha Phillips/Aensley Matautia – This team took the silver division championship. Phillips’ powerful swing and Matautia’s defense rallied this team back for an exciting three-set win. 14U Gentry Barker/Haylee Wright – The No. 1 seed had no problems. Wright was a force at the net with her big blocks and crushing kills, while we saw Barker making amazing digs and converting for points. Audrey Flanagan/Olga Nikolaeva – Flanagan is intimidating. Her 6-0 frame at this age allows her to block so many balls not usually seen. Nikolaeva carries a wide variety of shots in her arsenal and her serves are rockets. Sara Moynihan/Kara Namimatsu – Moynihan, a southpaw, is explosive. Teams at this age usually don’t see a power swing from that arm angle. Namimatsu covers the court well and shows a good passing touch. Layla Austin/Jordyn Scribner – Scribner drives her team with her big, powerful swings and fiery emotions. She brings a lot of energy. Austin does a good job picking up balls and converting for points. Blaire Bowers/Gabriella Rodriguez – A well-balanced team. Rodriguez patrols the end line and doesn’t let many balls drop, while Bowers brings the heat with her big blocks and powerful swings.

Welcome back to Day 2 of the Beach Volleyball Club of America National Championships. It was an overcast Saturday at Hermosa Beach. With the conclusion of pool play from Day 1, the agenda for Day 2 was to pare down the field to gold brackets and start single elimination play. The 16U division started with 125 teams and was trimmed to 54. The 18U division began with 157 pairs and was narrowed down to 67 for gold brackets. 16U will finish until there are eight teams left and 18U will stop when there are 16 teams left on Saturday night and finish play Sunday morning. Here are the Day 2 Show Stoppers who made a splash. 16U Madeline Walker/Vivian Johnson – This duo with their ball control breezed through their matches. Their defense was tight as passing and communication were seamless. A hidden key is they both can find a weak area in serve receive and capitalize for long serving runs. Haylee Lafontaine/Danielle Sparks – The combination of Lafontaine’s impact at the net and Sparks’ wizardry on defense give this duo a good shot at a deep run. Lafontaine combines athleticism with her height resulting in big swings and blocks. Carly Hixson/Mikki Carlin – Hixson’s defense is stellar. Her reads and ability to convert with a big swing is a major weapon. Add Carlin’s passing touch and shot making ability and they have a deep run available to them through their ball control. Alexandra Marie Kurz/Bella Adishian – Adishian will punish any tight sets either getting a stuff block or a big kill. Kurz has a high reach on her swing making it difficult to block while also allowing her to cut the ball with extreme angels. Ingrid Timon-Johnson/Mallory LaBreche – Another team with excellent ball control. This team’s ability to handle serve receive make them a threat because they’re always in system and attacking. Charlotta Bell/Savanna Lau – Lau is very good in the back row. Her positioning is good and her ability to run down shots and convert is a positive. But this duo’s deep run will depend heavily with the net play of Bell. One of the best blockers in her age group, she shuts down plenty of attacks and her ability to transition with a big kill is key. Kate Morley/Stacey Reeves – We’ve watched Reeves long enough to know if there’s anyone who can will her team to victory it’s her. The energy she brings and her ability to back it up with big swings for points is huge. Pairing her up with Morley is genius as Morley is another run through the wall type player and never giving up. This duo was fun to watch and will give everyone fits. 18U Zoey Henson/Clara Stowell – Stowell had a huge day putting max pressure at the net. Her offense was clicking but her blocking impacted the game deeply. With Henson patrolling the back court and picking everything up this team had no problem advancing. Portia Sherman/Chloe Hoffman – This duo puts max pressure on opposing defenses. Both are strong attackers that do a lot of damage approaching behind the set forcing the block and defender to shift on time or get caught in between. Phoenix Clarke/Indigo Clarke – The sisters from Hawaii play with such explosive energy. With their good passing skills they run a quicker offense catching many teams off guard. Phoenix plays the net well making good reads which leads to getting touches on most attacks. Taylor Hagenah/Ensley Alden – This team has balance. Both are 6-0 splits who have no problem at the net or on defense. Their ball control is clean, giving this group an ability to attack on most plays. Their height and play at the net will be key for them to medal here. Bailey Showalter/Kyleen Filimaua – A definite contender, this team with two big splits also showed their athleticism with great defensive plays. Filimaua made great reads and scrambled for hustle plays culminating in big momentum kills. Maggie Boyd/Gabriella Walker – Boyd’s jump serve is legit good. She was getting aces and a lot of free balls back to her team, giving these big hitters those opportunities leading to easy points. Carra Sassack/Ashley Vincent – Sassack is a beast in the back row. Her quickness allows her to get to many balls while transitioning with her southpaw swing gives defenders fits. Vincent is one of the beach’s most explosive attackers. If her sets are high enough watch out as there is a lot of pace behind that swing. Savannah Standage/Erin Inskeep – Inskeep, with her two podium finishes last week, will look for a third on Sunday. Her ball control and attack vision allows her to hit any set. With Standage’s big swings it will also be fun to see if they can medal.

The Beach Volleyball Club of America is holding its 9th annual National Championship from July 15-19 in Hermosa Beach. Age groups participating include 18, 16, 14 and 12U and have staggered start days. All of the previous beach tournaments we’ve covered have been teams which were not playing for and representing a club, but this tournament is and all teams have been picked by the club directors. This introduces different pairings with exciting skill sets and dynamics involved. Below we highlight the Day 1 Show Stoppers from the 16s and 18s. 16U Kate Morley/Stacey Reeves – The No. 1 seed overall, this duo impressed. Their ball control allows them to contend with any team, but it’s their defensive intensity that will give them separation from others. Charlotta Bell/Savanna Lau – Bell’s got one of the best blocks on the beach, which allows the speedy Lau to cover most of the back row. Kealy Dirner/Mackenzie Miller – Miller is impressive at the net. The blocker can bring the heat and with her high reach has some extreme angles that she creates with her arm speed. Haylee Lafontaine/Danielle Sparks – Their ball control allowed them to breeze through pool play. Sparks shined with her defense and conversions, whileLafontaine had strong serving runs and impressive kills. Elise Lenahan/Kiera Tanioka – We loved watching this duo play. A strong team with good communication and sound ball control. They can rally with any team. Tanioka makes good reads and completes the play with well-placed shots. Ingrid Timon-Johnson/Mallory LaBreche – LaBreche plays with the steadiness of a veteran. She makes good reads as a blocker and playing the net well. Nothing rattles her. Kiki Remensperger/Isa Wiklund – This team caught our attention with their energy and teamwork. They both did a good job of rotating around each other and communicating during broken plays, saving many points. Wiklund’s vocal and positive energy is fun to be around. Ella Irwin/Lilianna Tosches – Irwin and Tosches pulled of a mini upset coming in third in the pool and eventually taking first. Tosches does a good job as a defender with her reads. She covers a lot of court and her conversion rate leading to points is excellent. 18U Maggie Boyd/Gabriella Walker – Fresh off winning the AVP tournament last weekend, this duo cruised through pool play. Walker showed great athleticism picking up shots then transitioning with some thunderous kills. Bailey Showalter/Kyleen Filimaua – This duo stands out. Both are over 6-0 tall and can punish balls at the net. Whether it’s blocking, attacking or defending their skills are excellent and will allow them to make a deep run. Savannah Standage/Erin Inskeep – Standage impresses at the net with her powerful swing. Paired with Inskeep’s ball control and this group had no problems on Day 1. Kelly Belardi/ Jenna Colligan – Belardi – a Stanford indoor and beach commit – plays with great court vision. She has a good sense of where the defense is positioned and has a good arm swing to be able to place it where she wants. Tawny Ensign/Skylar Ensign – Winners of the silver bracket at the AVP last week, this team had no problems in pool play. Tawny is very quick as a defender and able to read and pick up tough cut shots. She then has a good ability to convert usually with a good line shot. Ashley Pater/Kennedy Coakley – Coakley’s strong presence at the net, combined with Pater’s defensive intensity make them a fun and exciting team to watch. Rallies are usually finished with Pater hustling for a ball, then converting with great angle shots. Zoey Henson/Clara Stowell – A good mixture of Stowell’s net play and Henson’s ability to defend and convert points made for an easy day for this duo. Henson’s serve with good pace and accuracy could give them a chance at a deep run. Kelly Mccloskey/Finley Rollins – Rollins is another impressive blocker we watched. When she squats down and then explodes up to block, she actually gets her elbows to the tape and intimidates the opposing attacker.

On a beautiful Sunday in Hermosa Beach the AVP crowned not only its professional champions in the men and women’s divisions, but also awarded gold medals to the 18 and 14U champs. There was excitement and anticipation in the air as scores of spectators were shuffling around catching the volleyball action and sun rays on a hot So Cal day. Here are recaps of what we were able to catch of matches while navigating the courts. 18U Final Maggie Boyd/Gabrielle Walker vs Erin Inskeep/Clara Stowell – We were glad we stayed until the 5:30pm start time. As the sun was starting to set and AVP workers breaking down tents, this Texas versus California final was about to begin. Inskeep/Stowell from California came in as the 14th seed against the 15th-seeded Boyd/Walker from Texas. Boyd had her prints early on in set one. With her jump serving producing points while adding in thunderous kills, she had the crowd on its feet and as her team jumped out to an early lead. Inskeep’s offense kept it close with well-placed shots but Walker answered with kills of her own, punctuated by a big hammer with no one up and her team won set one, 21-15. Stowell found her grove in set two, starting with hard cross court swings to take back momentum. Half way through the set she had a monster block which got a lot of noise from the cheering section. She finished off the set with three more blocks as they won it 25-13. A Stowell kill got the crowd excited to start set three and they were underway. This set had it all with Inskeep and her defense complimenting Stowell’s net play. Then Boyd would get a jump serve ace and Walker would make one of her amazing defensive plays and converting with a big kill. It made for a great ending to the final. Boyd/Walker ended up winning 15-12 and claiming the gold at Hermosa Beach. Semifinals Erin Inskeep/Clara Stowell vs Jenna Colligan/Bailey Showalter – Stowell – a Stanford commit – and Showalter – a USC commit – were the big blockers and had power for days but this match turned into a chess game. Both teams were aware of the blockers and roll shots were called upon. Inskeep impressed with her resume of shots that find open court. Colligan tried hard to keep it close with her quick feet chasing down roll shots. In the end it was hard to keep Inskeep from her points with her shot variety as Inskeep/Stowell marched on to the finals. Liv Johnson/Harper Cooper vs Maggie Boyd/Gabrielle Walker – After watching Boyd, the UCLA commit, and Walker, the USC commit, play this match we can now fully appreciate this duo. Their calm and confident demeanor just exuded the been there, done that attitude. After a Boyd ace off a jump serve or a Walker resounding kill, they would share a smile and acknowledged each other then go about their business. That level of communication is huge in team sports and they went on to a straight set victory. Quarterfinals Erin Inskeep/Clara Stowell vs Alexis Durish/Sarah Wood – This was the matchup we were excited to see as Inskeep and Wood played in the 16U gold medal match with Wood coming out on top. The match featured some exceptional blockers but ball control dictated who won. Inskeep’s ability to read and defend created more scoring opportunities for her team and they won in straight sets. Carra Sassack/Ashley Vincent vs Maggie Boyd/Gabrielle Walker – Boyd and Walker’s game is very traditional. Pass, set, hit. Block, set, and hit. Nothing in between, no set over or option play. What is amazing is while being predictable they are absolutely amazing at what they do. After weathering an error filled first set they rebounded by winning 25-7 and 15-7. We like their temperament and how calm they were the entire match. *** 14U Final Finley Krystkowiak/Thais Treumann vs Janie McCanna/Kaitlyn Nguyen – We were disappointed that we were unable to catch any action from this showdown. It was shaping to be the front row dominance and defensive energy of Krystkowiak/Tremann against the steady ball control and shot making abilities of McCanna/Nguyen. In the end Krystkowiak/Treumann won and earned their 14U gold medal. Semifinals Finley Krystkowiak/Thais Treumann vs Zoe Znider/Tiani Shaw – The word momentum correctly applies to Treumann’s team. After a huge comeback win in the quarterfinal match everything they touched turned to points. With Treumann’s defense and Kryskowiak’s crushing sets and overpasses they cruised in the match 25-13 and 25-10. Quarterfinals Janie McCanna/Kaitlyn Nguyen vs Bella Scherfenberg/Layla Austin – Let’s start off with the most ridiculous scoring game we’ve seen in a while. The first set was unbelievable and went into overtime. Both teams had opportunities to finish the set and as the crowd waited nearly 10 minutes after it was 21-all, a Nguyen knuckle pokey caught the corner for a 40-38 win!! McCanna and Nguyen’s ball control and steady demeanor helped this team navigate through a tough match losing a tight set two before winning the third 16-14. Zoe Znider/Tiani Shaw vs Ava Kretschman/Bailey Farnes – Znider had a great match and her team needed every bit as they won 15-12 in the third set. Her high reaching swing was hard to block, add on her stellar defense in creating rallies balanced her game. Her signature moment was the huge block she had that gave her team much needed energy after a long rally. Finley Krystkowiak/Thais Treumann vs Ceila Hendrickson/Addison Terrell – It was the wake-up call that Kryskowiak/Treumann needed. After losing a set for the first time all tournament they rebounded by crushing their opponents 25-12 and 15-9. The feistiness of Treumann with her relentless defense and vocal energy set the tone for the comeback.

Welcome to the AVP’s version of volleyball paradise. Along a little stretch of sand surrounding the Hermosa Beach Pier the AVP hosted not only a professional tournament for men and women’s field but also the start of the 18U and 14U AVP Junior Nationals. With 43 courts running the whole day it was heaven for volleyball enthusiasts. The 18U field has 124 teams and 14U included 97 pairs. Here are the Day 1 Show Stoppers who caught our attention. 18U Alexis Durish/Sarah Wood – Wood captured the 16U division on Wednesday and Friday she started her quest to hold both 16U and 18U titles. With Durish being really steady both on offense and defense the No. 1 overall seed has a shot at history. Ashley Pater/Zoey Mitchell – Both USC commits play with good energy. Pater brings a lot to the table. Her relentless defense and vocal energy makes watching them exciting. Kendra Brown/McKenna Flaherty – Being both good sized and possessing ball control is rewarded by having a balanced team. Brown and Flaherty are both splits who handle the net and defense with no drop off. Kylie Truslow-Neffendorf/Virginia Trost – With both from this duo bringing a good jump serve to the table it adds one more layer to how they can beat teams. Trost is a strong blocker and getting touches consistently. Erin Inskeep/Clara Stowell – Fresh off the second-place finish in the 16U division, Inskeep kept the ball rolling with a strong first day. Her ball control continues to amaze and making tough plays seem normal. Grace Goudy/Sabrina Moore – A bit of a smaller team, Goudy and Moore play with big energy. They are a super athletic team and able to cover the whole court. We saw Moore chase down a ball off the block, and after diving she got back up and converted with a powerful swing. Kylie Vaickus/Malia Gementera – This team will make you beat them. They just don’t make errors. Playing a high energy game their never-give-up attitude takes a lot of steam out of their opponents. Gementera is a stud in the back row. Macy Butler/Kelly Belardi – Belardi is a beast at the net. Not only stuff blocking but when she swings it usually ends up with the thumping sound of the ball hitting the sand. Tawny Ensign/Skylar Ensign – The twins are both Tulane commits. Being siblings clearly helps this duo as they move around each other naturally. Skylar is a smart attacker mixing up her tempo and location making it hard to read her. Brooke Birch/Grace Townson – Townson the TCU commit takes up good space with her blocking, allowing for Birch to do what she does best in making strong reads and ending up in points for the team. 14U Finley Krystkowiak/Thais Treumann – Krystkowiak – fresh off a successful indoor season for Wave – has made a seamless transition to the sand game. Her 6-3 frame and athletic ability makes it tough for opponents to defend against. Bella Scherfenberg/Layla Austin – Scherfenberg’s energy drives the team. Defensively she makes so many exciting plays diving for balls and converting. Blair Bowers/Gabriella Rodriguez – Bowers is a force at the net. She not only jumps well but reads the attack angels and gets good touches. Simone Roslon/Sara Moynihan – Moynihan is the do-it-all player. She plays well at the net getting touches and bringing the heat with her lefty swing. Defensively she’s got great energy and focus. Izzy Masten/Ella Grimes – This duo’s ball control is fun to watch, especially their passing. Whether in serve receive or dropping in defense the ball predictably ends up in the same spot giving them countless opportunities for big swings. Zoe Znider/Tiani Shaw – Znider’s quick feet and her long left-handed swing makes her a plus defender. By the way she’s also got a good serve. With her starting a match she proceeded to beat the opponent 25-0. Ella Olson/Addison Williams – Olson brings her dominance from indoor out to the beach. On the hardwood she is a big swinging high flyer. On the sand her shots and court sense sets her apart from other attackers. Sophee Peterson/Capri Romjue – Peterson and Romjue are a well-rounded team. Romjue plays the net well blocking and hitting while Peterson has the quickness to chase down shots and convert for points.