The 2018 Boys Atlantic Northeast Championships (BANE) has shaped up to be the most successful Academy Boys tournament so far this season. For the first time this year, every boys team competed in the same tournament, which added to the excitement of the weekend's festivities. See below to catch up on all of the action!
14s
The Boys 14 Red team competed in their first ever major tournament and immediately showed their potential by winning their first two matches over WLVBC and BRYC before falling to PVC Sandlot.
On the second day of the tournament, the boys defeated the EC Power in three sets (14-25, 25-21, 16-14) before dropping matches to Pace and Niagra Frontier. However, with a 3-way tie in their pool, the boys had to play two, single set matches against Niagra and EC Power. In those matches they defeated Niagra, but fell to EC Power.
From there they qualified for the Silver Playoff bracket where they fell to LVC in the first round. Overall the boys finished in the top 10 (9th out of 24 teams) - a great first way to perform in their first major tournament!
15s
The Boys 15 Red team opened the first day of pool play by going 1-2, picking up a win over RCVC. The boys were competitive all day as one of their matches (against Pace) had two sets that needed extra points to decide (10-25, 27-25, 15-17).
On the second day of the tournament, they dropped their first match of the day to CJVA, but rebounded for wins over Club SyrV and Infinity - both in straight sets. Their play earned them a spot in the Bronze Playoff Bracket, where they defeated the Capital Sliders in the semi-finals. They went on to the finals where they defeated RVC in three sets (23-25, 29-27, 15-12).
The Boys 15 White team opened the tournament with a 1-2 record, picking up a win over Sporting Albany in three sets (16-25, 25-16, 15-9). On the second day, the boys were perfect in their pool as they defeated AVVC, Sportime, and the Capital Sliders. With an overall record of 4-2, the boys qualified for the Bronze Playoff bracket. In the Bronze, the boys dropped their first-round match to Club SyrV.
16s
The Boys 16 Red team had a great tournament. During the opening day of pool play, they picked up two victories over WLVBC and Yorktowne before playing an exciting and epic match vs. LIVBC, which they dropped in three sets.
On the second day, the boys drew a very tough pool, where they dropped matches to A-10, Pace, and Arlington. However, their strong play earned them a spot in the Silver Playoff Bracket. In the Silver, the boys defeated LVC in the first round in two straight sets (25-23, 25-18) to advance to the bracket semi-finals. In the semis, the boys defeated Niagra Fronteir in three sets (21-25, 25-23, 17-15). That victory propelled them to the bracket finals where they faced Club Lehigh.
The Boys 16 Red team defeated Club Lehigh in three sets (21-25, 25-18, 15-12) to win the Silver bracket. The Boys 16 Red finished 9th out of 30 teams for their best tournament finish of the season so far. Great job!
The Boys 16 White team drew a very tough pool on the first day of the tournament. They dropped matches to two virginia teams, Coastal and RVC, before picking up a win over TVP in three sets (25-21, 14-25, 15-10). On the second day of pool play, the boys picked up wins over Blast 16 Fuel and OVC - both in straight sets before falling to RVC. The boys strong play earned them a spot in the Bronze Playoff Bracket, where they fell in the first round to LIVBC.
17 Red
The Boys 17 Red team had their best tournament so far during this club season. They opened the tournament by going undefeated on the first day as they picked up straight-set victories over Plainview and RVC before defeating Prevail in three sets (25-22, 24-26, 15-8).
On the second day of the tournament, the boys also went undefeated as they picked up wins over OVC and Club Lehigh (both in straight sets). They also defeated Niagra Fronteir in three sets to finish pool play at a perfect 6-0. The boys earned a spot in the Gold Playoff Bracket, where they defeated Prevail in straight sets (25-17, 25-15) to advance to the semi-finals.
In the semis, they defeated Coastal in straight sets (25-15, 25-21). From there they advanced to the Gold Bracket finals, where they fell to a very strong Yorktowne team in three sets (18-25, 25-21, 12-15). Overall, the boys finished 2nd out of 29 teams - an amazing job by the 17 Red!
18s
Another tournament, another very strong performance by the Boys 18 Red team. The boys opened the tournament by going 2-1 during the first day of pool play, picking up wins over NEVC and Infinity, while dropping a match to Niagra Frontier.
On the second day of the tournament, the boys went undefeated as they picked up wins over MEVBC and Sportime in straight sets, while also defeating Warren Sixpak in three sets (25-17, 23-25, 15-4). The boys qualified for the Gold Playoff Bracket, where they defeated PVC Sandlot in the first round (25-16, 25-22).
From there, the boys went on to the semi-finals, where they fell to Niagra Frontier in two incredibly tight sets (30-28, 26-24). Overall, the boys placed 3rd out of 45 teams - an incredible tournament by the 18 Red.
The Boys 18 White team also had a very solid tournament. Drawing a tough pool on the opening day, the boys dropped matches to Smash, Warren Sixpak, and Blast 18 Fire. The boys came back strong on the second day of pool play as they went 2-1, picking up wins over Coastal Gold (25-23, 21-25, 15-13) and Coastal White (25-13, 25-12), while dropping a match to RVC.
The boys qualified for the Bronze Playoff Bracket, where they defeated SOSVBC in the first round, in straight sets (25-7, 25-22). From there, the boys went on to the next round where they faced Prevail and dropped in three very close sets (27-25, 22-25, 17-15).
This was a great tournament for every Academy Boys team as every team finished in a medal bracket. We're extremely proud of the progress that all of our teams are making.