News, Updates, and More.
Double Header in Philadelphia
With April bringing the start of the MLB baseball season, it’s only appropriate that the Academy Girls begin the month with a volleyball double-header. Except this version of a double header means the girls program heads to Philadelphia in two consecutive weeks for the Northeast Qualifiers (NEQ). In the first round of the double header, the girls 13 – 15s teams were on deck. See below for a quick recap of the weekend’s performance.
13 Red
The 13 Red team opened their tournament the right way – by going 3-0 during the first day of pool play. The girls day featured wins over AVA, Penn Highlands, and Vienna Elite. During the second day of pool play, the girls dropped matches to NVVA and Beach Elite, while picking up a win over Ignite in two straight sets (25-18, 25,8). After the first two days of pool play, the girls had a record of 4-2 which qualified them for the Silver Playoff bracket. In the Silver, the girls faced the DE Juniors in the first round and won in three sets (21-25, 25-12, 15-7), before falling in the second round to the eventual Silver bracket champs, Coastal 13 Blue.
14s
During the first day of pool play, the 14 Red were 2-1, picking up wins over the TCA Magic (20-25, 25-14, 15-13) and Beach Elite (25-21, 25-16). From there the girls had an even stronger second day of pool play as they went 3-0 by defeating the Paradigm Riot, SMJ 14 United, and Keystone Juniors Premiere. After two days, the girls had an overall record of 5-1 and headed to their playoff bracket where they defeated the PGH Elite in the first round, the EC Power in the second round, and Summit CJVA in the finals to win their playoff bracket!
The 14 White had a rough first day of pool play as they went 1-2, picking up a win over CHVBC in two straight sets (25-23, 25-19). The girls also had a rough second day as they dropped three matches, including a tough 3-set match against No Panic (25-23, 21-25, 15-8). In the girls playoff bracket they faced MDJRS in the first round and won in three sets (25-13, 23-25, 15-9) before falling in the finals to Cali.
15s
The 15 White team hung tough during this tournament. During the first day of pool play they dropped their matches. The second day of the tournament, the girls would face a similar challenge, however the day was highlighted with a three-set match with No Panic (17-25, 25-20, 15-11). In their playoff bracket the girls faced dropped a match against the Firebird 15s.
The 15 Red team opened their tournament by dropping matches to Triangle and Metro before picking up three straight wins over the next two days. The girls defeated the Husky 15 National, NVVA, and CPVBC before dropping a match to Brandywine. With a 3-3 record after two days of pool play, the girls qualified for the Bronze playoff bracket, where they faced the NYC Juniors in the first round and fell in three sets (21-25, 25-16, 15-10).
Up Next:
Stay tuned as this weekend the girls 16 – 17s teams head to Philadelphia for the second week of the volleyball double-header!
Girls March GEVA Round-Up
March 30, 2017 – This past weekend many of our girls teams competed in GEVA tournaments located around the region. See below for a quick recap of the weekend’s games:
12s
The 12s continued their winning ways as they travelled to Sportime in Bethpage for their tournament. The girls had a winning record as they won 5 sets and lost only 3. This was good for third place in their pool! Great job in only their second tournament of the season!
13s
The 13 Red team traveled to Iona College for their tournament, which consisted of a mix of age groups. The girls faced some teams who were 14 and 15 years old, which presented them with a good challenge. The girls held their own and finished 5th out of 8 teams!
14s
The 14 White team played in the GEVA tournament located at Sportime in Bethpage. They were undefeated in pool play going 3 – 0. In the playoff bracket, the girls defeated the LIVBC 14 White team in the first round, the Sportime Black team in the second round, and fell to the B&B Black team in the finals. The girls placed 2nd out of 12 teams.
The 14 Red team played at the Powerzone Volleyball Center tournament in New Jersey. The girls played up age as they were in the 15’s age division. The girls went 0-3 in pool play and lost to the Allegro 15s in the opening round of the playoff bracket.
15s
The 15 White team played their GEVA Power League tournament at All Seasons Sports Academy in New Jersey.
They finished third in their pool and took 2nd place in their conference playoff bracket.
The 15 Red team’s Power League tournament was held at The Masters School. The girls went 3-0 during pool play. In the playoff bracket they defeated Princeton 15-1 Nationals to advance to the finals, where they defeated the New York City Juniors 15 National team in three sets. Congratulations to the 15 Red team for winning the 2017nGEVA Power League!
16s
The 16 White Dave team traveled to the Masters School for their Power League tournament. The girls went 2-1 during pool play. The girls advanced to the playoff bracket where they fell to the Aspire 16-Mirage in two sets.
The 16 White Dills team played at All Seasons Sports Academy for their tournament. The girls finished in fourth place during pool play. In their playoffs, they defeated the Rival 17 Attack and Sportime 17 Black to win their playoff bracket.
The 16 Red team’s Power League tournament was held at Molloy, where the girls competed in the 17s age bracket. They were up to the challenge as they went 3-0 during pool play before advancing to the playoff bracket. In the playoff bracket, the girls defeated Sportime to advance to the finals, where they fell to the New York City Juniors 17 National team in two straight sets.
17s
The 17 White Dani’s Power League tournament was played at Molloy. The girls went 1-2 during pool play and fell to the ASEVC 17 Premier team in the first round of the playoffs.
The 17 Red team played their Power League tournament at Hosftra University. They went 3-0 during pool play before advancing to the playoffs. In the opening round of the playoffs, the girls defeated the SOSVBC 17s in three sets to advance to the finals. In the finals, the girls fell to the VB Rags 17 National team in two straight.
Congrats to all of the girls teams for their efforts in the GEVA tournaments!
Next up for most of the girls teams is a major tournament – the Philadelphia Northeast Qualifier (NEQ) during the second and third weeks in April. The 18-White team has a GEVA regional tournament before both 18s teams will be heading off to Dallas, TX for the 18s National Championship tournament.
Curaro Earns Rookie of the Week Honors
Academy Volleyball would like to congratulate Paul Curaro on winning his second Skyline Conference Rookie of the Week honors this season.
Curaro played for the Academy 18 Red team during the 2016 season – the inaugural boys season for Academy Volleyball. In addition, Curaro is also the current Assistant Coach for the boys 15 White team.
Curaro’s latest Skyline Conference Rookie of the Week recognition comes amid his 32 kills over the three matches played during the previous week. He had a team-high 13 kills vs. Ramapo and 15 kills vs. Kean. He had a season high of 8 aces in a single game vs. Sage. That single game stat is also the 8th highest total for a three-set match in the nation. Curaro currently has 244 kills on the season and 31 aces.
To see more, click here.
ONE Academy
While the major part of the tournament season has slowed down a bit - the action did not. See below for all the latest news around Academy.
Boys Middle School Clinic/Tournament – A big hit!
On Sunday March 19th the Academy Boys program ran a successful clinic for middle school age boys. With over 100 boys registered, there was plenty of action to go around.
First the boys were provided with valuable skills development training before breaking up in to groups an playing in a fun (and instructional) tournament.
Boys from the Academy 15 – 18 year old teams were on hand to demonstrate drills and help teach the boys the basics of the game. The gym was boisterous throughout as the middle schoolers had a blast throughout the entire tournament. We hope that all the boys and their families had a great experience and hope to see as many as possible as we plan to form teams to take to a tournament later this spring!
Girls 18 Red Wins Bid to USA Volleyball Junior Nationals!
Congratulations to the girls 18 Red team as they earned a bid to USA Volleyball Junior National Championships in Dallas, TX.
The tournament will be held this spring, April 21 – 23, and will feature top teams from around the USA. The girls earned their bid at the GEVA Bid tournament on March 19th at the Aviator Sports Complex in Brooklyn, NY. Congratulations to the girls and good luck in April!
14 White Competes With 15 Year Olds!
14 White Competes With 15 Year Olds Academy Volleyball would also like to congratulate the girls 14 White team as they recently competed in the CJ Heat GEVA volleyball tournament.
The girls competed in an older division as they faced 15 year olds from around GEVA. The girls went 3-0 during pool play as they defeated CJ Heat 15 Club, Core 15 Iron, and CALI 15 National Gold.
In the playoff bracket the girls defeated Cut Shot 15 Selects in the opening round. The girls advanced to the Semi-finals were they fell to SOSVBC 15-1 (the eventual tournament winner). Congrats to the girls on an amazing tournament!
News & Notes:
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Cole Named High School All American
Her name is Mackenzie Cole. Her friends and family call her, "Macka". And now there is one more thing you can call her - All-American. A Junior on Connetquot High School's varsity volleyball team and currently playing on Academy's 17 Red team, Mackenzie Cole was recently recognized by Newsday for this achievement. See below for a the transcript of the Newsday Article:
Each line on Mackenzie Cole’s resume is more impressive than the last.
The Connetquot girls volleyball standout is a state champion (2015), a member of Newsday’s All-Long Island first team in 2015 and Newsday’s Suffolk Player of the Year in 2016.
The junior libero has already verbally committed to Duke and is a member of the U.S. Girls’ Youth National Training Team. And now she’s an All-American, even though she didn’t even know she was nominated.
“I had no idea,” she said. “My mom sent me the article one day, and that’s how I found out. I was out to lunch with my friends and they were all super congratulating. It was super humbling.”
Cole said it was an honor to be named on the same list as Sante Fe Christian’s Lexi Sun, MaxPreps’ Player of the Year.
As a member of the U.S. Training Team, Cole is exposed to different coaches and trainers. Even after being trained by some of the nation’s top volleyball minds, Cole said Thunderbirds coach Justin Hertz is “part of the reason I was able to receive this award.”
Cole’s goals for her senior season in the fall are lofty. She wants to avenge Connetquot’s loss to Penfield in the state Class AA championship game and improve as much as possible before playing for Duke, where she wants to make an impact right away.
But for now, she’s just happy to be recognized among the top talents in the country.
“Being All-State this year and last year was awesome,” Cole said. “But being All-American is an even higher achievement. It’s definitely a cool thing to receive.”
Visit Newsday.com to see the article.
Academy Boys Hit Pennsylvania
What better way to cap off a the winter break than to play in a major volleyball tournament? That’s exactly what the Academy boys did as they traveled to Harrisburg (Hershey), PA to compete in the Boys Atlantic Northeastern Championships that were held at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex. For the boys, this is the last major tournament they will compete in until Memorial Day weekend, when they travel to Richmond, VA. Read below to see how the boys did this past weekend.
15s
Both the 15 Red and the 15 White teams competed in this tournament.
The 15 White team had a rough start to their tournament, dropping matches to LIVBC 15 National, Vanguard, and Club Lehigh. However, the boys rebounded after that and defeated the CJVA club (25-17, 25-16) in their playoff challenge bracket game to qualify for the Bronze playoff bracket.
Once in the bronze bracket, they defeated Club Lehigh in their rematch after an earlier loss, in three sets (20-25, 25-17, 15-6). The boys fell to Phoenix in the semi-finals in two straight.
The 15 Red team opened the tournament going 2-1 in pool play. They defeated the LIVBC 15 Regional Blue team in two straight sets (25-16, 25-22) and the LVC 15 Black, also in two straight sets (25-18, 25-15) before falling to UVS.
Their 2-1 record set them up for a playoff play-in match the next morning with the LIVBC 15 National Gold team.
The boys won the opening set 25-19, but dropped the next two 22-25, 6-15.
The boys qualified for the Silver playoff bracket, where they dropped their match to Infinity 15-1 in two straight.
16 Red
Academy has only one boys team at the 16 age group – and these guys are good!
The boys won all of their matches in the opening pool play against Club Lehigh, BRYC, and Phoenix – all in two straight sets. This set them up with a match against the LIVBC 16 National Gold team in a playoff challenge bracket.
The boys won the match in two straight sets (25-17, 25-15). From there they advanced to the Gold playoff bracket, where they defeated Warren Sixpack in the opening round match (27-25, 25-20).
In the semi-finals, they boys defeated RVC in three sets (21-25, 25-16, 15-11) to advance to the Gold bracket finals. In the finals, the boys fell to UVS in two sets. For the tournament the boys finished in 2nd place overall – great job!
17s
All three Academy boys teams competed in the Atlantic Northeastern Championship tournament.
The 17 Blue team opened the tournament against some of the strongest teams at the tournament, dropping a three-set match to Prevail (25-21, 19-25, 8-15). The boys fell to Coastal 17 Navy before picking up a win over Yorktown Soul in two straight sets (26-24, 25-22). In their playoff challenge bracket, the 17 Blue fell to Sportime 17-1.
The 17 White team opened the tournament with a win over Sportime in three sets (25-23, 11-25, 15-11) before falling to Pace and Club Lehigh. The boys faced the Totally Extreme Falcons in their playoff challenge bracket, who they defeated in two straight sets (25-13, 27-25) to qualify for the Copper bracket.
In the Copper bracket, the boys picked up a semi-final win over the CJVA Boys 17 team in three sets (21-25, 25-18, 15-7) before falling to Sportime in the Copper finals in three sets (22-25, 25-14, 10-15).
The 17 Red team opened the tournament with three straight victories as they picked up wins over First Capitol, Princeton, and Infinity all in straight sets. Those three victories set them up for a Gold bracket playoff challenge bracket, which they also won in straight sets, defeating LVC (26-24, 25-22). In the Gold playoff bracket, the boys picked up a three-set win over Pace (25-17, 21-25, 18-16) before falling to Coastal 17 Navy. For the tournament, the 17 Red finished 4th overall (out of 39 teams).
18 Red
The Boys 18 Red team opened the tournament by going 2-1 during pool play as they picked up wins over Blue & Gold 18 (25-12, 25-13) and Revolution (25-15, 25-19) before falling to Club Lehigh in three (23-25, 25-23, 11-15). The boys fell to Pittsburgh in the playoff challenge bracket, but was able to qualify for the Bronze playoff bracket. In the Bronze, the boys fell to the Yorktowne Orange (22-18, 18-25).
The Academy Boys next major tournament will be Memorial Day weekend in Richmond Virginia for the East Coast Championships.
ACad takes on DC!
On President’s Day weekend 2017 the Academy Volleyball girls teams went down to Washington D.C. to participate in the Capitol Hill Classic – one of the largest volleyball tournaments of the year. The classic usually takes up two entire convention halls that are situated next door to each other. The competition is always intense at this tournament and the Acad girls took to the competition and accomplished some amazing things. Read on…
13 Red
The girls 13 Red team kicked off the tournament by going 2-1 in the first round of pool play – picking up wins over the 13 Select and TCA Philly Thunder teams. The girls had a rough second day as they dropped all three of their matches, but were able to rebound and qualify for the Silver playoff bracket on the third day of the tournament. The girls made it to the semi-finals of the silver bracket, but fell to the eventual bracket champs, MVSA 13 Wahoo in three sets (25-22, 20-25, 8-15). Overall the girls finished tied for 9th place out of 23 teams with the NYC Juniors national team.
14’s
With 64 teams playing in the Open division and 94 teams playing in the Club division, the 14 year old age group had intense competition! The girls 14 Red team competed in the Open division and went 1-5 over the first two rounds of pool play. The girls picked up their win over CSA Hawkeyes in two straight sets (25-10, 25-13). On the third day of the tournament the 14 Red won their bracket by going 2-0, picking up wins over the DUVBC 14 Lime and CJVA Summit 14 Black teams.
The 14 White team competed in the 94-team club division. The girls went 1-2 during the first day of pool play where they defeated the Synergy Storm in two straight sets (25-15, 25-15).
On the second round of pool play, the girls swept the pool by defeating MVA, TCA Philly Mystic, and Firebird VBC. On the last day of the tournament the girls split their matches, going 1-1, where the defeated WLVBC, but fell to PVBDE.
15’s
Both Academy 15s teams competed in the Capitol Hill Classic. The 15 Red team competed in the Open division and the 15 White team competed in the Club division. The 15 Red team cam out strong by sweeping the opening round (going 3-0) and picking up wins over BRYC 15 National, Triangle 14 Black, and CALI 15 Black – all in two straight sets. In the second round of pool play the girls went 1-2, picking up a win over SYAVBC in three sets (25-17, 18-25, 15-3). For their performance, the girls qualified for the Silver A playoff bracket, where the girls made it to the finals by defeating the Keystone Juniors 15 Premier team in two straight sets (25-20, 225-18) before falling in the finals to FJVC. Overall they girls finished 19th out of 64 teams in the Open division.
The 15 White team also started the tournament strong by going 2-1 in the opening round of pool play. The girls picked up wins over NVVA Maroon and Arlington Elite 15 White. The second round of pool play was rough on the girls as they dropped all three of their matches. For the tournament, the girls qualified for the Bronze A playoff bracket where they made it to the finals after defeating the Beach Elite 15R Adidas team in two straight sets (26-24, 25-20). The girls fell in the Bronze A finals to Metro VBC 15 Central.
16s
All three Academy 16 year old teams went down to Washington DC to compete in this tournament. First up is the 16 Red team, who competed in the open division. The girls started out the tournament strong, going 3-0 during the opening round of pool play. In the second round, the girls went 2-1 as they dropped matches to SYAVBC 16 Blue and VA Jrs 16-1, and picked up a win over Revolution PGH 16 White. After the first two rounds of pool play the girls had a record of 4-2, which qualified them for the Silver A bracket. The girls won the Silver A bracket by picking up wins over Revolution Cburg 16 White in three sets (18-25, 25-15, 17-15) and American 16 in two straight (25-20, 25-20). For the tournament the girls finished 17th out of 64 teams – great job!!
Competing in the 16 Club division was 16 White Dills, who certainly left their mark in this tournament! The girls came out of the gate strong by going 3-0 during the first day in pool play, picking up wins over MVC, CJ Heat, and Keystone Juniors.
The second day produced more of the same as the girls also went 3-0 en route to the Gold playoff bracket. In the Gold bracket, the girls defeated MOJO 16 Explosion in three sets (15-25, 25-17, 15-11) before falling to Brick City 16 Ignite in two (12-25, 22-25). Congratulations to the 16 White Dills team who finished 5th out of 96 teams!
Also competing in the 16 Club division was 16 White Dave. The girls opened the tournament by going 2-1 during the opening round of pool play. They picked up wins over NC Elite 16 Silver in three (18-25, 25-19, 15-8) and WAVE 16s in two straight (25-19, 25-22). On the second day, the girls dropped three straight matches, but came back on the third day winning their final three matches of the tournament over CHVBC 16 Black, Rival 16 Black, and BEVBC 16 White.
17s
Also fielding three teams in this tournament was the 17s age group. Competing in the 17 Open division was the 17 Red, like so many of the other girls teams the 17 Red opened the tournament with three straight wins during the first round of pool play as they picked up wins over DUVBC 17 Navy, Team VB Rags 17, and SMASH 17s. The second day of the tournament produced more of the same as once again the girls swept their pool picking up wins over Sportime 17 Gold, PVC, and TCVA – all in two straight sets! The girls earned a spot in the Gold playoff bracket where they fell in the first round to SMASH in two straight sets. For the tournament, the girls finished 9th out of 64 teams in the Open division – Excellent Job!!
Next up is 17 White Dani, who came down to Washington DC and never looked back! The girls went through the opening round of pool play by going 3-0, defeating Volley FX 17, Quandomania 17s, and Champion 17 all in two straight sets. The girls were ready to go on day two as they once again swept their pool – all in two straight sets! For the girls outstanding play during pool play, they earned a spot in the Gold playoff bracket where they defeated the NYC Juniors in the first round (25-9, 25-10), the ECJVC 17 Purple in the next round (25-16, 25-16), and the Performance 17-1 in the semi-finals (25-9, 25-20).
In the Gold playoff bracket finals, the 17 White Dani defeated the Xtreme Xplosion 17-1 in three sets (22-25, 25-23, 15-8). Congratulations to 17 White Dani for winning the 17 Club division, coming in 1st out of 64 teams! This is the second tournament victory of the season for 17 White Dani as they also won the MLK Kick-Off Classic (their first tournament of the season).
Also playing in the 17 Club division was the 17 White Steve team. The girls opened the tournament on the first day by going 1-2, picking up a win over Firebird VBC in two straight (25-13, 25-15). The girls went on to win every match they played for the rest of the tournament as they swept their pool on the second day, defeating Rival 17 Black, Legacy 17s Premier, and TEVA 17-1s. On the last day of the tournament, the girls also swept their pool, picking up wins over GSA 17 Green (25-20, 25-9) and PVC (25-9, 12-25, 15-11). Great job girls!
18s
If you’ve never been to the Capitol Hill Classic, it’s really hard to grasp just how big and how competitive this tournament is. For those of you who have been to this tournament, you can really appreciate the accomplishments of the Academy girls teams. Playing in the toughest age group of all were the 18s. The 18 Red team competed in the 18 Open division and immediately grabbed three straight victories by defeating Team VB Rags 18 National, CORE Volleyball, and CJ Heat 18-1.
During the second day of the tournament, the girls swept their pool once again by picking up wins over Virginia Top Team 18, SRVC Storm, and CJVA 18 Black.
Coming off of two straight undefeated days, the girls qualified for the Gold playoff bracket. In the opening round of the Gold, the girls won over Revolution Cburg 18 White in two straight sets (25-19, 25-23).
In the second round, they defeated MDJRS 18 Elite in two straight (25-15, 25-11) before eventually falling to the Metro VBC 18 Travel team in three sets (25-20, 14-25, 12-15). The girls had a tremendous tournament as they finished 3rd overall out of 64 teams in the 18 Open division. Awesome job girls!
The 18 White team competed in the 18 Club division where, like so many of their Academy counterparts, also opened the tournament with three straight victories in the opening round of pool play. The girls defeated Aviator Sports 18 Black, Quandomania 18s, and Virginia Fusion all on the first day. During the second day of the tournament the girls went 1-2, picking up a straight set victory over Outbreak 18-1s (25-11, 25-22). The girls 4-2 record qualified them for the Silver A bracket where they fell in the first round to SJOC 18-1s.
Overall the Capitol Hill Classic was a resounding success for the Academy girls. Understanding how many strong clubs compete in this tournament – and just how massive this tournament is, every girls team represented themselves and Academy in an amazing way. Please join us in congratulation all of our girls for their effort in Washington D.C.
Flohr/Grace Earn Freshmen Honors
Academy Volleyball would like to recognize and congratulate two alumni, Will Flohr and Matthew Grace, for their accomplishments as college freshman:
Will Flohr, of the St. Joseph's College Men’s Volleyball team, has been named the Rookie of the Week for the Skyline Conference. Throughout the teams first few games, Will leads all SJC players in kills, attacks, and aces. Read More Here.
Matthew Grace of the No. 2 ranked SUNY New Paltz Men's Volleyball team, has been named Rookie of the Week for the United Volleyball Conference. He is averaging 10.0 assists per set, which is second in the United Volleyball Conference and is tied for ninth in the NCAA Division III. Read More Here.
Congratulations to Will and Matt on their early success in their college careers. Will and Matt were teammates for Academy on the 18 Red. Will Flohr is also and Assistant Coach for the Academy 17 Blue team.
Academy Goes Coast To Coast
The last weekend in January Academy spread its wings across the country as it had teams competing on both coasts of the United States. While most of us were back here in New York dealing with the rain and chilly temperatures, the Boys 16 Red, 17 White, and 17 Red teams were off to Southern California to compete in the SCVA Invitational tournament. Meanwhile, the girls 15 – 18 Red teams headed south along the East coast to Hampton Virginia to compete in the Mid-Atlantic Power League. Two sides of the program, two sides of the country, one great weekend of volleyball – read on!
SCVA Invitational, Anaheim CA
16 Red
With the boys 16 Red team having already earned their bid to Junior Nationals at the 2017 CanAm tournament, the pressure was off – but the boys aren’t taking their foot off the gas, instead they just keep on rolling. The boys opened their tournament with a loss to WAVE in two straight, but shook off their jet lag and rebounded with victories over Pali 16 Nike and Ohana AC. On the second day of the tournament, they went 2-1 picking up victories over T.O. And MVVC, falling only to Team Rockstar. Later in the day, the boys had to play a challenge match against SB Coast in which they fell in two sets (25-20, 27-25). They boys qualified for the Silver playoff bracket where they dropped their match to MB Surf Nike.
17 White
The 17 White team didn’t have an ideal situation to open the tournament – by playing the defending National Champions, Balboa Bay – which was then followed by playing perennial national powerhouse SCVC. They remained competitive, but ultimately fell to both teams. The second day of the tournament the boys went 2-1 and picked up wins over Ohana AC in three (18-25, 26-24, 15-13) and Coast 17 Black in three (25-19, 25-27, 15-8). On the last day of the tournament, the boys faced A’o a Koa Volleyball in their flight bracket where they dropped the match in two sets (22-25, 16-25).
17 Red
Coming off of two straight strong performances in their last two tournaments, the 17 Red came out to test their game against the strong west coast competition. The first day started out well for them as they went 2-1 in pool play, defeating Pulse Athletics and SMBC in two straight sets before falling to Bones 17 Black. On the second day of the tournament, the boys also had a strong day, going 2-1 in pool play as they picked up wins over VCVC and MB Surf Nike. There one loss was to NCVC, however that loss tied Academy with NCVC for 1st place in the pool, which resulted in a 1-set playoff to determine the pool winner. The 17 Red took that set with a demonstrative 25-12 victory. But the boys’ day was not over yet… That victory meant they advanced to a challenge bracket match with another Southern California powerhouse – 949. The boys fell to 949 in two straight, but still qualified for the Silver playoff bracket. In the Silver bracket, the boys faced SCVC 17 Quicksilver, who they defeated in two straight sets (25-21, 25-30). The boys advanced to the Silver bracket finals, where they also had a straight set win over HVA 17 Performance (27-25, 25-18). The boys 17 Red had an excellent tournament – and came home with having earned a bid to the 2017 Junior National Championships! Congratulations to the 17 Red.
Mid-Atlantic Power League, Hampton, VA
15 Red
The girls 15 Red team, opened the first day of the tournament going 2-2 through two rounds of pool play. In the first round, the girls dropped sets to the EC Power and Vienna Elite. However, the girls kept their resolve and picked up wins over the MDJRS 15 Elite in two straight (25-19, 25-21) and Summit CJVA 16 Black in three (25-21, 18-25, 15-11). On the second day of the tournament the girls picked up the win over the Vienna Elite 15s in straight sets (25-18, 25-21) before falling to the Coastal 16 Blue team.
16 Red
The 16 Red also opened the first day of the tournament by going 2-2. The girls split the first pool by picking up a win over Triangle 15 Blue and dropping a match to the MDJRS 16 Elite. In the second round of pool play, the girls also split their matches by picking up a win over Beach Elite in two straight (25-23, 25-21) before falling to Triangle 16 Blue in three (16-25, 25-23, 7-15). The girls open the second day of the tournament by playing a Gold challenge bracket, where they fell to the TCVA 16 Royal in three sets (19-25, 25-12, 10-15). The girls qualified for the Silver playoff bracket, where they fell to the EC Power 15 True in two straight sets (21-25, 18-25).
17 Red
The girls 17 Red team opened the tournament by splitting their first round of pool play with a win over Beach Elite 18B Adidas in three sets (25-21, 25-27, 19-17), while dropping a match to Triangle 18 Blue. The girls also split their second round of pool play, picking up a win over Metro 17 Travel and dropping a match to VA Elite. In order to make the Gold Playoff bracket, the girls had to play Academy 17 Diamond (no relation to our club), which they did in two straight sets (25-18, 25-21). With that, the girls were in the Gold playoff bracket, where they eventually fell to the Triangle 17 Black team.
18 Red
Posting a very strong tournament were the girls 18 Red as they had an overall record of 5-2. The girls split their first match of the tournament by picking up a win over MVSA Storm, while dropping a match to TCVA 18 Royal. The girls swept their second round of pool play by defeating EC Power 18 Pearl and Team VB Rags 17N Carly. With their record standing at 3-1 after two rounds of pool play, the girls qualified to play in a challenge bracket for the Gold playoff. In that challenge bracket, the girls fell to EC Power 17 Titanium. The girls did qualify for the Bronze bracket, where they defeated the VA Juniors 16 Elite in straight sets (25-21, 25,23). They went on to pick up a win over the VA Elite 18s and winning the Bronze bracket.
Congratulations to all teams on another weekend of great volleyball!
Opening Weekend for Acad Volleyball
On the weekend of January 14th, the boys and girls Academy Volleyball teams kicked off their 2017 seasons by playing in their first major tournaments of the year. Academy teams were spread out across the Northeast – and even in to the Midwest – with the girls Red teams in King of Prussia, PA for the ECP Invitational. The girls White teams were in Lancaster (York), PA for the MLK Kick-off Classic. The boys 15 Red team was in Chicago for the Boys Winter Championships, while all the other boy’s teams were in Rochester, NY for the CanAm tournament. The opening weekend was a resounding success for the club and there are many highlights to announce.
2017 Rochester CanAm
Participating in the CanAm tournament for the first time, the Academy boys made a great first impression.
The Boys 15 White team had a tough first day as they faced the top teams in the tournament in their bracket. They played hard all the way through and got stronger as the tournament went on.
In the end, the boys placed 12th overall and won the Bronze bracket in two straight sets over RCVC (25-16, 25-22)
The Boys 16 Red team had a tremendous tournament as they went undefeated throughout pool play. The boys earned a spot in the gold bracket where they defeated LVC in the first round (18-25, 25-18, 15-12), and MAC in the second round (25-17, 25-16), before falling to Pace in the finals (23-25, 23-25).
The 16 Red finished in 2nd place overall and became the first Academy team of the 2017 season to earn their bid to the Junior National Championships in Columbus Ohio. Congratulations to the 16 Red!
The boys 17 age group fielded three teams at the CanAm tournament, where the competition was intense throughout the entire filed. The 17 Blue team played hard throughout the tournament highlighted by their matches against the Oakville Thunder and Club SyrV.
The 17 White team’s tournament was highlighted by wins over SMASH (25-18, 25-21) and the Durham Attack (25-17, 26-24). The boys earned a spot in the Silver bracket where they earned a win over MAC (25-17, 25-19) before falling to SMASH in the second round of the bracket.
Also, having a highly successful weekend was the Boys 18 Red team. Like the 16s, the boys went undefeated throughout pool play. Impressively, they won all their matches in straight sets throughout both rounds of pool play.
Their record in pool play earned them a spot in the Gold bracket where they defeated the Ottawa Fusion in straight sets (25-21, 25-19) in the first round. In the second round, the boys lost to Pace (18-25, 14-25). The boys finished in 5th place overall out of 34 teams – great job!
2017 ECP Invitational
Moving on to King of Prussia, PA and the ECP Invitational where the girls Red teams were playing, once again the Academy Volleyball program put forth a very impressive tournament.
The 13s and 14s played very well amid tough competition at their age level. The 13s had an overall match record of 3-4, which awarded them 5th place overall.
The 14s, playing against tough competition, had a tough day – however they girls played steady and were in every match they played.
The Girls 15 Red team had a very successfully tournament as they went 4-1 during pool play, picking up wins over EC Power – Mystic, EC Power – Electric, DIGS, and PGH Elite. The girls qualified for the Gold bracket, where they lost to the EC Power – True in the first round in three sets (22-25, 25-22, 13-15). The girls finished 4th overall in the tournament.
Also, having a great tournament was the 16 Red as they also went 4-1 during pool play. The girls picked up wins over EC Power-Liberty, Princeton, EC Power-Honor, and Brandywine Blast. Like the 15s, the 16s also qualified for Gold bracket where they lost in the first round to the EC Power-Empire in two straight (23-25, 21-25). The girls 16 Red also finished in 4th place overall for the tournament.
The 17s-age group is always one of the toughest to play in for both girls and boys volleyball as the level of play is so highly competitive. The girls 17 Red team fought through a few rough patches and held an overall record of 3-2 during pool play. They picked up wins over DIGS, EC Power-Platinum, and EC Power-Chrome, while falling to EC Power-Clear and the Brandywine Blackout. The girls qualified for the Gold bracket, where they picked up a win of the PGH Elite and fell to the Metro 17 Travel team. The girls finished in 3rd place overall for the tournament.
Like the 17s, the girls 18 Red team also went 3-2 during pool pay, picking up victories over AVVC, Brandywine Bobcats, and Princeton. The girls two defeats were to the EC Power-Royal and the EC Power-Pearl. Their record in pool play qualified them for the Silver bracket, where they picked up a first-round win over the EC Power-Sapphire in two straight sets (25-21, 25-20). The girls lost in the Silver finals to the Brandywine Bobcats in three sets (19-25, 25-14, 10-15) and finished in 6th place overall.
2017 Boys Winter Championships
As the only team representing the Academy Volleyball program in Chicago, the boys 15 Red team had a very successful tournament. The boys faced only Midwest teams throughout the tournament, who are already more than a month into their club seasons.
The boys went 4-2 over the first two days of pool play. Due to the size of the 15-year-old field in Chicago, the boys had to play a 1-set match vs. Chicago Uno Elite, where the winner advanced to Gold bracket and the loser went to Silver.
The boys 15 Red pulled out the victory in a thrilling 28-26 set. They boys dropped their Gold first round match to the Cincinnati Attach in two straight sets and finished in 9th place out of 38 teams.
2017 MLK Kick-Off Classic
Also, playing in their first major tournament of the season were the Academy Girls White teams. The White teams headed down to Lancaster (York), PA for the MLK Kick-Off Classic.
First up is the girls 15 White team whose pool play schedule was highlighted with wins over the Bayside Vipers in two straight (25-18, 25-17) and the ECC 15 North White in two straight (25-8, 25-13). The girls qualified for the Bronze playoff bracket where they dropped their opening round match to the SRVC Surge in three sets (25-22, 20-25, 10-15).
Both 16s teams (Dills and Dave) competed at this tournament. 16 Dave’s pool play was highlighted by wins over WLVBC (25-21, 25-23) and MVA (25-21, 25-27, 15-9). The girls earned a spot in the Silver playoff bracket, where they made it to the finals by defeating CALI in three (25-18, 18-25, 15-11), Downstate in three (20-25, 25-17, 15-4), and GPS Crush in two (25-21, 25-15) before falling to Horseshoe VBC in three (26-24, 15-25, 9-15). Overall, the girls finished the tournament in 12th place.
16 Dills had a great two days of pool play as they went 5-1, which qualified them for the Gold playoff bracket on the third day. In the opening round of the Gold bracket, the girls defeated OCVBC in two straight sets (25-14, 25-20).
They moved on to the second round, where they defeated AVA 16-Eclipse Rox in two straight sets (25-9, 25-23). From there, the girls advanced on the Gold semi-finals where they fell to the eventual tournament winners, the SRVC Waves, in two straight sets (22-25, 18-25).
Overall the girls 16 Dills team finished the tournament in 3rd place.
Also, fielding two teams for Academy was the 17s-age group as both 17 Steve and 17 Dani competed in this tournament. 17 Steve had two strong days of pool play as they went 3-3, picking up wins over AVVC, ASEVC 17 National, and PVBDE 17 Black.
The girls qualified for the Bronze playoff bracket where they defeated Asphalt Green VBC in two straight (25-13, 25-18). The girls moved on to face the AVA 17s, where they also picked up a win in two straight (25-18, 25-14). The girls eventually fell in the Bronze semi-finals to AVVCA 17 White.
17 White Dani wins 2017 MLK Kick-Off Classic!
17 White Dani kicked off their first major tournament of 2017 in the best possible way – by winning the whole thing.
The girls went undefeated during the first two days of pool play, winning most of their matches in two straight sets.
Qualifying for the Gold playoff bracket, the girls defeated PGH 17 Elite Gold, DIGS 17 White, and ECE 17 Typhoon. In the finals, 17 Dani defeated the Xtreme Xplosion in two straight sets (25-16, 25-16) for the tournament win.
Congratulations to the 17 White Dani on your outstanding tournament!
The 18 White team also competed at this tournament and had an excellent first two days of pool play, going 5-1 throughout.
The girls won all but one of their matches in two straight sets and qualified for the Gold playoff bracket. The girls fell to the FVC 18 Elite in the first round of the Gold bracket, but took 5th place overall in the tournament – another great way to kick off the major tournament season.
Congratulations to all the Academy players and coaches for an outstanding weekend of volleyball.
Upcoming Tournaments:
Mid-Atlantic Power League (Girls), Hampton, VA - January 28/29, 2017
SCVA Invitational (Boys), Anaheim, CA - January 27-29, 2017
Dennis LaFata Gateway Classic, Indianapolis, IN - February 3-5, 2017