Tawa’s Club Volleyball Dots: Be prepared, be classy; 4 x 15s qualifiers! Media notes

This is “Dots,” VolleyballMag.com’s weekly look at 10 things in club volleyball, past or present, that interest me and hopefully will interest you. Look for Dots every Tuesday through Junior Nationals this summer:

• ALWAYS BE READY

There are two important thoughts about club volleyball to share this week, both of which emanate from the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Final Four.

Always be ready.

Graduate transfer Jasmine Carson started for LSU most of the season, but she wasn’t a deep impact player for the Tigers. She was the team’s fifth-leading scorer during the regular season but came off the bench during the tournament. In three games befpre the women’s final, she hadn’t scored so much as a point.

Carson could have pouted about being benched or fretted about her scoring slump. Instead she stayed ready just in case her number was called. The LSU coach summoned Carson with a little over one minute left in the first quarter versus Iowa.

Carson was ready.

When she entered the game was close. Eleven minutes later, after she’d scored 21 points in the first half, almost triple her pre-game average, it was a blowout.

LSU needed Carson, she was mentally prepared to meet the moment and she delivered.

Ladies, you might not be the star of your team, or play as much as you’d like. You can stand on the sidelines going through the motions mentally or prepare yourself for the time when it’s you that will need to be the one to lead your team to victory.

Choose to be that one who will always be ready. Your moment but not be 21 first-half points. It could be a key block, or dig, or a serve to the right zone that stresses the back row just enough.

If you stay ready you can help your team win on the court. You’ll remember it. So, too, will your coaches and teammates.

• ALWAYS BE CLASSY

There’s been a ton of chatter about the conduct of Iowa star Caitlin Clark and LSU star Angel Reese during the Final Four; specifically, the hand gestures directed at opponents.

Some have tried to say that what Clark did in the semifinals versus South Carolina is OK, but that Reese’s gestures in the waning seconds of the championship game, directed at Clack, crossed a line.

It’s just my opinion, but none of it is OK.

Be a fierce competitor. Play to the whistle. But always respect your opponent. There is no sport without them. They love the sport like you do, try like you do, care like you do, love winning like you do and hate losing like you do. Give them their props by treating them the way you’d like to be treated.

Do not taunt. Do not deride. Do not attempt to elevate yourself by tearing your competitor down. That’s not sports-manship.

Players are lucky in volleyball. They can woof and holler and celebrate … so long as it’s not directed toward the net. By all means do that! Be a fierce competitor. Play to the whistle. Celebrate with your teammates. And shake hands with your opponents afterwards. That’s how you respect yourself, your opponents and the game.

• From Spokane to Atlanta, from Kansas City to St. Louis, there was a ton of competitive volleyball being played this past weekend. Notably, there were four 15s qualifiers the same weekend.

FOUR!

I’m not sure that’s ever happened before. Were you worried about talent dilution? I was, but needn’t have been, because the cream rose in every event.

Let’s start way out west at PNQ, where Madfrog 15 National Green, won the 15 Open title after having previous qualified second at Red Rock Rave. The Frogs were the highest-seeded team in the 21-team field and did not lose, going 9-0 for the weekend. The showing moved Nicole Bramschreiber’s squad into my national top 5.

Vision 15 Gold, a team I liked at Triple Crown, placed second to qualify, as did San Gabriel Elite 15 RoShamBo, which won a three-set decision over Mizuno Long Beach 15 Rockstar for the second and final bid.

***

At MEQ in St. Louis, Boiler Juniors 151E Gold won the 24-team 15 Open division and led three Open qualifiers, which also included Elevation 15 Tony and Team Pineapple 15 BlackLJ.

The Boilers’ win moved John Shondell’s team into my personal top 10 at No. 7. Elevation moved back into the top 25 with its strong showing.

***

TAV 15 Black edged national No. 1 Dallas Skyline 15 Royal, 15-13 in the third, to capture 15 Open at Show Me in Kansas City. Both earned bids in the 18-team field. Skyline, which had swept TAV three previous times, remained No. 1 in our ranking, while TAV moved from the top 10 all the way to No. 2.

***

At the 40-team, star-studded Big South 15 Open division, six teams in my top 25 competed, headed by No. 6 WAVE 15 Brennan. WAVE did well and placed third, but it was Game Point 15 Rox, from Orlando, that led a trio of qualifiers. All three, GP, WAVE and NKYVC 15 Tsunami, finished with 9-1 records.

“This team truly has no quit,” said coach Brooke Logan, whose 15 Tsunami team placed second. “We played with some great competition and went 9-1, beating top teams like A5, Metro, and Alamo, before just falling short in our final match to GP. The way this team can listen and adjust to the competition on the other side of the net is one of our biggest strengths. Almost all of our players can play multiple positions, which gives us an advantage to adjust many ways, including blocking schemes when we see huge hitters on the other side of the net. We played with heart this weekend and got what we needed which was that Open bid!”

• 16 Open competition was played both at Show Me and Big South. Big South went as expected, with a top 10 team taking home the gold. Show Me was a bit more surprising, as unranked Northern Lights 16-1 emerged from a 30-team field to earn the title and the Open bid that came with it.

The reputation Lights built early in the season was of a team of bangers that needed a little ball control to round out the play. Andy Guggisberg’s team got that this weekend and came away with the gold ball.

The coach wrote a novel. Here he is, with just a light edit …

“After missing a bid last weekend by the narrowest of margins last weekend (a 13-15 single set playoff loss to Nebraska Premier), Northern Lights 16-1 was hungry for a bid this weekend.

“Day 1 started with a win over Muscle but their second match against Iowa PowerPlex 515 was a tough grind. Dropping set one and down 17-20 in set two, libero McKenna Garr and the rest of her teammates finally figured out the gnarly serving of the Des Moines club and won set two 25-22. A strong serving run from utility player Mia Weaver lead to a set three win, 15-7. The final match of the match was a sweep of home town KC Power.

“Day 2 started with straight set wins over PVA and Rockwood Thunder (2 teams that were originally scheduled to be in NL’s day one pool until the tournament was reseeded midweek.). This set up a match with dominant TAV 16 Black. The North Texas club won the match in two sets.

“Day 3 started with Austin Juniors 16-Adidas and the Texas club was up 21-16 in set one before Reese Axness started finding middles Keira Schmidt and Carly Slusser in transition. A 33-31 set-one victory took the wind out of the sails of Ted Wade’s squad. Mesiaya Bettis took over from that point forward and a 25-12 set two win had the Burnsville, MN-based club one win and some help away from a bid.

“Next up in the day three pool was Day 1 opponent Power Plex. Kate Holthaus was key early in a set one 26-24 win. Set two went the way of the Iowa club, as they were on fire from the service line and their discipline had them in the right spots all the time. Set three was back and forth until 515 took the lead at 11-10. They rattled off 3 more points and had match point at 14-10. An off-speed kill from Mia Weaver got the serve back. A kill in transition off the 515 block earned a time out at 12-14. Bettis over the block of the timeout had Lights within one. Slusser and Bettis shut down the middle attack to tie it up. Bettis missed the end line to give 515 their 5th match point. Bettis and Slusser shut down the right side attack from 515. A miscommunication from 515 gave Lights their first match point. Setter Axness got the solo stuff to win the match 17-15.
After a quick check in from the other court, things had gone the right way and Lights had qualified.

“The last match of pool pay, versus MAVS KC 16-1, was to see who would play for the championship and the gold ball that comes with it. Set one was more middle attack from Lights and in set two Ava Ball would not be denied on either pin. The win set up the second rematch of the day, as TAV won the other pool and a shot to redeem the earlier loss was in reach.

“The first set was back and forth but a ‘Bettis Bounce’ down the line and a ‘Slusser Smash’ in the seam gave the MN club the set one win and deflated the North Texas club. Set two was a quick win for Lights and the championship was theirs.”

• TAV and MAVS also qualified at Show Me in 16 Open.

MAVS had been up and down in big events in 2023 but improved four spots from its initial seed to finish third and upgrade its National bid, which was earned in region play. The team lost only to the champs and national top five Nebraska ONE 16 Synergy, which had previously qualified.

“It was a tough field and we played with a lot of grit and resilience to clinch an Open bid,” said coach Henry Lee. “While everyone on our team contributed to our weekend success, Logan Parks (S/OPP), Madilynn Mitchell (S/OPP), and Trinniti Stevens (M) all stepped up in some very big moments to lead our team to those crucial wins.”

Dallas Skyline 16 Royal made it to the Gold pools and finished tied for fifth, just outside of bid position. The team competed hard and got terrific work from setter Taylor Cook, MB Sydney Strenger, pins Ava Steffe and Bella Ocampo and 6-4 RS Chichi Nnaji. Strenger was the top hitter on the weekend and also led in aces. Ocampo had the most kills, Nnaji was big on the block and setter Cook showed off her physicality by playing high above the net.

• At Big South, A5 16-1 Gabe went 10-0 to win 16 Open and earn its bid. This is a team that is starting to learn how to love winning. Ranked fifth nationally (by me), A5 seems to be improving rapidly and could be on a championship arc.

A Puerto Rican team and Alamo 16 Premier also qualified here. Coach Phil Jackson talked at the beginning of the season about the importance of qualifying on the floor. Alamo won the 15 Open national championship last summer as an At-Large team. Mission accomplished on Monday. The team needed a trickle to do it, but it’s 9-1 record (only loss to A5) made it more than deserving.

• Athletic Club V 17 Ren Matthew won four straight three-set matches to emerge with the 17 Open crown at Big South. The wins came over four top 25 national teams, including No. 1 NKYVC 17 Tsunami in the championship match.

The field featured seven previously-qualified Open teams and added Club V and NKYVC, plus Momentous 17 Dan, one of the surprises at Triple Crown.

For second-place Tsunami, the Triple Crown and Bluegrass champs not only qualified, they did enough to retain their No. 1 ranking.

“It was a high quality weekend for this team as every athlete made key contributions,” said coach Mike Bryant. “We performed well across all phases of the game. We earned some significant wins before coming up just short against a Club V team that was playing some terrific ball throughout the weekend. We earned what we were there for, which was to grow our competitive experience, put in motion all that we have been training, and secure our Open-level bid to Nationals. We have nothing to hang our heads about at all, earning a silver medal after going 19-2 in total sets through balanced and efficient offense and three days of competing at a high level overall.”

Indeed, it was an outstanding weekend for NKYVC as a club. The Northern Kentucky club sent nine teams to Big South, with seven teams making the Gold pools and three going home with Open bids.

***

At Show Me, TAV 17 Black prevailed in 17 Open over a quality field that also included fellow top five teams Dynasty 17 Black and Drive Nation 17 Red.

TAV earned its bid, as did KC Power 17 Black, which finished second; and Dallas Skyline 17 Royal, which tied for third.

• Odds and ends …

Roots 171 Green had a terrific weekend in Atlanta and qualified third in 17 USA. The Austin, Texas team dropped its first match on Friday, which imperiled it, but bounced back with huge offense on Day 2 to earn a Gold Bracket bye. Big wins over sides from A5 and Gainesville Juniors helped Lindsay Thompson’s team punch its ticket…

***

East Carolina Juniors 15 National went 10-1 on the weekend to earn a 15 USA bid at Big South. The team lost only to the eventual champs.

“Focusing on serving and defense really helped with team momentum and encouraged confidence in hitters to take big swings during tight games,” noted director Kelley Kraniak..

***

Prime 15 Adidas Orange secured its bid in 15 Liberty at MEQ. Christy Stoeckel’s team went 9-1 to win the title over 55 other teams.

“We played A LOT of volleyball,” Stoeckel emphasized. “Six of the 10 matches went 3. With two injured MBs unable to play and only nine healthy players, it was a grind. All weekend we relied on OH Cassidy Lax to carry the load passing and leading our attack. The pin duo of Kyla Untalan and Kayla Christenson alternated between left and right and proved unstoppable from both sides. Libero Makenna Baje made so many impossible defensive plays that it just became her norm.

“As day three wore on, Cassidy was dealing with aching knees and Kyla was struggling with a stomach bug but both players pressed on. The semis saw us matched up with Rock City. They had beaten us the day before. After losing the first set 25-12, it wasn’t looking good for us. But somehow the players found a way and came back to win in 3.

“The final was another three setter, which seemed appropriate based on how our weekend had gone. I’m so proud of this team not just because of the finish but how we got there. It’s really special to have a group of kids who always play with heart, show resilience, never quit and are great teammates.”

***

Congrats to United 16 National for winning the 16 American division at Big South. The same core group won 15 National at Big South a year ago!

• Congrats also to VolleyballMag.com publisher Lee Feinswog on his deal with tech veteran Gordan Redzic and First Point Volleyball Foundation founder Wade Garard. Taking on equity partners, the intent is to expand coverage of volleyball thru VolleyballMag.com. Read the entire story here: https://volleyballmag.com/volleyballmag-com-partnership-032923/

• Finally, this week marks eight years since I sold PrepVolleyball.com to a media group I expected would help us grow volleyball at the high school, club and college levels. Here’s the article I posted on Prep. I’ve leave it to you to determine how that worked out…

Ownership Change at PrepVolleyball.com

PrepVolleyball.com, the foremost voice in covering volleyball for girls at the high school and club levels, has been sold, effective April 1. This is not an April Fool’s Day joke; rather, it is an opportunity to take the site and the coverage of the sport to the next level with a partner that shares the same vision that PrepVolleyball.com has had and maintained since its inception in January, 2013.

The new owner is Advanced Sports Media Group, a company based in Long Beach, California. ASM owns and operates Top Drawer Soccer, the foremost soccer site in the U.S., and has for almost two years been looking for comparable sites covering other niche sports.

ASM was one of two companies simultaneously bidding for PrepVolleyball.com but was the obvious choice, because what it has done with Top Drawer is remarkably similar to what we do at Prep.

“We are incredibly excited to expand our presence into volleyball with a brand as credible and established as PrepVolleyball.com,” said Advanced Sports Media Group President and CEO Joseph Konowiecki. “Our goal, to grow and improve college and youth sports, aligns perfectly with PrepVolleyball.com, and we hope our resources and expertise can lift the site, and sport, to another level.”

As the former Founder, President and CEO of PrepVolleyball.com, Inc., I want everyone to know that I am not going anywhere. I have signed a three-year contract with ASM to head the content on PrepVolleyball.com and will assume the title of “Vice President of Prep Volleyball.” Chris Tobolski, who has been a most welcome addition to Prep since coming on in January, also is not going anywhere. Together, the two of us (and hopefully more as we grow), will bring you expanded daily coverage of the sport you love, including coverage of the women’s college game starting in the fall!

Why the change? I can tell you it certainly wasn’t about money, because the sale did not come close to making me a rich man. It really was about peace of mind. Since I started this business more than a dozen years ago, I have wanted it to be the best and always on the cutting edge. And while I am really proud of the content we have produced, other areas of the site have been lacking. Together with ASM, we will fix that.

Remember the College Needs List we once had? Look for that again real soon. Camp ads, too! ASM has the back end expertise, which we do not, to make these a part of our site once more and will help implement our vision of being “one-stop shopping” when it comes to the prep volleyball world. Look for several new changes to roll out before year’s end, including, but not limited to, player profiles to aid in recruiting, new and exciting video content and a free content area.

I want to thank my good friend, Eric Schulze, for his years of service to PrepVolleyball.com. Eric designed the site back in the day and has been our webmaster since the day we opened. Expect to see Eric involved with Prep in several capacities going forward, including our annual Las Vegas Unsigned Senior Showcase, but know also that this is a welcome change for him, given how full his plate is running the massive Fusion Volleyball Club in the Chicago area.

In closing, please join me in congratulating ASM for its wisdom in wanting to be in this space. The company is about to find out what a special community we all are a part of!

To those traveling to play this weekend, best of luck hunting those bids! You’ll find Chris at Show Me in Kansas City and Mike Miazga at the inaugural adidas Windy City National Qualifier in Chicago. I will be at Big South in Atlanta with renewed energy and the backing of a company determined to make your experience on PrepVolleyball.com the very best it can be.

Let’s do this!

Until next time …

John Tawa