This is “Dots,” VolleyballMag’s look at 10 things in club volleyball, past or present, that interest me and hopefully interest you. We finish up our look at the 2024 club volleyball season by recapping the 15s through 17s age groups at USA Volleyball’s Junior National Championships, which concluded on July 11 in Las Vegas:
• The 17s age group this club season was ridiculous. So much talent! Milwaukee Sting 17 Gold won Triple Crown in February. Houston Skyline 17 Royal entered four national qualifiers and won them all! 1st Alliance 17 Gold lent two of its stars to the 18 Gold team and almost won Junior Nationals in 18 Open in April!
Despite there being superstar players and elite teams around every corner in this age divisions, USA Volleyball’s Junior National Championships, which concluded last week after a nine-day run in Las Vegas, confirmed that AZ Storm Elite 17 Thunder stands above the rest.
For the second straight year, Storm captured the Open national championship for teams whose players largely comprise the Class of 2025 (16 Open last year; 17 Open this season). For the second straight year, the team did it by going 11-0 at Junior Nationals. Storm has had a lot of great teams over the past dozen years, but this core group will go down as the club’s best to date.
AZ Storm has probably the best outside hitting duo in the country in Teraya Sigler and Devyn Wiest. Sigler, a Nebraska recruit and Arizona’s current Gatorade HS POY, was named MVP and was dominant. Wiest, a Utah commit, also earned All-Tournament honors. Both played every point of the tournament for four days straight. The team also has an elite libero in Izzy Mahaffey, two tremendous middles in Kenna Cogill and Dyborrah Johnson and an athletic, active setter in Kaia Pixler.
And yet, despite all of that talent and more, Storm barely survived a final day that veteran head coach Aaron Payne called “probably the most intense day of volleyball I have ever been a part of.”
The first match on Day 4 – the quarterfinals – came versus a WAVE 17 Juliana team that won the opening match of the first pool, then lost four straight to limp into Day 3, barely staying in the advancing group. The San Diego club then won three matches in a row, including a sweep of a CUVC 17 Open team that really distinguished itself for how hard it played, the trouble it gave Storm in pool play and its upset win over Sting; to make the final eight.
Outsides Mae Kordas and Quinn Loper led the resurgence for WAVE.
Storm, to start Day 4, would be the biggest test yet, WAVE coach Juliana Conn admitted.
“We knew we were the underdogs and the pressure was totally on them,” Conn said. “We played tight the first game but turned it around and surprised them in Game 2 playing freely, happy and heavy volleyball. They were stunned.”
Kordas, especially, was on fire versus Storm and helped WAVE rally from behind to lead 15-14 in the final set.
“We let it slip,” Conn said of the 20-18 loss. “Definitely top five most memorable matches that I coached top to bottom.”
Two more barnburners followed for Storm, a three-set win over perennial contender 1st Alliance in the semis, where the first two sets were decided at deuce; and a championship win over Houston Skyline, 24-26, 27-25, 15-13. Mahaffey, a Long Beach State recruit, was incredible all tournament — passing at 2.34 — but saved Storm when the championship outcome was on the line late in the second set. She dove through the signage on the sideline to save a dug ball, then followed that with an ace – “off of an incredibly gutsy short serve that barely cleared the tape,” Payne explained — to win the set and force a third and final set.
“The final against Houston Skyline was exactly what you would want in a nationals final match,” Payne said. “We dropped the first set to a very good team and I would be lying if I didn’t feel the pressure, but I will give a lot of credit to this team. I truly believe that they never doubted if they were going to win. The timeouts when we were down never felt panicked, never felt urgent; we simply restated over and over that we believe that we are the best team and if we can just focus on the next point that we need to win that we would be OK.”
Mahaffey joined Sigler and Wiest on the All-Tournament team, but Johnson also was at her best with the tournament on the line. Johnson, who touches 10-5, used her lateral quickness to essentially block half the net on the last day of play.
• Houston Skyline came within four points – two in the second set of the final versus AZ Storm and two in the third – of being in the conversation for most successful club season ever by any team. Alex Edwards’ squad came into Junior Nationals as the top overall seed, as the result of qualifiers wins at Northern Lights, NEQ, Lone Star and Show Me, and very nearly added a national championship to its lofty list of achievements.
Two losses at deuce, after winning the first the same way – the smallest possible margin — meant Silver not Gold.
“We left it all out on the court, but more importantly we finished the tournament playing as a team and for one another,” Edwards said.
Houston Skyline was surprised on Day 1 by the No. 35 seed, Club V 17 Ren Reed, but recovered to win the rest of its opening pool matches. V, from Utah, went on to win the pool at 5-0. The team got a boost from superstar junior OH/MB Taylor Harvey (Texas recruit) dropping down from the 18s team to play with this group.
Houston Skyline won its three-team pool on the third day with a 1-1 record. A sweep of Idaho Crush 17 Bower and first set win over OT 17 T Aaron gave Skyline the margin it needed to prevail and advance. A dominating Challenge match win over Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar followed to clinch a spot in the quarterfinals.
On Day 4, Houston Skyline grinded out three-set wins over Michigan Elite 17 Mizuno and Dallas Skyline 17 Royal to make the final. The quarterfinal win over MEVBA helped Houston Skyline break through a mental roadblock that had foiled this core group the past two seasons. The semifinal victory came over an inspired Dallas Skyline team that ousted Club V in the Challenge phase and overwhelmed a hot Circle City 17 Purple squad in the quarters.
Facing an AZ Storm team it had not met this season, Houston Skyline won the first set at deuce between the two overall top seeds, but lost the next two by the same margin.
“The match itself was incredible and is how you want a 17 Open final to finish,” Edwards said.
OH Bailey Warren had an incredible tournament to lead Houston Skyline. The Wake Forest commit hit over .300 and passed over a 2.0 in a sterling six-rotation performance. She was joined on the All-Tournament team by teammates Kassie O’Brien, who ran the offense beautifully; and libero Morgan Madison, whose passing and stunning digs steadied the team. Other top performers for this star-studded team included dynamic middles Mackenzie Collins and Bayleigh Minor and pins Ella Lewis, Taylor Porter and Bekah Pfefferkorn (FIU commit) contributed on the pin as well.
“We would have not been successful if it were not for every member of this team and playing as one!” Edwards exclaimed.
“Summarizing this season and GJNC tournament brings up mixed emotions of pride, joy, inspiration and ultimately sadness that this historical season has ended,” Edwards added. “I have never been more proud of this team and the accomplishments we achieved together … They have set the standard for what any team can do if they play for one another. Our teammate connections along with our skill set is what made this team special.”
•1st Alliance and Dallas Skyline tied for third to take home Bronze medals.
1st Alliance, the No. 3 overall seed, was undefeated for the tournament before losing to Storm in a three-set semifinal. OH Abby Vander Wal and S/RS Hannah Kenny made the All-Tournament team for the Chicago squad.
Dallas Skyline’s strong finish honored cancer-stricken head coach Ping Cao, who missed coaching the team in January and February while in Houston for treatment and who returned to Houston two days every week for ongoing treatment starting in late April. Setter Sophia Wei and libero Madeleine Smotherman were recognized on the All-Tournament Team for their contributions to the cause.
“Our team’s journey to the podium was marked by resilience, strategic execution, and exceptional performances,” a Dallas Skyline statement read. A key moment for the team came in the second set of the Challenge match win over MAVS KC 17-1, when Smotherman’s short serve surprised MAVS and produced an ace that helped send Dallas Skyline to a third set.
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In the Club divisions, Chloe Meester led Iowa’s Adrenaline 17 Ben to the 17 National title with a 9-2 record.
Adrenaline, a squad loaded with multi-sport athletes, didn’t hit its stride until later in the spring. It hoped to secure an at-large bid into the Open field, because of success against many Open-qualified teams, but when that did not happen, the team did the next best thing!
Adrenaline won 17 National in the most meaningful and exciting way. In the quarterfinals, Adrenaline took out a Premier Nebraska 17 Gold team, 19-17 in the third, to avenge a 16-14 third-set loss from Show Me. In the semifinals, Adrenaline outlasted a Mintonette m.71 squad it lost to in the opening pool. And, in the championship match, Adrenaline also avenged its other loss in the tournament, to AVC Cleveland 17 Red.
Early on in the championship final, the duo of setter Belle Groomes and Natalya Bergant could not be stopped for AVC, which won Game 1 in an overscore situation.
Game 2 went even deeper into extra points. Adrenaline trailed 23-20 in the second before Meester’s strong serving got Ben Braun’s team back in the set. Adrenaline ultimately fought off several championship points against it to win, 34-32, thanks for a Kate Shafer dig and dish from Meester to Sydney Maue for the set clincher.
Braun shared what happened in the final set:
“Going into set 3, the team seemed incredibly tight after the marathon of the match. As we left the huddle for the line ups, our team huddled together for the YMCA dance just as we began to start the match. After easing the tension, we jumped out to an early lead of 8-2 with the first time out. After trading sideouts for several points, a mirror dig from Kate Shafer left a deja vu moment for a final Sydney Maue kill to close the 2024 club season.”
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Excel 17 National White won 17 USA behind MVP Julia Hicks. Addie Fielder was named MVP for 501 Volley 17-1 National, which captured 17 Liberty. Senior RS Taylor Treahy (George Washington signee) led San Gabriel Elite 17 RoShamBo to the title in 17 American. And Paige Felder set the standard for RRHVB 17-1 Robyn, out of the Intermountain Region, to win 17 Freedom.
• The 16 Open Junior National Championships ran concurrently with 17 Open and featured a handful of teams capable of winning it all, topped by AAU champion Mintonette m. 61, Triple Crown victor Legacy 16-1 Adidas, defending age group national champion Dallas Skyline 16 Royal and three-time qualifier winner TAV 16 Black.
The team I thought could win was Austin Skyline 17 Royal, which boasted a fearsome front line boosted this year by new addition OH Henley Anderson, arguably the top power player in the class.
None of those teams took home the Gold.
Instead, it was SCVC 16 Roxy, which went 11-0 with just three sets dropped, to win it all, becoming the second SCVC team to win an Open national championship in as many seasons.
Just over 16 months ago, the core group of SCVC 16 Roxy, playing at the 15s level, made a huge splash by reaching the final of the Triple Crown NIT, where it lost to Dallas Skyline. Since then the team has been consistently good, with flashes of brilliance, but was held back somewhat by injuries and second sport commitments. The team finished T-9 at Junior Nationals a year ago, T-5 this year at Triple Crown in February and double qualified for 16 Open, winning Red Rock Rave while losing twice. In other words, a solid contender for sure but by no means a favorite for Gold.
SCVC head coach Amir Lugo-Rodriguez knew two things heading into the tournament:
1. He had a team whose middles, Taylor Boice and Maya Stillwell, were 100 percent, something that had not been the case during times this season; and
2. The team had found a new level the last month of practice in preparing for Junior Nationals and “it became the norm,” he said.
The team won its first eight matches to make the quarterfinals. It was pushed at times, but it played like a favorite in all of its wins leading to the final day.
The quarterfinal versus Legacy was different. Like SCVC, Legacy was 8-0 going into that match. The Michigan club, featuring a talented setter, tremendous back row, amazing middles and a great outside hitter, was favored to win. SCVC won in two sets.
“I thought we served very well and got a lot of free balls back, which allowed us to run Taylor and Maya a lot in transition,” Lugo-Rodriguez explained. “I think someone told me those two were 12 for 13 in that match.”
After that win, SCVC stayed on track in the semifinals by sweeping a Pohaku 16-1 team that upset then-9-0 TAV 16 Black in a quarterfinal match.
The championship final pitted SCVC against surprising 1st Alliance 16 Gold, which advanced by defeating Mintonette-vanquishing Milwaukee Sting 16 Gold in the quarterfinals and Dallas Skyline in the semis. SCVC took the first, 25-20, then won the second, 27-25 on an ace serve from OH Audrey Flanagan.
Flanagan and libero Kaitlyn Herweg made the All-Tournament team alongside tournament MVP Abby Zimmerman, a RS committed to Cal and daughter of former beach great Lisa Arce. Zimmerman played out of her mind and was a perfect complement to hard-hitting lefts Flanagan and Sammy Destler. Milly McGee, Geeter’s kid, either in a 5-1 offense or setting and blocking in a 6-2 with Kate Scherlacher; was very impactful as were both middles, who blocked a ton of balls and were a big part of the offense as well. Herweg was a fantastic backcourt general and was clutch in keeping the ball in play in tight game situations. Jordan Shelor and Mindy Phan each contributed with key serving runs.
“The tournament result was a complete team effort and it was great to see everyone contribute in their own way,” Lugo-Rodriguez said. “The play from our middles really stood out to me down the stretch.”
Lugo-Rodriguez said the title answered a question the team asked itself from the beginning of the year.
“The messaging for the season was to find out just how good this group could be,” he explained. “Nothing else mattered. The focus from the group stemmed from wanting to push their limits, making showing up to every practice and tournament an absolute joy…We never named or had a captain and instead chose to empower all 11 of them to drive the group together. That is what people saw in Vegas; 11 determined young women working together for a common goal.”
• 16 Open runner up 1st Alliance did not even qualify for the Open division as 15-year-olds last year. But the 15 National Silver Medalists in 2023 set a goal leaving the podium in its hometown of Chicago not only to qualify in Open this season, but to compete and compete well.
Mission accomplished.
“All tournament, our focus was ‘team first’ and ‘control our fate,’” noted head coach Trish Samolinski. “We set mini goals each day of the tournament to pace ourselves and I’m really proud of how well we played against some of the toughest competition in the country. This team continued to get better every time they stepped on the court and truly exceeded all my expectations I had for them. Couldn’t be prouder.”
Coming off a string of five straight first-place finishes, starting with the Salt Lake City Showdown in April, 1st Alliance, with five new additions from last year’s team, held its No. 8 seed all the way to the quarterfinals, including a Challenge match sweep of talented Houston Skyline 16 Royal. Indeed, its pool play loss to Dallas Skyline snapped a 25-match winning streak.
After sweeping Milwaukee Sting 16 Gold in the quarterfinals, gaining revenge over the team that denied it the 15 National national championship last year; 1st Alliance again took on Dallas Skyline. Like the first matchup three days before, this battle went to three sets. Unlike the first battle, 1st Alliance prevailed, ousting the reigning national champions.
“We played some of the best volleyball I have seen all year in our challenge match against Houston Skyline and then again in the semis against Dallas Skyline (both extremely physical teams),” Samolinski noted.
Lynney Tarnow, a 6-6 middle, led the team with 104 kills while hitting .560 for the tournament. Tarnow, setter Niki Bulatovic (320 assists) and six-rotation outside Elle Schara (65 kills; 2.5 passing) made the All-Tournament Team. Other standouts included pin Samantha Shelton, libero Lucy Maloney and middle Alaina Pollard.
• Dallas Skyline and Pohaku, each top five finishers in this age group a year ago, tied for third to claim Bronze medals.
Skyline was 8-1 and on track to successfully defend its 15 Open national title before running into revenge-minded 1st Alliance in the semifinals. Despite falling just short, the team finished playing its best volleyball of the season according to coaches.
MB Keoni Williams (42 kills; hitting .471) and libero Kiley Brooks (145 digs; 2.4 passing) made the All-Tournament team. Defender Georgia Whann and RS Taylor Clarke also distinguished themselves.
Pohaku started as the 14th seed in the field of 36 and played unevenly in its first pool, finishing 2-3 and in fourth place.
“We were going to have tough games, and we were going to have to take care of business when we needed to,” said coach Abby Wittman. “For us, we called it survive and advance.”
The Kansas City team advanced second behind 1st Alliance out of its second pool, then outlasted high-powered Vision 16 Gold in a Challenge match before shocking then-undefeated TAV 16 Black in a three-set semifinal, 23-25, 28-26, 15-11, avenging a throttling by the Texans in the first pool. Wittman said her team showed grit and relentless effort in getting past Vision, then did what it needed to do to knock TAV from contention.
“I wouldn’t call the TAV game a rematch, but this was the next opponent we had to knock down to get to that podium,” Wittman said. “It wasn’t about proving our game to TAV but proving we belong at the top. I am proud of the way our players stepped up to finish that TAV match!”
Setter Ella Florez and OH Grace Martin were All-Tournament honorees for Pohaku. Florez used her athleticism to dish from anywhere on the floor. Martin, a fiery player, showed off her big time arm from the pins and banging balls from the pipe.
“Their connections offensively were consistent the entire tournament!” Wittman said.
Other major contributors included libero Miranda Como, who frustrated a lot of attackers; and undersized middles Morgan Sears and Kennedy Derks. Sears did a great job of blocking and Derks used her quick arm to score against bigger middles, complementing the offense from Martin and Hailie Vaughn, who passed as well as she contributed offensively. .
“We could not have gotten that far without everyone on this team,” Wittman concluded. “From the girls on the court to the girls on the bench, it was a total team effort! I am proud of the 11 of them who showed up and showed out when it mattered most.”
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AAU 16 Open champion Mintonette, the top seed overall, lost its first match out of the gate, then won six in a row to get to the Challenge match. After dominating Sting in Game 1, m.61 lost the next two sets, 25-23, 16-14 to fall out of contention.
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MAVS 816 16-1 overcame two first-pool losses to win 16 National. The Kansas City-area team swept its final five opponents behind the play of libero Madilynn Benne, who was named MVP; and All-Tournament performers Catlin Shao (setter) and Leah Robinson (outside hitter).
“We had some shaky performances in our opening pool play and talked about how we would need to be able to execute a game plan and stay confident in our ability to set the pace with our own level of play if we wanted to beat the higher level teams that we would soon face,” noted coach Connor Gregston.
The team played its best volleyball of the tournament, and the season, on the final day, ousting Circle City 16 Purple and LAV 16 National Black before sweeping to the title over previously undefeated TVC 16 Black. MAVS finished Day 4 winning four of the six sets played at deuce, a testament to the team’s fortitude and resilience.
In addition to the All-Tournament performers, six-rotation OH Peyton Liming had her best showing of the year, Carlie Pandjaris and Paige Lattimer steadied the team’s defense, lefty RS Chesnie King hit tough angles all weekend long, and MBs Brielle Gengelbach, Parker Kimball and Leilah Perry were defensive catalysts at the net, funneling balls to defenders and bringing offensive sparks when needed.
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Malia Miller was named MVP of 16 USA. Her team, Integrity 16 Intense Blue, won the title. Skyler Perez took home top honors in 16 Liberty for champion GJ 16 Eric. Taylor Stanley of 16 American champion Dynasty 16 Black was named MVP. And MVP honors in 16 Freedom went to DaMya Mann of champion Alamo 16 Premier.
• TAV 15 Black, the defending age group national champion last year at 14s, was the clear favorite to defend its title in 15 Open. After all, Jason Nicholson’s team had won Tour of Texas, Triple Crown and two national qualifiers.
If not TAV, then AZ Storm Elite 15 Thunder, which won two qualifiers and lost to TAV in the semifinals at Triple Crown.
If not those two, perhaps it would be Club V 15 Ren Kalee, which was the Triple Crown runner up.
Tstreet 15-Asics, nine players strong, defeated ALL of them on the final day to complete an 11-0 run through the tournament to capture the 15 Open title.
“Nothing came easy,” said Tstreet head coach Bailey Tanner. “I’ve never seen a team fight so hard for that many hard-earned matches in a row.”
Tstreet came into the tournament as the No. 4 overall seed and dominated the first two pools and the Challenge match, dropping just one set in starting 8-0.
Three other SCVA teams – Mizuno Long Beach 15 Rockstar, WAVE 15-Brennan and City Volleyball 15 Gold – joined Tstreet in the top eight. Though Tanner’s team did not face any of them on Day 4, their presence gave Tstreet the confidence to know it belonged and could thrive in this environment.
“It gets a little redundant playing the same teams every weekend at tournaments, but it really prepared us well for Nationals,” Tanner said.
Tstreet’s path to the title was the hardest of the teams in the quarterfinals, because all of the top teams in its way also held seed. Club V was Tstreet’s first opponent on the final day. The match went three sets and was hard-fought from the first point to the last.
Tstreet next took on top seed TAV in the semifinals, a match Tanner called “objectively the most intense game I’ve coached so far in my career. I’ve coached on open gold-medal-winning teams, and this game felt different. We weren’t on a championship court, so we had a huge crowd right on us because there wasn’t that space between. It was electric on and off the court. We came back from a deficit at the end of the third with big plays from player after player.”
Tstreet won, 28-26, 22-25, 16-14, to advance to face AZ Storm in the final. Those same two teams met in the quarterfinals of 14 Open last year, with Storm prevailing. Tstreet could gain revenge and win a national championship with one immaculate performance.
The players, eight of whom were on the squad that tasted defeat last year, delivered, winning emphatically, 25-20, 25-16. The team was led at setter by its lone newcomer, Royal Banducci.
“She set an epic tournament,” said Tanner, who herself won national championships as a setter. “She kept us in great rhythm, made medium passes look good, and played the best defense on our team. She had many defensive plays that changed the rhythm of matches and kept our team feeling hopeful.”
Other standouts included middles Katherine Nowak and eighth-grader Megan Hodges and outsides Ella Olson and Kate Jackson. Nowak played six rotations and contributed in all phases. Hodges was composed for a young player and took space away from teams at the net. Olson is a gamer who led with energy and took the big swings the team needed in big moments. Jackson played steady for 11 matches and delivered just as you’d expect her to again and again and again.
Indeed, the championship would not have been possible without the contributions of all nine players.
“They came together and battled for four days straight,” Tanner said. Every player had a significant impact. The team battled so hard and put in the work for every match.”
Tanner added that credit for the title extended even beyond the players and coaches.
“It really took a village,” she explained. “So many people poured into this team and it was so special for a huge amount of people that watched their whole journey.”
• 15 Open runner-up AZ Storm stormed through its first two pools without dropping a set. But getting to the championship match took a physical and emotional toll on Terri Spann’s team. It needed to win three straight three-set matches, including 17-15 over Mizuno Long Beach in the quarters. There simply wasn’t enough left in the tank to stay with Tstreet in the championship final.
• For nine matches, TAV appeared poised to repeat. The Dallas-area squad had dropped only one set – to Club V – before it took on Tstreet in the semifinals.
“We just ran into a very strong Tstreet team that was definitely very motivated to play against us,” Nicholson said.
After splitting the first two sets, TAV led 9-5 and 13-11 in the final set to 15 points, only to see Tstreet rally to win.
“Their defense was the difference down the stretch, and a big block won the match,” Nicholson explained. “We didn’t play well, but credit to them for forcing us into mistakes and really challenging our physicality at the net.”
Standouts for TAV all tournament long included outside Brynn Stephens, setter Sophee Peterson and MB Nyla Livings. Others who contributed to TAV’s success included RS Lexi Martin, middles Onita Davis and Mariah Akinsola, sparkplug OH Gentry Barker and defenders Ansley Shafer and Carsyn Evans. Pin hitter Naomi Livings missed the tournament due to injury.
“It obviously wasn’t the result that we wanted, but our season was a huge success, and the final four teams were separated by just a few plays,” Nicholson said. “Tstreet was able to make those plays down the stretch in the close sets.”
City was the least likely of the medal-winning teams to finish on the podium. Seeded 24thh to start, the Southern California squad dropped its first match of the tournament in straight sets to TAV before winning its next three matches, including taking two deuce sets from OT 15 T Randy, to clinch advancement.
“We had to play one of our best matches of the season to get by them, 2-0,” coach Stefanie Wigfall explained. “They were playing for their lives after having a very rough Day 1.”
City used a sweep of A5 15-1 Kelly to propel it to first place in its three-team second pool, then won a tough Challenge match over Madfrog 15’s National Green to get to the quarters, where it won a barnburner over WAVE, 15-13 in the third, before falling to Storm in the semis.
The win over WAVE was especially memorable, as City trailed 7-0 in the third set before rallying.
City rode that belief that it could beat anyone to a Game 1 win over Storm, “but they exposed some weaknesses in our defense and from there they took the match,” Wigfall explained.
“It was quite the ride and so rewarding to come in as an underdog, catch fire and really play to our full potential,” Wigfall added.
Top performers for the squad, included 6-3 RS Eva Jeffries, who was unstoppable; 6-3 setter Piper Chylinski, who set well and was aggressive on her dumps; and libero Ella Garner, who played superbly all four days. Other notables included outsides Halle Bryce and Maya Harris and middle Ruby Sampson.
“I am so proud of this group,” Wigfall concluded. “I thought it would take us a full season to find the highest level of play, but we got there at the right time and I have this full team returning- I am excited about the future of this extremely athletic, physical and determined group of girls. Some of the most fun I have ever had at Nationals, and it’s huge for CITY and these kids!!”
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Idaho Crush 15 Bower led a quintet of Club-level champions.
Crush beat Iowa Rockets 15-R to capture 15 National.
“It was just an awesome four days filled with a lot of emotion,” said coach Caroline Bower. “They started a little slow on Day 1, which could have been a disaster, but to see their resilience and pure tenacity from that point on going undefeated in the rest of the tournament was so fun to see.”
Rachel Bower was named tournament MVP, with Reese Meier, Eva Wall, McKenna Satterfield and Lyla McClure all making significant contributions.
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Three of the other four Club champions hailed from Southern California. United 15 Evren and Sunshine 15v Pacific each went 11-0 to win 15 USA and 15 American, respectively. Seal Beach 15-Black went 10-1 in taking 15 Freedom. Kansas side Manhattan Mayhem 15P won 15 Liberty.
• This is my final Dots column for VolleyballMag.com. After a quarter-century covering the sport nationally, from Student Sports to PrepVolleyball.com to VolleyballMag, it is time to pass the torch to someone else. Thank you to everyone who made this ride so exciting. I had SO MUCH FUN!
Finally, thanks to VolleyballMag editor Lee Feinswog for giving me space on his site to cover girls volleyball and for not protesting too much when I said it was time to put the pen and yellow notepad down for good.
Carry on.
Lee here: Oh, I’m still protesting. To your readers and the girls club volleyball world, you cannot overstate how important John has been to our sport. He changed the way girls club and girls high school volleyball was covered. Simply put, John was a pioneer who worked harder than anyone else, was meticulous to a fault in his coverage, and cared more than most will ever know. His network of relationships with club directors and coaches is incredible. This is a huge loss, but we get it. Thanks, John, for all you’ve done, for your professionalism and your friendship.
If you, or someone you know, wants to take a crack at filling the void, email lee@volleyballmag.com
