Big tournaments this weekend in Madison and Minnesota! Teams finish up their sesaon and our 18's closeout their club seasons.
12 RED | 3-2 | 4th Place
The 12 Red team has been super busy for the past 3 weeks!
After going 3-3 in the open division of the JVA World challenge with two of their losses coming against the tournament Champions.
12 Red spent the next two weeks competing against other I AM teams on the higher Adult net and with heavier balls. The challenge again didn't intimidate this team as they went 5-1 with their only loss coming against a 16's team. It was super fun to be challenged and the coaches were super happy with how the team fought!
Last weekend the 12 Red team ended the 3 week stretch without practice at the Madtown festival. I was excited to see how we would perform on the lower net and with going 2 weeks without an actual practice.
On day one, the girls played great and started off strong beating Chi City 25-20, 25-17.
Then they played a very good VC united team that pushed I AM to play hard, however I AM again won the points that mattered winning a close contest 25-22, 25-23. 12 Red then played against a very good OVBC they they beat to win the Badger Region Championships. OVBC started off very strong and determined to get some revenge and took the first set 15-25. I AM 12 Red stepped up their confidence and aggression in game 2 with great serve receive and transition volleyball winning game 2, 25-17. Game 3 was more of the same along with some great service runs to give I AM the 15-7 win and advance them to the gold semi-finals on Sunday.
In the 1st round of Gold, I AM played FC Elite whom they had beaten 2 times previously without allowing them to score more than 20 points. FC Elite came out fired up and played their best volleyball of the season and won game 1, 16-25. Game 2 however had 12 Red come out playing some great ball as they pushed the tempo and defeated FC Elite 25-21. In Game 3, FC Elite played again some of their best volleyball of the season. That, plus a couple of bad bounce and a couple of runs had I AM in a hole they could not dig out of losing 15-8.
I AM then played in the 3rd place match against Madtown. I AM had lost all of their energy and aggression and began to play safe allowing Madtown to take and keep the momentum throughout the match. I AM lost this match in 2 sets to Madtown. OVBC ended up beating FC Elite in the championship match showing again that the top teams are all very equal and you need to play very well to win these types of events.
The coaches are excited to move on to the extended season. We will be working on being more aggressive and confident and learning many new techniques over the next couple of months and I'm excited to watch the girls grow and push each other. Continue to BET (Believe - Encourage - Trust) on each other ladies!
13 RED | 6-0 | 1st Place
LOVB Fest 13 Red-Champions!
Pool play day 1 and 13 Red finished 3-0. We took care of business against Milwaukee Juniors winning by identical scores 25-10 both sets. Next we beat Reinas De La Cancha also by identical scores of 25-9 both sets. Our 3rd and final match was against Midwest Penguins which also ended in a 2-0 win with scores of 25-22 and 25-14 to go undefeated on the day!
Bracket Sunday had us face off against 608 Juniors. We had a slow start losing set 1, but got back on track playing our game and won 25-12 to force a 3rd set. We started out sluggish and found ourselves down quickly by a score of 6-2. But...we came back in dramatic fashion scoring 9 points in a row to take the lead and never look back! We won 15-8 and headed to the semifinal match!
We again had our ups and downs against a solid FC Elite team. Tied 1-1 we headed to another deciding 3rd set. We again had to come from behind after being down 12-10! Not giving up we went on to win 15-13 and on to the Championship match vs. host Madtown Jrs. These are the types of situations that help us grow together, as we continue to learn how to respond in these critical moments.
The girls responded great to being in a championship match. They were focused and took care of business and won 2-0 to win our first Championship of the year!! It was such a fun weekend and the girls have a lot to be proud of!
13 WHITE
13 White finished out a wonderful season last weekend in Minneapolis at the Midwest Fiesta tournament. The girls started day one in a pool of only 3 teams meaning they would play each team 3 full sets to 25. Match up #1 was against Mizuno M1 132 and the girls wasted no time getting to work winning set 1, 25-20. Set two was also a victory, 25-22, and to round it out the girls took set 3 also, 25-17. It was a long three sets but we are so proud of how the girls showed up ready to win! Matchup #2 of the day was against Prior Lake Extreme 13-1 and the girls kept the pressure strong winning set 1, 25-14 and set 2, 25-9! After 5 long sets back-to-back, the girls battled in one more hoping for a sweep of the day. We ultimately came up short losing 24-26 but won the pool and secured our place in the gold bracket!
Entering the gold bracket on Sunday, the girls lost the first two matches both in 3 sets. They were tough battles and the girls fought hard but ultimately came up short. To end the weekend and finish out the season the girls were faced with another matchup against Prior Lake Extreme from the day before. To close out a wonderful season the girls crushed them 25-9 and 25-10 in one of our most fun and victorious games of the season!!
#Shoutout to Kiley C, Dani, Kiley W, and Ireland for keeping our front row strong all weekend. You have all come so far this season in your hitting and should be so proud!!
#Shoutout to Eve, Jovie, Bri, and Carolyn for running our back row all weekend. You are all great passers and play tough defense. We couldn’t run the plays we do without everything you do back there!
Finally, shout out to our setters Emma and Hayden for running anything we threw at you and for being the center of our offense and team. We thank you for that!!
14 RED | 1-4
14 Red came into the Madtown Tournament excited for a new tournament and a new challenge. We have been working hard on making some changes to scheme and lineup to see additional options and opportunities. Looking at the schedule, we had some very unfortunate luck with seeding. We have talked a lot this season that if you want to have better seeds and better draws you have to earn them through big wins. This is something that we still stand by but this weekend was not one of those times. We truly felt the girls deserved a more fair opportunity to compete at their best. The girls competed all weekend and showed some big signs of big competition but we had a hard time finishing matches because of a variety of reasons. We are excited for a reset this next weekend to get back on the right track.
#Shoutout to Nora Renk. All season she has proved to be someone that is willing to do anything for her team.
At the beginning of the season it was her tenacious defense and awesome serving and this past weekend it was trying a different position. Even though it was outside her comfort zone and something she hasn't done often she did it with a smile, enthusiasm, and throughout the whole weekend she never let her teammates forget that she was there for them. Nora, this team is lucky to have you!
14 BLACK | 4-1 | 3rd Place
Coming Soon!
15 RED | 4-3 | 3rd Place
Our journey conitues with a tough open tournament in Madison, WI. We came in around a 14 seed and end as a 3 seed. We played some great competition both days and it was nice to have that constant push every match. We had big plays by everyone and made it all the way to the semifinals where we played well but the other team played perfect.
Big #Shoutout to Hannah Heitzkey for her consistent offense and serve recieve.
We relied on her a lot and she handled it like a champ! Morgan, as always, stepped up and defended against some big hitters without flinching! The team is looking good and we are only getting better!
It's awesome to see all the love and care this team has for each other in practices and on the court!
#Shoutout to th eparents for an awesome tailgate party!
15 BLACK | 3-2
The #HEARTATTACKPACK was back in the gym at the LOVBfest – Mad ’24 tournament in Madison. The tournament started out strong on Saturday and the team overpowered Premier 15-Teal (25-12, 25-9) and G-Force 15 Select (25-10, 25-5). After a 3 hour wait, the team had its eyes on the gold bracket with a win over Madtown 152 National. A great first set (25-21) moved to a motivated and stronger hitting Madtown in the second (19-25). Going into the third, Madtown kept the momentum and I AM dropped the third (10-15).
Taking second in the pool meant Sunday was a battle for the Silver championship. The first match of the day was against VC United. The team came out balanced and ready, taking the match comfortably at 25-21, 25-19. Next bracket had the play a focused and determined WI Flight Black who came out swinging and the first set. The #HEARTATTACKPACK brought it together and started banging some balls. Behind the strong serving of Leliah (OH/DS), consistent passing of Claire (LIB), and great hands of Amary (SETTER), I AM took the next set (25-20). Flight fought back and scored early, too much for the team to overcome and the they dropped the third set 10-15, a game short of the championship round.
#SHOUTOUT: Our serving was unstoppable! Behind the big and consistent serves of Leliah (OH/DS) and Amary (SETTER), the team often had leads early in matches.
16 RED | 2-3
Coming Soon!
16 BLACK | 4-2
I AM 16 Black joined much of the club in Madison this weekend. We were excited to have a seed in the top half of the field. Super proud of the team. They are fighting hard in the upper levels against very good teams. We finished higher than we started and played in the gold again.
We started with Saturday against a scrappy G Force team that would not go away. After the first set win, we stumbled a bit and dropped the second set. By then the arms, legs and minds woke up and we finished with a win in 3. Our next match was against One Wisconsin and our serves and net play allowed us to cruise through to a 2 set win. Our final match of the day was against FC Elite who started ranked first in our pool. We were expecting a battle as we had watched them play and they matched up with us pretty well. The girls had other plans - primarily to serve aggressively and protect the net. Our serving kept FC Elite out of system for the majority of the match and anything the front court did not stop was picked up by the defense. We finished top of the pool with a 2 set win and were ready to rest before Sunday and the gold bracket.
#ChaseThePin Overpass kills: Laila-3, Alaina-2, Ava-1. Katie earned a serving pin.
Sunday: First match of the day was easily the most exciting. We squared up against VC United from Chicago Land. First set was an absolute battle with great plays on both sides. IAM fell a bit short in set 1 with a very tough 28-30 loss. . Set 2 was another fight that we pulled out 26-24. We were expecting another fight in set 3. However we won first serve and Sam went on a 8 serve run with 5 aces. We did not let up and finished with a 15-2 win. As expected (and as we wanted) the competition kept getting tougher. Our next match was against Madtown. This very tough serving team knocked us off our game and we struggled to find our rhythm. This combined with the energy we spent on our first match did not bode well and we fell in two. The final match of the day was against a bunch of giants from EliteVBTC in Ohio. We fought hard, but their block and tall offense led to another 2 set loss.
#SundayPins: Laila for an Overpass Kill. Sam for a Serving Pin.
17 RED | 1-4
This past weekend, I AM 17 Red headed to Madison for the Madtown Festival. It was a tough weekend, physically and mentally, for the team. I AM faced a variety of highly competitive athletes and teams. We were in a pool of three with Illini Elite and 414-17 Elite, both teams playing at a very high level. The crossover game, we faced the other Illini Elite team. Unfortunately, I AM struggled getting our rhythm going, staying in system, and continuing rallies to dominate the match. 2 out of the 3 matches, I AM battled to force 3rd sets, but could not finish.
Sunday, the team came out strong and refreshed against 1W Bay. Things were starting to flow and I AM won 15-13 in the third set, leading us to the Championship of the Silver bracket. Once again, I AM matched up against the Illini Elite team that they lost to the night before. We were eager to get revenge, coming out strong and taking the first set. That's when the tide started to turn and an exhausted I AM team headed to another third set match, which they would later lose. Despite the struggles over the weekend, lots of adversity was overcome and lessons learned. The team is excited to get some solid reps in this week before heading to the MVP tournament in a few short days.
17 BLACK | 2-3
Coming Soon!
17 WHITE
Our team made the cross state trek to the Midwest fiesta this past weekend. We started with some super tough games on Saturday morning, and each game we tried to amp up our energy for the weekend. We were able to get in some great quality time with a pizza dinner and games by the pool to end the first night of the weekend. Coach James even organized a sweet synchronized swimming routine, which was probably the highlight.
Day 2 brought some more new competitors, and we had a lot more energy going into the afternoon of play.
#Shoutout to Bella for stepping up and helping us set all the way around.
She worked her butt off all weekend. Gretta led the team with 25 kills on the weekend, playing both middle and occasional right side—awesome as a player who usually hits from the outside. Lexi provided leadership at the middle as well. You could never tell that she’s our youngest player! Audrey and Jenny were phenomenal yet again in the back row, switching off as DS and Libero. We have been so lucky to have them as steady, defensive presences all year. Viv tried her hand at outside and right side again this tournament and proved that she is so versatile! Lizzi and Maria continued to hold down the fort by playing all the way around. We know we can always count on them. Grace, as always, brought so much energy to the front row, no matter where she hit. Plus she was almost always the first to point out the “tells” of the opponents and capitalize on those. We missed Megan and MJ, who both killed it at their soccer tournament in Iowa.
While we didn’t end the weekend with as many wins as we were hoping for, we had a ton of fun and will definitely miss spending time together as a group. Coach James and Coach Leah were honored to have each girl on the team and lucky to get to know them a bit more.
Another #shoutout to all the parents who drove and supported us this weekend.
Special thanks to Denise for organizing dinner, Steve, Ellen, and Monica for reffing, and Jennifer for taking care of a player in need. We appreciate all of you!!