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Spikes U14 Z Brenna

Riley Kelly #13 MB/OH
Pearl Kharel #9 OH
Lily Lamb #12 OPP
Caliah Stack #4 Libero/DS
Kaitlyn Sahni #11 Libero/DS
Raegan Miller #1 OPP
Halle Burcham #7 Setter
Mackenzie Bamber #8 DS/Setter
Serenity Smith #3 OH
Zaeleigh Barajas #6 MB/OH
Mia  Shifman PP  
Kamilah Mendoza PP  
       
Head Coach: Brenna    
Asst. Coach:  Pasky    
Chaperone(s): Jamie & Julie    
Team mom: Anna    

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Spikes 14s Z season tournaments:

January 18-20 (3 days) Colorado Challenge, Greeley CO

January 31-2 (3 days) Crossroads, Denver CO

February 15-17 (3 days) Festival Fiesta, Phoenix AZ

April 5-6 (2 days) AAU Grand Prix, Norman OK

May 16-18 (3 days) Rumble in the Rockies, Aurora CO

June 13-16 (4 days) AAU Nationals, Orlando FL

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Colorado Crossroads 3 day tournament - January 31/February 2

I’m starting to feel like a broken record, but I want to start by saying how very proud I am of our 14Z team! We went into Crossroads knowing that this tournament setup (so many courts), the sheer number of teams in our bracket (64 total), and the level of competition would be much larger and more difficult than we faced two weeks ago at the Colorado Challenge. It was also our first experience in the afternoon wave – sleeping in is great, but leaving the gym at 10pm was a new experience for us!

We started Day 1 in a pool of 3 other teams – Prime 14 Gold, Greater 316, and Velocity. We also worked 2 games and rested 1 game, which made for an 8+hour day to kickoff the tournament.  We started off strong against Prime, taking the match in 2 sets, 25-12 and 25-10. After working and scouting a game, we moved on to Greater 316. We took the first set 25-18, fell the second set 20-25, and lost the third 12-15. This was a disappointment for the girls, but I’m proud to say they rallied and took the final match against Velocity in 2, winning 25-11 and 25-13.

Based on a 2-1 start, we figured we’d see similar and possibly better competition on Day 2. We kicked off the day against Whiteout 14-1 and replicated our first match scores from Day 1, winning 25-10 and 25-12. With zero turnaround time but snacks hidden under our chairs, we faced a team from St Louis that proved to be the most competitive we’d see in Day 2. However, our girls came out strong, winning in two sets, 25-21 and 25-15. After this match, we had multiple parents and girls on the STL team tell me, our girls, and our parents how fun our team is to watch. Their positivity is just contagious. Parents and girls from this team continued to “follow” us throughout the tournament and cheer us on from the sidelines. We finished the day 3-0, winning our last sets 25-16 and 25-14.

Based on an amazing Day 2, the excitement was flowing as we were solidly in the Gold bracket for Day 3. What an accomplishment for the girls! We were matched first against a team the girls uncovered had beaten Greater 316 on Day 2. I reminded the girls that while we didn’t take the match against Greater 316, we did take a set, so we needed to be competitive and play our game. The match went three sets, 25-23, 18-25, and 15-10, with Spikes coming out victorious! We got to sit a game and watch some 14 Elite competition, then got ready to play JET 14. While JET 14 wasn’t tall, they proved to have an amazing defense, and boy could they find holes on the court! We went three sets, 24-26, 25-13, and 13-15. It was a difficult loss as our teams were evenly matched; it really could have gone either way. We played more conservatively in the third set, and their offense found opportunities to take the win.   

While there were some long faces after that loss, I reminded the girls of the progress they made between tournament 1 (winning the silver bracket) to tournament 2 (finishing 5th out of 64 teams and making such a name for themselves in the Gold bracket). I would also be remiss to not mention the added complexity they faced while achieving this accomplishment. With a front row player sustaining an injury that took her out of play on Sunday, we had to shift front row players from outside to middle and right side to outside and had a rotation where a backrow player was playing front row! This meant almost every player was situated next to someone they hadn’t played next to before. This required the girls to talk more, not assume or anticipate the same coverage and style of the players next to them on the court and step up in ways they hadn’t yet been asked to. Under normal circumstances, it would have been amazing to make it to the Gold bracket and finish 5th overall, but even more this weekend based on the caliber of talent we were up against and the need for many of the girls to step up in roles and rotations they’ve not played before. These girls continue to prove they are a force to be reckoned with!  

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Colorado Challenge 3 day tournament - January 18/20

It’s fair to say the girls were excited but also a little nervous heading into the first tournament of their 14Z season. After 3.5 months of practice, they were ready to showcase their skills and see how they stack up against the competition. Our seven returning tournament players played in the Colorado Challenge before, but our three new players were anxious to see what this was all about. Nevermind that we were under an arctic warning with sub-zero temperatures and snow two out of the three days…the girls came together as a team and played very well.

Day 1

We were placed in a pool of three teams, playing only two matches, but a required three sets to 25. We were at the gym at 7am to first work the match between CVA Navy and Crossfire, Crossfire being a team we played against 27 times (it felt like) last year  In order to keep the girls engaged, we split into two work teams: one team of five players who would line judge and work the scorer’s table, and one team of five players who would scout CVA and Crossfire. Armed with clipboards and pens, the scout team quickly learned that CVA would be our better competition of the day. During the 845am match against Crossfire, our girls shook out some of the nerves and showed the competition that they were the better team. We took all three sets, at 25-12, 25-10, and 25-11. After that, we faced CVA Navy. They were taller, stronger, and better than Crossfire, but we settled in to take all three sets, 25-7, 25-15, and 25-17. Day 1 proved to be just what the girls needed: the opportunity to ease into the day by working, playing a familiar and less-competitive team, then ramping up to a more competitive team.

Day 2

After playing well on Day 1, we knew we’d be matched against more competitive teams on Day 2. Our 730am match was against Front Range Volleyball Club. The girls didn’t let the cold or early morning get in their way…they took the first two sets 25-22 and 25-20 to win the match. We were then assigned to work the match against FRVBC and Rocky Elite National team. So, back to the clipboards and scouting we went. Rocky Elite was one of the first teams who could successfully spot serve and find holes in defense. I’m proud to say that when we played them, our backrow saw these tactics and made adjustments as they could, but some dropped balls on our side were just good eyes by their hitters. We lost in two, 19-25 and 25-27. In less than two minutes, we were off to another court to play a crossover match against Loveland. The girls barely had time to grab water, then head to the court to shag balls during warm-ups for their third match of the day. Loveland was not as skilled as Rocky Elite, but our girls had given so much to the first two matches of the day. We fought well at times, but also looked exhausted and drained a bit. We took Loveland to three sets, but eventually lost 22-25, 25-16, and 11-15. After this loss, we grouped in the corner of the gym. There were many long faces…you could tell the girls wanted that last set back.

Day 3

Spikes 14Z was placed in the Round 3 Silver Bracket with a bye the first match. We watched Cloud Peak National team prevail over Believe in a 3-set match, and noticed one outstanding player on Cloud Peak…#2, middle hitter. We zeroed in that we’d need to shut her down. The girls quickly learned how she’d consistently hit line when hitting from outside, would not tip from the middle, and would drive hard angle when hitting from right side. I’m very proud to say that our entire team came together to shut down her down and we came out victorious 25-20 and 25-19. Excitement was running high. For our last match to take 1st in the Silver Bracket, we played against High Desert Elite. We started the first set down 0-5 trying to break a very good server, but fought back and kept the momentum in our corner to prevail 25-15 and 25-20.

Things we learned:

-Crossover games are very important for future placement in the tournament; place emphasis on winning those

-Even if we have a quick turnaround between matches, snacks and water are our friend

-Scouting other teams gets us ready for the next match and provides great insight into what we’re up against

I’m so very proud of our girls. They each had outstanding moments (pancakes, serving streaks, beautiful sets and dumps, well-placed hits or tips, amazing defensive coverage) that contributed to such a successful first tournament. They proved to themselves that their work over the last few months is paying off. When matched against competitive teams, they didn’t get flustered. They played together and played strong. Now…onto Crossroads! 

Coach Brenna