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Spikes U15 Black Andy

Nazirah Panzarella #11 DS
Ashley Howard #7 PIN
Molly Dodds #9 DS/S
Maylen Thompson #12 M/S
Suri Nyam #6 PIN
Dot Erickson #1 S
Abby Polinsky #8 DS/Libero
Bella Mascarelli #5 MB
Clara Brant #3 PIN
Kiersten Schiefelbein #21 PIN
Paige Dean #4 Libero/DS
Gabby Agostino #13 MB
       
       
Head Coach: Andy    
Asst. Coach: Pasky    
Chaperonne: Kylee    
Team's mom Amy    

Team and Players' Stats sub-page

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Spikes 15s Black season tournaments:

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

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

April 11-13 (3 days) JVA World Challenge, Louisville KY

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

June 17-20 (4 days) AAU Nationals, Orlando FL

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Colorado Crossroads 3 day tournament - January 31/February 2

Wuthering Spikes


Hot on the heels of the ice-cold Colorado Challenge, Spikes 15 Black took the court at the 500- team Colorado Crossroads tournament in the Colorado Convention Center amid beautiful 60- degree weather. And a lovely start to the action with a 25-23 first set victory over Core VBC 15 Blue. But in what would become a troubling pattern, Spikes 15s Black jumped out to the lead and eventually surrendered in defeat. After dropping a lopsided first set to Greater 316, we led most of the second only to fall short at the end. Greater eventually finished third in the tournament, succumbing only to the eventual champion, Spikes 15 Z. Congratulations to Coach Pasky and his team for their excellent performance! Our 8:00 PM match-up against Vail 15 Black ended quickly after Kiersten bludgeoned their backcourt with 16 straight serves en route to a 25-5 second set blowout. Despite going 1-2 on Day 1, we managed to back our way into the upper half of the bracket for Day 2. But like an out-of-state tourist hiking a 14er in flip flops, we were woefully unprepared for the discipline, speed, endurance, and focus of the top 10 competition we faced. We didn’t win a set against BHJ 15 Black, Team Velocity 15 Black, or VC Denver 15 Gold. Our journey up the mountainside was abruptly ended by the furious winds of serious competition.
Blown into the Valley of the Bronze Bracket on Sunday, the girls returned with a positive attitude and renewed spirit. After dropping the first set to Flatirons 15 Black, our intrepid setter Maylen fought through illness to lead us to a three-set victory. We went on to hold off SYSV 15 in our final match of the tournament, brightening the homeward journey.
Although we finished a disappointing 25 th of 64 teams in the bracket, we will not waste the lessons learned nor repeat the mistakes we made. Despite our general discombobulation, I did see the first signs of magic for this squad. Those unimaginable plays that coalesce into the beautifully orchestrated movement on the court, punctuated by a hard-driven ball bouncing off the defender’s arms and receding into the distance beyond the opponent’s end line. To create an abundance of these moments and become a top performer, we now enter into the next level of our training. Keep up if you can.

Coach Andy
February 5, 2025

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Colorado Challenge 3 day tournament - January 18/20

Cold Start

What happens when you assemble a 12-player U15 club volleyball team with six players playing in a brand-new position, another three that have never played a club match before, two who are only 13 years old, and one libero who couldn’t practice because she couldn’t straighten her arm? Driving up to the tournament, I wouldn’t have been surprised if we hadn’t won a single match, but I also wouldn’t have been surprised had we won the entire division.

Day 1

The team arrived at Island Grove Events Center to start their 2025 campaign amid single-digit temperatures. Despite the tropical sounding name, the only comparable island that came to mind was Iceland. And ice cold indeed was Spikes 15 Black’s start. After struggling to execute in any phase of the game, we earned two lopsided defeats at the hands of Front Range VBC and The EDGE, never scoring more than 15 in a set.

Onto the third and final set of the day against Believe, where we promptly dropped the first set, but this time by only seven points. Progress. Thawing. In the second set, we dug ourselves into another deep hole, but then something happened. Back court found their footing, handling the serve with precision passing, setting came online, and the hitters went to work. Settling into grinding out one point at a time, Spikes prevailed with their first set win 27-25. The secret discovered, the girls went on to take the decider 15-11.

Day 2

Spikes started their Sunday at 4:00 PM by blasting Crossfire in straight sets 25-8, 25-15. Serving dominance from Kiersten, Maylen, Paige and Ashley stunned the overmatched opponent.

Up next, Core Values, which turned into a 12-round cage match. Spikes took a hard-fought first set 25-21 but dropped the second 16-25. Nazirah, Suri, and Molly joined forces with our dynamite libero, Paige, and refused to let anything hit the ground in the deciding set. Clara and Bella made life miserable for opposing hitters by consistently setting up the block in the right places. Gabby’s fearless, intelligent play was capped off by several strong attack winners. And Suri pulverized a spike down the line to secure the set for Spikes 16-14.

The last match of the day started at 9:45 PM. The girls once again knuckled down with pure grit and determination in sweeping away Whiteout 25-22, 25-23. Ashley’s right-side bombardment demanded attention from spectators and opponents alike. Maylen’s leadership and skill and Dot’s creativity and deadliness were on full display from the setter’s position. And there’s just not enough adjectives to do justice to how this backcourt performed. Second day, 3-0.

Day 3

Sleep fast, young ladies. Back on the court at 6:45 AM the next day for a showdown with Loveland VBC. Spikes stunned Loveland in the first set with overpowering service and attacks, cruising to a convincing 25-15 victory. Our outside hitters Abby and Keirsten abused the opposition. But Loveland raised their game to edge us in the second 25-22 and the third 15-13 to end our tournament.

And thus, we planted our starting flag for the 2025 season. We were here.

I have asked each of these girls to do things on the court they have never done before. Whenever we are asked to learn something new, it is uncomfortable. It is frustrating. It is not fun. But it is impossible to learn without feeling those things, and once learned, they forever become part of us. The alternative is to live in constant comfort but never evolve or improve. We all face this choice every day, and I know which path the young athletes on this team have chosen. I promise to do my best to make their frustration into something magical.

Coach Andy
January 21, 2025