The boys go back to back tournament weekends! Already improving from week to week! Check out how they did!
11 BOYS
The I AM 11 Boy's traveled down to the Rec Plex on Saturday to compete in the JR boys kickoff tournament. The boys were super excited to have another day of competition to see how much their hard work has paid off.
The I AM 11 Boys teams started off their weekend against the Southport 12-1's team. The boys started off a little hesitant in game one and Southport took advantage winning game 1, 25-13. I AM bounced back in game 2 and won by a score of 25-17. Knowing the importance of game 3, I AM jumped off to an early lead and their focus from behind the service line and on serve receive lead to a decisive victory by the score of 15-7.
I AM 11 Boys then played the #1 seed BVA Lions - this was a very good team out of Chicago and they had players who could get up and crush balls and some very good jump serves. I AM lost 25-10 and 25-14. I AM ended up taking second in their pool which put them into the gold bracket.
The next match for I AM 11 Boys was against the I AM 12 Boys teams. In game 1, the I AM 12's came out strong and took the early lead. The 11 Boys fought hard to come back, however the experience of 12 Boys gave them the 25-23 victory. In game 2, the 11 Boys came out strong and took the early lead. They then maintained good passes and good serving to secure the game 2 victory 25-17. In game 3 the 12 boys took an early lead however the resilience of the 11 boys team allowed them to side out and earn chances from the service line. With good focus, the 11 Red team took advantage and won game 3, 15-7. As a club director, I was super impressed with the way both teams battled and played super aggressive defense. Both teams should be very proud of themselves.
The I AM 11 Boys team then earned a rematch with BVA 12-1's in the championship match. In both games the team did a great job of coming out strong and battling every point. The I AM 11 Boys serve receive game gave them many chances, however the BVA team was just too strong and I AM lost 25-12 and 25-14. The coaching staff was impressed with the defensive play and serve receive of the I AM 11 boys team. It was better than any team they faced this weekend and once they learn how to terminate the sets they receive, they will be unstoppable.
Keep up the hard work and "TRUST THE PROCESS" Boys!!!
12 BOYS
I AM 12-1 boys played in their first true tournament with pool play and bracket play this past weekend! Although we were missing a few of our players, our mighty team of 7 had an excellent performance winning our pool and advancing to the gold bracket. We competed against Sting 12-2 for a win in pool play, 25-21 and 25-22. Aaron Gundrum racked up a total of 11 aces earning himself a Serving Professional pin! Aaron also contributed 1 assist, 2 kills, and 2 digs during the match.
Our second match of Pool play we played against Club W with a close match of 25-23, 21-25, and 7-15. Although we lost this match, our point differential brought us to first in the pool. Many of our players had stellar performances during this match! Patrick Moritz earned himself a Top Server pin for having 5 aces during the match! Patrick also contributed 1 assist, 1 kill, and 6 digs. The player that tallied the most digs for the match was setter Edison Mock with 14 digs! Edison also had 2 aces and 2 assists during the match.
During the first round of bracket play we played the familiar faces of IAM 11-1 boys! It was a true battle to 3 sets and we wished the IAM 11s team luck as they continued in the bracket. Our boys continued to have excellent stats during this match as well. Bode Roche earned himself a Top Server pin with 5 aces. Bode also had 1 assist and 6 digs throughout the match. Martin Culav was also a top performer with 2 aces, 4 kills and 1 dig!
After a long night of volleyball, I am proud to say that we made it to the gold bracket for our first tournament! Another player that contributed to our success was libero Owen Sullivan. Owen had 12 digs throughout the tournament and 1 ace! Our MVP from last tournament, Jacob Mueller, continued to bring the team spirit and fun to the court while also contributing 2 digs, 2 aces, and 2 kills during the night. Martin and Aaron both earned themselves Over Pass Kill pins for their aggression at the net and having 1 kill each off of the opposing team’s overpass.
Our MVP for this tournament is a player who went above and beyond in all aspects! He had 9 kills, 13 aces, 8 digs, and 44 serve receive touches throughout the tournament! This player was all over the court with his hustle, determination, and energy. Congratulations Aaron! We are so proud of you and keep up the great work!
13 BOYS
We placed 3rd in the EPIC Boys Holiday Opener, which was our second tournament of the season! The team had a record of 4-4 playing clubs OVC, Sting, Spike, and Inferno. Shoutout to Chase for being the spirit captain! Everyone had really good serves and serving runs, but special shoutout to Pedro and Josh for their serving runs! We saw tough competition today, and we are excited to get better to challenge the teams at the top!