A Sunday in the Sand; Takeaways from the CIA 18U Sand Doubles Tournament

Sun, breeze, all that was missing was maybe that ocean mist, but other than that conditions were perfect this past Sunday at the Black Hawk Tennis Club where CIA hosted their 18U Sand Doubles Tournament, featuring some of the top players in the state and some from Minnesota. This was my first live volleyball tournament since the beginning of March and the feeling of being back around the game and the people was just as great as the Vitamin D absorbed all day. I am new to sand doubles, and it was interesting to see a different game, but yet the same players who find success on the hardcourt definitely have that translate to the sand. Here are a few general takeaways from Sunday, I will feature a more detailed list of players later this week. Street and Sullivan Sweep! [player_tooltip player_id="79248" first="Meredith" last="Street"] and [player_tooltip player_id="42440" first="Kaebre" last="Sullivan"] are winning the summer. The Class of 2022 duo from Osage and CIA are the perfect combo of lightning and thunder when it comes to the sand game. Finding open spots in deep corners on the other side of the net, aggressive serving, Sullivan’s blocking, Street’s defense, they have been on fire for the month of June. They won the 16s division on Saturday and came back to win the 18s division Sunday defeating a really strong team of LeAnn Potter (Iowa City Liberty/Adrenaline/St. Leo) and [player_tooltip player_id="41237" first="Sydney" last="Dennis"] (Mount Vernon/Adrenaline/Iowa) in the championship. They play with tempo, energy, and a blend of power and finesse to find the right spot. The Serve and Pass Game When there are only two on the court, it’s tough to hide someone in serve receive like teams might do in the six on six game. Watching the Bailey Rima/[player_tooltip player_id="17233" first="Belle" last="Weber"] vs. [player_tooltip player_id="41237" first="Sydney" last="Dennis"]/[player_tooltip player_id="40902" first="LeeAnn" last="Potter"] match was a serve and serve receive clinic. [player_tooltip player_id="41237" first="Sydney" last="Dennis"], the University of Iowa libero commit puts on a demo with her serve receive, where on the other side Bailey Rima was serving deep corner and right on the sideline. This really was a chess match of reactions, but all starting with the serve. In order to be successful at indoor or outdoor of any level the serving has to be intentional and executed. The Sun and Wind There definitely were some wind gusts, but for Iowa, it was a relatively calm day with sun, but that still does factor into the sand game. Watching the indoor game, it is much more synchronized, players run a certain tempo and depend on the timing. On the sand, athletes are adjusting, they have to become “bad ball” attackers not due to their setter, but if the wind takes the ball behind them or in front they have to be able to adjust. From there, its an IQ decision to get the ball over to keep it in play or strategically send it deep to the corner or short and sharp to keep the ball in play and the other side out of system. Also, if athletes have a flat, knuckleball serve going into the wind it makes the reception that much tougher with the ball dancing across the net. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Final four matchups at <a href="https://x.com/ClubIowa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ClubIowa</a> Dennis/Potter vs Wedgbury/Mahi Johnson/Kuehl vs Sullivan/Street Wind out of the South. Gorgeous day, feels so good to be around the game again! — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1272250909741940737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> The Depth of Teams With 18 Teams, pool play was a battle to get to the gold bracket. There were teams who finished second in their pool who advanced to the semifinals. The matchups were tight and when it came to the gold bracket, it became anyone’s match. Again, I am extremely new to the sand doubles game, and the IQ of placement and knowing when to terminate versus just continuing the play makes for another chance to score. Sand Success Translating to Solid, All Around Indoor Game Osage had five athletes playing on Sunday with all of them advancing to the Gold Bracket that included Street/Sullivan, [player_tooltip player_id="41248" first="Paige" last="Kisley"]/[player_tooltip player_id="79667" first="Claudia" last="Aschenbrenner"], and Dani Johnson who played with [player_tooltip player_id="17239" first="Saari" last="Kuehl"] of Gladbrook-Reinbeck. Osage is always one of the top programs in their class and they are all around athletes and players. They can play six rotations. For middle blockers like Sullivan and Aschenbrenner, they are getting so many reps at ready the hitters to block a ball. For [player_tooltip player_id="41247" first="Halia" last="Mahi"] and Emmy Wedgbury of Cedar Falls, they can play any position when it comes to the indoor game. Wedgbury, who played right side for the high school season and libero for club was thumping balls consistently on Sunday. [player_tooltip player_id="79239" first="Kiersten" last="Schmitt"] of Beckman was another standout who showed with her all-around skill and length can be a dominant player on the sand. The list goes on! <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Such a great day hanging out in Waterloo with <a href="https://x.com/ClubIowa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ClubIowa</a> seeing my volleyball friends and some legit athletes in a crazy deep field. It felt sooooo good to be back around the game. More write ups to come this week! <a href="https://t.co/EycShqBL3Y">pic.x.com/EycShqBL3Y</a> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1272335110436773891?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Good Vibes All-Around Volleyball is just different. So many of these athletes have played against each other through high school or club, and some of them play with each other as well. There is a friendly camaraderie within the game that isn’t always the case with other sports. Players officiate the game themselves, play honestly, and the day runs itself. It felt so great to be around volleyball, the people, and the athletes who have been making the best of their situation since the beginning of March. Stay tuned for more articles from the CIA Sand Doubles tournament along with other articles on events throughout the Midwest this summer. Let the games….resume!