GJNC Recap – Ultimate Performance VB – 17 Adidas National
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Volleyball Girls Junior National Championship will take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center from June 26-July 5. In order to play at this prestigious tournament in one of the four main divisions, a club team must win their bid…
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Continue ReadingVolleyball Girls Junior National Championship will take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center from June 26-July 5. In order to play at this prestigious tournament in one of the four main divisions, a club team must win their bid by placing at a USAV national qualifier.
184 teams have earned their right to represent their club and compete to be one of the best teams in the nation. The state of Oklahoma was represented in the tournament with 3 teams making the trip to Nevada.
Ultimate Performance Volleyball Club 17 Adidas National
One of the premier clubs from the Oklahoma region is UPVBC from the city of Jenks. The State of Oklahoma was represented in the 17 USA Division by UPVBC 17 Adidas National. The team led by head coach Chip McCaw has had a tremendous season as they took home the Championship Gold Ball at the super tough Lone Star National Qualifier and also finished 2nd at the Show Me National Qualifier, both in the USA Division. So far this season they have 57 wins and only 10 losses against some stellar competition. They have been ranked 1st in the Oklahoma region so far this year. We watched in person as they played well against teams from all over the nation. Let’s check out how they fared:
Day one and two consists of pool play. There are six pools of six teams that are seeded by USA Volleyball. Many factors go into the seeding such as win/loss record versus the rest of the teams in the field. UPVBC 17 Adidas National came in to the tournament ranked as the 10thbest team in the 17 USA Division.
They played extremely well in the first pool of the tournament that is played over the first two days. The only tough match that they truly had was against Madfrog 17 Black from the North Texas region in which Madfrog won (25-16, 25-17). Three teams in the pool were no match for UPVBC as they won each match pretty easily. They had one other tough battle against Northern Lights 17-2 but they were able to pull out the victory in three sets (21-25, 25-12, 15-8). With four wins and only one loss in the first pool, this allowed them to still be in the hunt for the Gold Bracket on day three.
Day three at Nationals bottle-necks into eight pools of three. They determine these pools by who finished 1st through 4th of each pool. These teams now have to prove themselves by getting first or second place in this pool to still have a shot at the title. UPVBC took first in this pool although they battled a very tough Coast 17-2 team from the So Cal region (20-25, 25-12, 15-13).
They were still alive in the chase for the championship. However, it gets much tougher now. The tourney now shifts to a sudden death format in which if you lose one match…you’re out of contention. It comes down to one challenge match to get into the Gold bracket, which consists of the top 8 teams. UPVBC was matched against a tough Woodlands Revolution 17 Premier team for the right to go to Gold. On a side note, I used to coach the head coach of this Houston club way back in the day which shows my age! The team from the Woodlands punched UPVBC in the mouth early and put on a show as they won 25-20. UPCBV decided to make it a game and won the next set 28-26 as it went extras. The deciding set wasn’t as close as UPVBC pulled it out and won 15-8.
Up next for UPVBC was the Day four Gold bracket. Everyone involved in club ball knows just how hard the early morning Gold bracket 1stmatch is. The players have just played three days of grueling competition and whoever has the mental fortitude, freshest legs, and best energy remaining usually has the edge. UPVBC ran into a strong Houston Juniors 17 Elite. They won the first set in extras to HJV 29-27 in nail-biting fashion. HJV came back to win the next set in deciding fashion, 25-16. Next came the important tie-breaking set to determine who moves on to the semis. It was super close the entire way through but Houston Juniors prevailed 16-14.
It was a strong showing for our Oklahoma team as they placed tied for 5th place at USA Junior Nationals. Outside hitter Mackenzie McGuire Mackenzie McGuire 6'2" | OH Broken Arrow | 2022 State OK was stellar all tourney long. I spoke to two college coaches about her while we were all watching them play and she is getting a lot of exposure. Pin hitter Mia Otten Mia Otten 6'3" | RS Bartlesville | 2022 State OK and Middle Mikiah Perdue Mikiah Perdue 5'10" | MB Jenks | 2022 State OK were also getting tons of looks according to the college coaches I spoke with. I was excited to see them play in person and we look forward to watching more from all of these young ladies in the future.
Mackenzie McGuire Mackenzie McGuire 6'2" | OH Broken Arrow | 2022 State OK [2022] 6-2 Outside (HS: Broken Arrow/Club: UPVBC/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Mackenzie is currently ranked as our best overall prospect and the top outside in the 2022 class according to our Prep Dig State Rankings. She is the main offensive weapon for Broken Arrow High School and one of the best club teams in the Sooner state in the 17’s age group in UPVBC. This young lady is the real deal on the pin as she has size, speed, and power. She is able to score almost at will on the left side and is a true six-rotation player for both teams she plays on. Broken Arrow HS uses her well in play-sets out of serve receive as they routinely bring her in for the second tempo set in the middle and it is a guaranteed kill. There is hardly ever a match that she doesn’t record high double-digit kills. This past high school season she had 349 kills on a .265 hitting percentage, 42 Blocks, 24 Aces, 153 digs, which resulted in her earning another 1st Team All-Conference award. The three year varsity starter is one to keep your eye on. I know plenty of colleges who should give her a solid look as she enters her senior season.
Mia Otten Mia Otten 6'3" | RS Bartlesville | 2022 State OK [2022] 6-3 Right Side (HS: Bartlesville/Club: UPVBC/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Mia is currently ranked as our 3rd best overall prospect and the top right side in the 2022 class according to our Prep Dig State Rankings. She is both the defensive stopper on the right and the main offensive weapon for Bartlesville High School and one of the best club teams in the Sooner state in the 17’s age group in UPVBC. A towering net presence at 6 foot 3 inches tall, Mia regularly explodes on the ball to score for her team. In two years on Varsity, Mia has been unstoppable on the offensive end as she has tallied 948 kills on a great .251 hitting percentage. She also had 140 blocks, 442 digs, and 90 aces. This kind of production is amazing and has a lot of schools looking in her direction. The talented lefty is a star and we are going to continue to watch closely as she progresses through her volleyball journey.
Mikiah Perdue Mikiah Perdue 5'10" | MB Jenks | 2022 State OK [2022] 5-10 Middle (HS: Jenks/Club: UPVBC/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Mikiah is currently ranked as our 30th best overall prospect in the 2022 class according to our Prep Dig State Rankings. She is one of the leaders for Jenks High School and one of the best club teams in the Sooner state in the 17’s age group at UPVBC. The junior middle has helped Jenks to a 26-10 overall record and an 8-0 district record. Last season she had 192 kills in 477 attempts for a .210 hitting percentage and also 97 blocks. We love her athleticism that she shows on the court out of the middle position. While she may not be a six-footer, she still plays well above the net and has the foot-speed to close out on the blocks against both pins. This kid is a stud and has all of the tools to move up our rankings during our next update. She is super explosive off of the ground and hits a tremendously heavy ball. What is astonishing is her hand-contact. She wraps her hand completely around the ball and can paint the ten foot line if she gets the chance to. Keep your eye on this kid as the sky is the limit for her.
Stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes. If you have anyone you think we should watch out for, please shoot me an email with some info on them at nov8vb@yahoo.com. Also don’t forget to help these kids get more exposure by sharing our stories with your friends. Help us help them by simply retweeting on Twitter or sharing on Facebook. Thanks for following Oklahoma Family!