GJNC Recaps: 15 Open division
The club season is officially over for club teams with the conclusion oof the 2021 Girls Junior National Championships this past weekend in Las Vegas. The 15s were the first to bring their season to an and as club teams…
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Continue ReadingThe club season is officially over for club teams with the conclusion oof the 2021 Girls Junior National Championships this past weekend in Las Vegas.
The 15s were the first to bring their season to an and as club teams from Texas had a strong showing in the tournament. The Lone Star state had 39 representatives in Nevada and ten of them finished in the top-10 of their divisions with five going as far as securing a podium finish.
If you weren’t paying that much attention or found it difficult to follow, here’s where you can find a quick breakdown of each Texas team’s campaign in Las Vegas. As the series comes to an end, we recap the 15 Open division.
Madfrog 15’s N Green (3rd – 6 wins, 4 losses)
The team from North Texas was one of two from the Lone Star State to bring medals home after playing in the most competitive division of their age group. Madfrog 15’s N Green finished third with their 6-4 win record in Vegas. The team started well, winning their first three pool play matches, but lost the next two. A win and a loss on Round 2 and a Challenge Round victory over Coast 15-1 sent Madfrog 15’s N Green to the Gold Bracket, where they first beat KC Power 15-1 but eventually fell to silver medalists A5 15-Bob. Outside Hitter Avery Jackson Avery Jackson 5'10" | OH Hockaday | 2024 State #13 Nation TX and setter Carson Eickenloff Carson Eickenloff 5'7" | S Boyd | 2024 State #146 Nation TX made it to the All-Tournament team.
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TAV 15 Black (3rd – 7 wins, 3 losses)
The team from the Dallas area came just as close from the top spot and still had a superior campaign than Madfrog 15’s N Green, securing seven wins and enduring just three losses on their way to claim bronze. TAV 15 also finished pool play with a 3-2 win record after they lost their first and fifth matches in Vegas. A four-match winning streak took the team all the way to the Gold Bracket semifinal, where they fell to eventual champions Dynasty 15 Black in a close match. Outside hitter Brianna Watson Brianna Watson 6'1" | OH Flower Mound | 2024 State #53 Nation TX and middle blocker Favor Anyanwu Favor Anyanwu 6'2" | MB Sachse | 2024 State #23 Nation TX were both selected for the All-Tournament Team.
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Flyers 15 APX-Bill (9th – 7 wins, 3 losses)
The team from Frisco also won seven of their ten matches in the tournament and can be proud of a top-ten finish with their ninth-place. Flyers 15 APX-Bill was nearly perfect on pool play, only dropping a match to Premier Nebraska 15 Gold. The team won its first Round 2 match, but then lost back-to-back games for SG Elite 15 Roshambo and KC Power 15-1 and was sent to the Silver Bracket A, where they won a pair of matches against Coast 15-1 and Rockwood Thunder 15 Elite to end their campaign on a high.
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Skyline 15 Royal (19th, 3 wins, 6 losses)
Skyline 15 Royal was yet another team from the North Texas area to finish in top-20 of the division. The squad from Dallas made the most of their three wins in nine matches to rank 19th. The team was decent on pool play, winning two out of five, including one against fellow Texans AJV 15 Adidas. After three-straight setbacks, including one to Flyers 15 APX-Bill, Skyline 15 Royal triumphed again, this time over Seal Beach 15 – Black. Their last match in the tournament was a Bronze Bracket upset to Six Pack 15.
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AJV 15 Adidas (27th – 4 wins, 5 losses)
The team from the Austin Juniors Volleyball Club had a decent win record at 4-5, but couldn’t make it past the 27th place in Las Vegas. That’s because AJV 15 Adidas’ win in the tournament were heavily back-ended, when the team was already unable to pursue bigger goals. The Austinites won only a single pool play match, against Triangle 15 Black and headed to Round 2 on a tough spot. Consecutive victories over Alamo 15 Premier, Vision 15 Gold and Absolute Pink 15-2 gave the team hope, but their run came to an end by the hands of Boiler Jrs 15 Gold.
Alamo 15 Premier (29th – 4 wins, 5 losses)
The famed club from the San Antonio area ranked 29th against the top teams in their age group after registering four wins and five losses in Las Vegas. Alamo 15 Premier secured just a pair of pool play victories, one against fellow Texans TX Performance 15s and the other over Lions 15-1. They were downed by AJV 15 Adidas to start Round 2, but bounced back to beat Absolute Pink 15-2 and Vision 15 Gold before being knocked out by MKE Sting 15 Gold.
Excel 15 National Red (31st– 4 wins, 7 losses)
The club from the Dallas area played 11 matches in the tournament but managed to win only four of those, finishing 31st in the 36-team division. Excel 15 National Red struggled on pool play, losing all five matches and winning only two sets. The team’s first victory didn’t come until their eighth match in Vegas, when they downed Paramount VBC 15’s in three sets. After that, Excel 15 National Red looked like another team, winning three more against Absolute 15-2 Pink, Vegas Aces 15 Under Armour and TX Performance 15s to end its participation in the tournament.
TX Performance 15s (32nd– 2 wins, 9 losses)
The team from El Paso was lowest-ranked among all Texans, finishing 32nd thanks to a campaign that had two wins and nine losses. TX Performance 15s had a rough start, winning a single set in five pool play matches and continued struggling on Round 2, with three-straight setbacks. The team finally found its rhythm near the end, beating Paramount VBC 15’s and Vision 15 Gold before falling to Excel 15 National Red.