Unsung Heroes and Final Nationals Notes
Some notes about players who get lost because of their roles but I noticed and some final thoughts on Nationals. Me Serve? – It was Metro 16’s first match at the Nationals. They were the number one seed in their…
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Continue ReadingSome notes about players who get lost because of their roles but I noticed and some final thoughts on Nationals.
Me Serve? – It was Metro 16’s first match at the Nationals. They were the number one seed in their pool, yet they were losing game three 12-9. Things were not looking good. Mickhaila Murray was called on to serve for the middle hitter. It was her first appearance of the match.
That is a lot of pressure to put on a role player. No problem for Murray. An ace, an overpass, two out of system passes and two more serves and game over. Metro won 15-12 and Mickhaila was mobbed by her teammates. Way to go Murray!.
She sets for Giants – Natalie Nguyen Natalie Nguyen 5'5" | S Flint Hill | 2024 State VA stands about 5’7″. Most of her hitters stand between 6’2 and 6’5. Yet Metro 16 would not be one of the top five clubs in the country without her ability to set those giants.
She has the confidence of a tiger and doesn’t appear fazed with the magnitude of the competition she goes against. That’s because she has been told so many times what she can’t do. She has proven them wrong by showing the doubters what she can do. She is a winner, setting her high school team Flint Hill to the State championships and a number 1 ranking for high schools in Northern Virginia.
Now she has competed against some of the best players in the country. ,And winning. Physically she may not stand tall but if I was a college recruiter I would bank on having success with her as one of my setters despite all the doubts that are raised because of her height.
Paramount’s unheralded Defensive Specialists – There are no lists that come out for the top ten DS candidates. They kind of take a back seat to the libero. When you watch Paramount play you can’t help but notice two of their defensive specialists. Dilara Vural is the back row player for Paramount 16 that opens your eyes with her defense and passing. Carly Zimmet is the scrappy DS that impressed for Paramount 17. It is ironic that they both wear number 11.
The Infinity Game – If there is a game that you have to watch from the Junior Nationals it is the Metro 17 versus Club V match, in which Metro lost 42-40. The game see sawed back and forth with both teams having opportunities to end it earlier with game points. At one point Metro ran out of substitutions and had to use a back row player in the middle.
Getting Their Money’s Worth – Only one team in all the 17 Divisions played more games than Virginia Juniors. Eight of Juniors ten matches went three, giving them 28 games. In the Open Division CHAVC Black played 29 games, but they had 11 matches. Juniors went 5-3 in those matches.
Like Mother Like Daughter – Well Almost – Grace Maria Grace Maria 6'2" | OH Bishop O'Connell | 2023 State #150 Nation VA from Virginia Juniors recently committed to Connecticut to play volleyball. According to her mom she did not do so because her mom went there. Her mom, Sarah Northway Maria was a member of the 1995 NCAA champion Huskers basketball team. Grace always felt Connecticut was her home. Now she hopes to bring a national volleyball championship to Connecticut. Soon, she will be playing volleyball on the same court as her mom played basketball. I wonder how many times a mother and daughter have won national championships for the same college in different sports?
Handshakes are so much cooler – Many teams at the Nationals were going back to slapping hands at the net to start and end a match. After all, how many players are actually paying attention when you wave.
A celebrity of coaches – It was always a who’s who of college coaches watching the Metro 16 team play. From John Cook at Nebraska to Mary Wise at Florida. Name the top 20 volleyball teams in the country and they probably had a coach or an assistant watching Metro 16 play.