USAV Junior Nationals Recap I - Success a Battle for Local Teams

I was hoping to have a Wednesday recap. My flight to Chicago on Wednesday to arrive early that morning got delayed a couple hours. That meant I arrived early afternoon instead. Just in time to get to the convention center but only to watch a handful of games.   That was better than some players who tried to leave Tuesday but because of storms had their flights cancelled. Some people actually rented cars and drove to Chicago to make it to the tournament. I know of one team who lost 25-0 in their first game so like me they perhaps did not get to Chicago early enough to make the first set.   The 14U Group Looks Pretty Special   Those who did the seeding for the tournament were pretty accurate. Eight of the twelve number one seeds in their pool in the Open Divisions won their pool. In the National Division eight of the fifteen number one seeds won their pools. Four local teams from the 14U group impressed, with two teams winning their pool and two others with the possibility to win.   Paramount was the second seed in their pool in the National Division. They went undefeated in the first round of pool play. They will advance to one of seven three team pools to earn a spot in the Gold Bracket.   Four of their five matches have gone three sets. While Paramount has won all four matches, three of the four have been won by no more than three points. We watched one of those battles against Nebraska One Black.   Paramount lost the first match 25-19. Nebraska One pulled away early and Paramount could not put together a string of points to get back in the game. They routed Nebraska One in set two 25-12. The third set would not come easy.   For most of the set Parmount was led by [player_tooltip player_id='296486' first='Taylor' last='Harrington']. She could not be stopped, hitting higher sets in the middle and pounding them either left or right in front of the ten foot line. Some hits made contact with arms or legs, but it was a rare bird that found itself back over the net. [player_tooltip player_id='437452' first='Jolie' last='Vignier'] was another presence in the middle who was also fed higher sets and for the most part found floor.   The real hero of that game though was [player_tooltip player_id='238595' first='Sofia' last='Delarosa'], who early in the set kept on being used by the other hitters slicing it off her block. She was also hearing it from her coach telling her how her block could be improved. With Paramount tied 13-13 Sofia completed two blocks, the second one hitting the floor on the other side of the net to give Paramount a 14-13 lead. The teams exchanged sideouts and with Paramount up 15-14 DeLarosa rejected another attempted kill to give her team a 16-14 win.   In their last match they played the number one seed in their pool and still undefeated Alliance Ren. Paramount won the first 25-20 but Alliance bounced back to win the second 25-19. The last set is what you might expect from the two top seeds battling it out for pool supremacy. Parmount won in overtime 19-17.   Paramount is one of four undefeated teams in the National Division.   Metro 14 also did well, losing only to ACV Cle White in the opening match. They still have one more pool game to determine their fate. Four of their six matches have gone three sets. On the last day they lost their first set in all three matches but battled back to win the final two.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/02/7-Kieran-Rhoton.jpg?w=751" alt="" class="wp-image-328695" /></figure>   Metro is led by two of their outsides [player_tooltip player_id='385968' first='Macie' last='Murray'] and [player_tooltip player_id='437985' first='Zora' last='Dimbo']. Macie struggled a bit with her passing, but her approach jump of over 10 feet allows her to hit over the block with powerful consistency. [player_tooltip player_id='290176' first='Kieran' last='Rhoton'] also showed some good pop from the right side. She may be the hardest hitter on the team and does a good job of painting the line.   Libero [player_tooltip player_id='437443' first='Kaniyah' last='Ball'] does a good job of passing on target and taking good angles on the serves. She also plays a solid defense. [player_tooltip player_id='292644' first='Caycee' last='Chhum'] likes to jump set, but she only plays in the back row. It still gets opponents blockers jumping up with her.   MVSA Force is 4-0 with their lone match against Ignite Black, which is also undefeated, not reported yet. They are led by outside [player_tooltip player_id='438091' first='Catherine' last='McIntyre'] and middle [player_tooltip player_id='438053' first='Lucille' last='Deraleau']. In their closest match of the day MVSA won their opener against Black Hills South Dakota 26-24. At the end of the game [player_tooltip player_id='438091' first='Catherine' last='McIntyre'] put two balls down to make it 25-24 and Lucille finished it with an over set kill. At one time they were behind in the game 18-11.   Middle Ana Woods may be their most consistent hitter. She still belongs to the class of 2028.   I did not get a chance to see them play, but Blue Ridge continued the success of the 14 class by also winning their pool, finishing play 4-1. Their only loss was an opening three set match to second seed Aspire Premier. They are also led by a setter from the class of 2028 Breeze Johnson, who can also hit right side.   Players that Made Me Go Wow   These girls may not always be local girls, but they made me go "Wow" as I watched them play, either playing the local girls, or while I was waiting for a match to finish.   Landry Roberts (Colorado Jrs 14) left side - She dominated the game against Liberty Elite. Colorado Juniors has moved her from middle to left side. She has nice length and plays six rotations. Her one roll shot I saw was a little high, but she almost doesn't need that now, putting the ball to the floor on almost every hit. She got the final kill in their 26-24 win over Liberty Elite in the second set, spanking the ball through the hole in the middle of the block.    [player_tooltip player_id='296486' first='Taylor' last='Harrington'] (Paramount 14) middle - Taylor stands 6'1' and can't be stopped with the high sets in the middle. She smacks the ball to the right and left, burying balls in front of the ten foot line. When her spikes hit an arm they fail to get a second touch. Part of me would like to see her hit outside, but the Paramount offense runs well with her hitting in the middle and her ability to move from pin to pin to block her opponent's hits.   Emma Schwappach (Absolute Pink 15) Libero - She is such a good passer that you wonder why teams serve her. As an alternate setter she is not afraid to use her hands. Emma also shows a lot of emotion on the court, pounding the floor after a successful kill by a teammate. A fun player to watch as a libero.    [player_tooltip player_id='357402' first='Katherine' last='Lewis'] (Virginia Juniors 14) left side - She stands 6'2" and dominates the left side. Her back row defense and passing allow her to play six rotations. Her serve is tough. Nothing about her game disappoints, though I have yet to see her set.   At this point it is getting late so I must call it an article, so I can get ready for tomorrow. I will try to wrap up the AAU results tomorrow as well.

I was hoping to have a Wednesday recap. My flight to Chicago on Wednesday to arrive early that morning got delayed a couple hours. That meant I arrived early afternoon instead. Just in time to get to the convention center but only to watch a handful of games.