Looking Back At March

This season I've tried a new concept of doing a month rewind. Often this is my attempt to highlight some of the teams that participate in mainly local tournaments and not get the limelight from the qualifiers. Of course, this means it's minimal on player focus as I don't get to watch those games that aren't as accessible as those at qualifiers. As I continue this, I hope it's understood and appreciated by those smaller clubs.   Boys High School Volleyball   I've shared countless times but I also officiate volleyball across all levels...that means middle school, high school, college, and club. This spring boys volleyball kicked off their inaugural season as a sanctioned sport in the state of Missouri. It has been fun to watch the guys get out there and play one of the fastest growing sports in the country. There is a lot of work to do but getting them out there trying is a start. Yes, we are having to swallow the whistles a tad to get a match done within ten hours! Congratulations to the schools fielding a team, some both junior varsity and varsity!   Recent Commitments   We are getting more commitments popping up over the last month. [program_tooltip program_id='428799' first='Rockwood' last='Thunder'] and Francis Howell 2025 middle [player_tooltip player_id='231739' first='Kennedy' last='Jones'] has pledged to Alabama-Birmingham. She is a player who saw her stock rise greatly over the last couple of seasons. [program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='Dynasty' last='']'s [player_tooltip player_id='173381' first='Hadley' last='Porter'], a dynamic libero and defender will be heading to Georgia Southern University. She has been one of the top defenders in the back row in the Kansas City area for the last few years.   RS [player_tooltip player_id='170047' first='Danielle' last='Moore'] will be crossing the state line from Missouri to Kansas to play at Wichita State. The [program_tooltip program_id='428799' first='Rockwood' last='Thunder'] and Francis Howell player joins high school teammate Jones in picking a school this month. [player_tooltip player_id='154040' first='Trinniti' last='Stevens'], a middle from [program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='Dynasty' last=''] has committed to Middle Tennessee. Middle Tennessee got a couple of pick ups adding [program_tooltip program_id='428799' first='Rockwood' last='Thunder']'s [player_tooltip player_id='237704' first='Gabrielle' last='Clinkscale']. Another defender is off the board, [player_tooltip player_id='174407' first='Mandy' last='Lawson'] has decided to continue her volleyball at the University of Memphis.   Tournament Action   Heart Challenge   The Heart Challenge Cup is one of the top tournaments hosted by the Heart of American region each season. The two-day tournament starts with all teams playing pool play over three rounds before separating into bracket play. Here are the winners:   17s: Elite Volleyball 17-1 went a perfect 11-0, not dropping a set until the championship match to [program_tooltip program_id='428876' first='Club' last='MVP'] 17-1. Elite is based in the Grandview/Lee's Summit area of Kansas City.   16s: Mavs KC 16-2 had a 10-0-1 record to capture the title in the 16s division. They defeated Fort Scott Juniors in the final that included a 26-24 first set win.   15s: [program_tooltip program_id='515493' first='Club' last='North'] 15-1 outlasted the competition going 10-0-1.   Apex Smackdown   Early March saw the Apex Smackdown take place. Club Serve 18-1 defeated Missouri Jr.s 18-2 to win the 18s combined division in three sets. The host Apex 17-1 came up short, losing to champion [program_tooltip program_id='498744' first='Club' last='Wave'] in the 17 combined. Wave split their opening match and didn't look back for the remainder of the tournament.   Select Regionals   Select teams typically run a shorter season and some of those end with the regionals. St. Joe Storm was the winner in the 17 age group, defeating Tamales volleyball in three sets. The 15 division was won by Shockwave 15-4. They had a three-set battle with KC Challenge 15-3 that ended 15-13.

This season I've tried a new concept of doing a month rewind. Often this is my attempt to highlight some of the teams that participate in mainly local tournaments and not get the limelight from the qualifiers. Of course, this means it's minimal on player focus as I don't get to watch those games that aren't as accessible as those at qualifiers. As I continue this, I hope it's understood and appreciated by those smaller clubs.