Clubs Finding Success Traveling Away from DC on President's Day

The big tournament to play in for this area on Presidents Day is the Capitol Hill Classic. Two clubs have found success traveling outside the DC area on Presidents Day. They do it for different reasons. [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] plays in the Triple Crown in Kansas City for the elite competition while [program_tooltip program_id='511606' first='Vienna' last='Elite'] travels to Orlando to play in the Prez Day Invitational. It is difficult for [program_tooltip program_id='511606' first='Vienna' last='Elite'] to get all their teams in the Capitol Hill Classic, unless they pay some exorbitant costs buying up hotel rooms. The tournament in Orlando accommodates all their teams.   Sometimes it is not always about winning. As I normally tell my players if you always win it becomes difficult to learn. A better learning atmosphere occurs when you have lost. That provides an opportunity to reassess your skill sets. I will admit that after a day of losing I told my girls that tomorrow let's try to be idiots.   [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last='']   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/01/paramount-16-MAPL.jpg?w=960" alt="" class="wp-image-745809" style="width:440px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Paramount 16 at MAPL</figcaption></figure>   [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] did not have a lot of success at the Triple Crown. They battled against some of the top clubs in the country and achieved middle of the pack results. Playing at the Capitol Hill Classic they may have won some age groups, but they would not have learned what it takes to win at the highest level. After Triple Crown come the qualifiers. Now [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] knows what they need to improve on to reach that top level.   [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] 18 went 2-5, which put them 61st out of 96 teams. Both the matches they won came on the first day. They lost their last four matches over the next two days. One team they played Adidas Kiva Red, finished tenth in the tournament. They lost to them 25-22 and 25-17.   [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] 17 performed a little better going 3-4, which put them 45th out of 108 teams. That puts them above more than 50 percent of the teams. They also won two matches on the first day. Once the power pool teams were added to the mix they won just one of their last four matches. One of their first losses on the second day came against TAV Black Jon, who ended up winning the tournament. Talk about a learning experience.   In my opinion, [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] 16 had the best opportunity to compete against some of the power teams. They also went 3-4 but finished 53rd out of 153 teams. They won their first two matches, but only one of their next five. One of their losses was to Wave Scott, which finished seventh in the tournament. Paramount 16 seeded one team away from being included in the 32 team power pool that plays on the first day.   [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] 15 went 5-4 to achieve a winning record. They clawed their way to 50th out of 148 teams. They also won their first two matches. Winning three of their last four matches put them over .500. They took Legacy to three sets before losing the third set 15-10. Legacy finished in third place in this age group. Paramount 15 seeded five teams away from being included in the power pool.   The [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] second team finished 3-5 which put them 142 out of 148 teams. They also won their first two matches of the day but battled throughout the tournament. Seven of their eight matches went three sets. In all seven of those matches they scored more than 10 points in those 15 point third sets.   [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] 14 went 3-5 to finish 66th out of 105 teams. They picked up a win each day. Their last three matches went three sets.   Interesting to note that the two teams A5 and Dallas Skyline that finished first and second in 14 and under Triple Crown also finished first and second at Junior Nationals in the 13 Open.   [program_tooltip program_id='511606' first='Vienna' last='Elite']   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/02/PXL_20250217_191724347.MP_.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-752317" style="width:493px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: [program_tooltip program_id='511606' first='Vienna' last='Elite']</figcaption></figure>   [program_tooltip program_id='511606' first='Vienna' last='Elite'] takes their teams down to Orlando to play in the Prez Day Invitational at the Orlando Convention Center. Florida is a hot bed for volleyball. Even though Florida's top teams played at Triple Crown there were still some strong teams at the event. Most of the [program_tooltip program_id='511606' first='Vienna' last='Elite'] teams played at the Open level. That became more of a challenge. Only one of the six teams in the 14-16 age groups won a match.   [program_tooltip program_id='511606' first='Vienna' last='Elite'] 17 was one of two teams to play in club. As the coach learned from previous tournaments his talent level just did not meet open level play. This proved a shrewd assessment as the team won two of their first three matches on day one to earn a spot in the first division.   The second day became more of a struggle as they lost all three of their matches. The highlight though was two of their three matches went three sets. They lost the third sets 15-12 and 15-10.   That dropped them to the silver bracket where four teams were competing for the top spot. In the first set [program_tooltip program_id='511606' first='Vienna' last='Elite'] came out on fire, winning 25-8. The second set was a little closer as they squeezed out a 25-23 victory. In the finals they were hoping to play Team Yakima, who had beaten them in a challenge match the day before. Unfortunately, Yakima lost to Rival State Premier 25-11, 25-17. At first glance, that could have been trouble. [program_tooltip program_id='511606' first='Vienna' last='Elite'] swept Rival in two 25-23, 25-22. They had won the gold in the silver division. While that may not seem like a monumental event, when you have just finished 0-6 in MAPL with a 33rd place finish out of 33 teams it was certainly an accomplishment to celebrate.   While all the players were essential in contributing to the four wins, these players stood out. Setter Walewska Negron not only contributed with her setting, but her aggressive serving gave the team a number of scoring runs while her defense dug up balls that allowed the libero to dish out of system sets to the outside hitters. The libero Bridget Morgan not only put up these out of system sets, but she acted as floor captain motivating the team through her enthusiasm and energy to achieve success. It takes a leader to keep a team focused through times of struggle.   Left side Denaria Jenkins not only played six rotations, contributing to the offense in the front and back row, but her execution of her attacks hit all areas of the court. Also, her quickness in the back row contributed to the defense as well.   While winning at the club level may not get you a spot in the rankings it could be a steppingstone. In anything you do you have to learn to walk before you run. [program_tooltip program_id='511606' first='Vienna' last='Elite'] 17 is walking pretty fast now.   Got A Winner You Want to Recognize   Not all the teams have to win in the Open Division in order for me to write about them. Got a story, send me some details and I can put something together.

The big tournament to play in for this area on Presidents Day is the Capitol Hill Classic. Two clubs have found success traveling outside the DC area on Presidents Day. They do it for different reasons. Paramount plays in the Triple Crown in Kansas City for the elite competition while Vienna Elite travels to Orlando to play in the Prez Day Invitational. It is difficult for Vienna Elite to get all their teams in the Capitol Hill Classic, unless they pay some exorbitant costs buying up hotel rooms. The tournament in Orlando accommodates all their teams.