Triumphs, Solid Performers on Final Day of JVA World Challenge

The final day of the Junior Volleyball Association World Challenge in Louisville saw the story of triumph unfold for the Union 16 Black team. The squad entered the weekend with one tournament win at a smaller one in mid-January at Spooky Nook in Hamilton, Ohio.   The team sought a gold trophy in big tournament starting in February. The squad finished runner-up in the Pioneer Bid for 16 Girls and in the 16 Open Tournament in the UA Bluegrass Tournament just more than a month ago. They'd also taken third in the 16 USA Division in the Nike Mideast Qualifier and in the 16 Open at the Windy City National Qualifier. But they made it happen this weekend with a spotless 9-0 mark, taking the 16 Open crown in the Junior Volleyball Association 16 Open Division.   The team only lost one set in pool play having to go three sets in the final game against the Michigan Elite Volleyball Academy 16 Mizuno squad. In the first game against Tri-State Elite 16 Blue, the team won an exciting 2-1 (28-26, 19-25, 17-15) before taking down Happy Valley 16 Blue, 2-1 (25-16, 25-27, 15-9) in the semifinals. They then knocked off the 16-1 K2 Elite team, 2-0 (25-18, 25-22) to win the crown and move to 48-13 on the season.   Holy Cross (Louisville) junior [player_tooltip player_id='733407' first='Kaylee' last='Clemons'] and Mercy sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='612086' first='Olivia' last='Welsh'] anchor the 16 Black defense making sure Sacred Heart sophomore dynamic setter [player_tooltip player_id='788409' first='Cate' last='Bakken'] receives quality first touches. Bakken makes adjustments to make good sets regardless to Mercy's dynamic sophomore duo of middle blocker [player_tooltip player_id='611834' first='Nalani' last='Derringer'] and outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='554148' first='Emma' last='Cronen']. Providence sophomore Isabella Manos and New Albany sophomore Tresdan McAfee also give the team options in the middle. DuPont Manual sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='851639' first='Ally' last='Hamilton'] makes things happen in all facets of the game with Floyd Central sophomore Autumn Engle and Providence sophomore Hadley Hasselbring bringing thunder on the outside.   K2 16 Elite also made it through pool play unscathed dropping just two sets. But the gold quarterfinal and semifinals provided challenges. The team knocked off Michigan Elite 16 Mizuno in a tight 2-1 (22-25, 25-21, 15-13) battle before knocking off Fox Cities Elite 16 Elite from Wisconsin, 2-1 (19-25, 25-19, 15-10).   Morristown West sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='808695' first='Gretchen' last='Bolton'], Dobyns-Bennett sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='805865' first='Jess' last='Harden'] and Knoxville Webb sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='831434' first='Denice' last='Gaston'] do a good job jumpstarting the offense so Knoxville Central sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='938826' first='Pyper' last='Clevinger'] and Maryville sophomore Olivia Karatsonyi can set up the dynamic hitters. the middle hitters are Sevier County sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='948420' first='Colette' last='Messenger'] and Hardin Valley sophomore Maddie Jerrell. The four sophomore hitters in Chucky-Doak's [player_tooltip player_id='948419' first='Jacey' last='Taylor'], Maryville's Mary Childress, [player_tooltip player_id='948421' first='Blake' last='Upward'] and Cleveland's Gigi Williams.   The two teams could meet again in the UA Showdown in the Smokies in Tennessee in two weeks in the same 16 Open Division. The 16 Open Wave on April 25 takes place in the Knoxville Area.   The Kentucky Indiana Volleyball Academy (KIVA) 16 Silver team put together a perfect 10-0 run to the 16 Classic crown. The team knocked off ATHENA Volleyball 16-2 Black National, 2-1 (25-21. 19-25, 15-13) in the title game.   The KIVA 17 White team put together a 9-1 run to the 17 Premier championship. The team knocked off One Wisconsin Volleyball Club, 2-1 (25-27, 25-21, 15-13) in the championship game.   The KIVA 16 Red team is the fourth team from either the Pioneer or Southern Regions to make it to the gold round in 16 Open. The team lost 2-1 (20-25, 27-25, 17-15) to Top Select 16 Elite out of Florida to finish with a similar 5-2 record to Tri-State Elite 16 Blue. TSE 16 Blue finished tied for fifth and KIVA 16 Red finished tied for ninth out of 36 teams.   The KIVA 16 White team drove to the championship game in the 16 Premier Divison before losing 2-0 (25-21, 25-21). KIVA 16 White finished the tournament at 6-3, beating Union 16 Green along the way. Union 16 Green finished 6-2 to tie for fifth out of 40 teams.   The KIVA 16 Black team put together a sound 8-1 run in the 16 Club Division and the Ethos 16 Elite - Pam team also finished 8-1 to tie for third. The teams lost in the gold semifinals to FaR out teams.   The KIVA 15 White team drove to the gold semifinals of the 15 Premier Division before losing to Wisconsin Elite 15-Elite, 2-1 (25-12, 20-25, 15-12). The team finished 7-1 overall.   Three Pioneer Region teams in the KIVA 15 Red and Tri-State Elite 15 Blue made it to the 15 Open Gold round but did not advance past the quarterfinals. The MAVA 15 Select team took ninth out of 32 teams winning the Silver bracket.   The KIVA 15 Black drove to the championship game in the 15 Club Division before losing 2-0 (25-22, 25-23) to the Milwaukee Sting 15 White team to finish 9-1 overall. The Union 15 Blue team also made it to the gold round. Also in the 15 Classic Division, the KIVA 15 Silver team finished 6-2 and the North Alabama 15 Purple T team featuring [player_tooltip player_id='961773' first='Jaycee' last='Haislip'] of Lincoln County (TN) drove to the semifinals before losing to finish 8-1 in the tournament.   In the 17 Open Division, the MAVA 17 Select and Tri-State Elite 17 Blue teams made it to gold, but did not drive past the quarterfinals. The KIVA 17 Red team won the Silver Bracket to take ninth out of 29 teams.   The Union 17 Green team finished 8-1 driving to the 17 Club championship game. Kokora Volleyball 17-2 won the title game, 2-1 (25-21, 22-25, 15-12). The Union 17 Blue team also took fifth out of 48 teams in the 17 Classic Division going 6-2.   Notable Performers    Hamilton's contributions to the 16 Black Open Division championship may be small, but do not go unnoticed. Hamilton dives hard after balls under control to keep plays. She can also take big swings for the team. Hamilton said the whole team is very scrappy and added they get to balls other teams do not, thus helping the team jump to the next level.     McDowell gave the 15 Red team a chance to advance in the 15 Open gold round. She takes nice swings, but surveys the net before going up and smacking balls. McDowell added in good off shots to keep opponent guessing. Her progress is one to watch.     Akers has developed as a nice six-rotation player for the 17 Grey team. Akers has a strong floater serve that keeps opponents out of system. Akers is a good communicator on the court and is not afraid to stick out her arms to keep plays alive. Akers takes sound swings in the front and back rows. Akers agreed she stil needs work on her first touches. Akers said she's been focusing on moving her feet more and improving the speed of her serves.     Lewis helps out the 16 White team with her versatility. Lewis performs a variety of sets including the back set. Lewis mixes in deceptive setovers and setter dumps. She runs an efficient offense and can take sound swings. Lewis is not afraid to shove balls to corners. Lewis also puts up strong double blocks with teammates.     Loffland continues to put everything she has on the line trying to lift her teams to win. Loffland is a sound six-rotation player. She can hit from the back row and even mix tips to the middle 10-foot line and back row. She sends a tough ball down the line on go routes. She is not afraid to rip the seams. Loffland ranges far to her right to get balls on defense. Loffland sends balls back toward the net when not in system. Loffland     Whiteside does a good job influencing the net with her timely jumps defensively. She is an outstanding communicator on the court. She is not afraid to shove balls to corners offensively. Whiteside said she's been working on her power hitting, mainly getting her timing down. She'll take some next steps as a hitter once that happens.    Note from the Writer   Mike Graham has been writing for Prep Dig for two years and has enjoyed getting to know the volleyball scenes in Kentucky, Ohio and coming soon, Tennessee. If you liked the story, please copy and paste to X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. You may also follow us at @prepdigkentucky or @prepdigoh on Instagram in addition to @PrepDigKy or @PrepDigOH on X. If you feel someone in Kentucky or Ohio needs coverage or even have feedback on the Kentucky rankings, please email Mike at michaelgraham@prepdig.com. You may also follow him on X @GMCgrah or Instagram @g.michaelgraham. Subscriptions give you access to exclusive content. For a 30% discount, enter code graham30 at checkout.

The final day of the Junior Volleyball Association World Challenge in Louisville saw the story of triumph unfold for the Union 16 Black team. The squad entered the weekend with one tournament win at a smaller one in mid-January at Spooky Nook in Hamilton, Ohio.