Dynasty Dominated the Competition to National Title

Photo: Facebook

Vernon Birmingham July 11, 2024 @ 07:23 PM

After what they may have considered a difficult year, Dynasty 16 Black made lemonade out of lemons and returned to Kansas City as the National Champions in the 16 American division. As they started the season, they had hopes of qualifying and competing for a title in the Open division. However, when many teams would have shut down by not being pleased with their draw, they played outstanding volleyball, dropping two sets in the tournament to be crowned champions.   When I wrote my preview I said, "The top overall seed in the division will be Dynasty 16 Black. Dynasty has been up and down but plays a heavy Open schedule, so they are capable of capturing a national title. They played portions of their season missing some key players but now back healthy, they are a team to watch." They were the team to watch going 11-0 along the way. The American division plays in eight-team pools over the first three days. Their first match saw them drop their first set before rallying to win the third 15-10. They took care of business in straight sets to close the day. On day two, they again started their day with a three-setter but they wouldn't drop a set for the remainder of the tournament.   After winning their pool they needed to win a crossover match to get a spot in the gold bracket and they took care of business, beating AP 16 Adidas in straight sets. In the gold bracket, none of their opponents eclipsed the twenty points and they convincingly won their final three matches. Park Hill South's [player_tooltip player_id='222075' first='Sydni' last='Lafasciano'], rated 6th in the 2026 rankings earned a spot on the all-tournament team. She was joined by teammates Taylor Stanley (MVP) and Alayna Vaeth.   Other members of the team: Elena Dougherty, [player_tooltip player_id='542190' first='Drew' last='Kasyjanski'] (St. Teresa's), Avery Sands, Elizabeth Scalon (St. Teresa's), Selah Simien, [player_tooltip player_id='357577' first='Addyson' last='Staples'] (Park Hill), and Tori Thompson.   Head Coach: Cassandra Rockers

After what they may have considered a difficult year, Dynasty 16 Black made lemonade out of lemons and returned to Kansas City as the National Champions in the 16 American division. As they started the season, they had hopes of qualifying and competing for a title in the Open division. However, when many teams would have shut down by not being pleased with their draw, they played outstanding volleyball, dropping two sets in the tournament to be crowned champions.