Tips for stat takers from the NCAA.org

If you only have one person to do your team's stats, have them sit next to the person doing the opposing team's stats – frequent checks are then possible to make sure that an attack is awarded a dig, an ace is awarded a reception error, etc.  Sitting on your team bench may be more familiar, but the purpose in being there to stat the match is to do the job correctly. The box score must balance at the end of the match, and it's a lot harder to go back afterward and try to make corrections. 

	Leonard Xu/ESPN RISE
	Lesli Akeo of Kamehameha (Honolulu, Hawai'i) controls the ball.

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By Christine Jinbo

Coaches sometimes urge athletes not to look at their game stats in order to promote the "team concept."  If coaches and educators inform student athletes how to look at their stats, the focus can become "we" instead of "me".

Does your team have some specific goals for improvement this season?  it's important to track statistics to get a clear measure of improvment and areas for growth in practice.  Where did the other team score the most points?  If points were scored mostly on serve receive, then drills can be designed to improve that part of the team's game.  If points were scored mostly on attacking errors, then hitting drills become the focus to improve.

Accurate statistics help promote the team concept, if used as a learning tool. With the focus on improved individual and team performance, stats can be used to show efficiency, stamina and skill competency. Athletes can learn valuable lessons about their game and how to improve by accurately dissecting their stats.
 
Since accurate stats are at the center of this process, the first installment of "Tracking Progress" covers the statistical categories.(Read full post)

The U.S. Boys' Youth National Team fell flat against Serbia in its second match at the FIVB Boys' Youth (U-19) World Championship (17-25, 18-25, 18-25) on Saturday in Jesolo, Italy.  With a 1-1 record in pool play, the team's next match against Japan was a must win in order to stay in the hunt for a gold medal.  The top two teams in each pool of four will advance to the gold medal round and the bottom two play for places nine through 16.

	Christine Jinbo
	AAU Player of the Year Taylor Sander is a standout on the hard wood and the sand.

In a must win situation, the U.S. Team bested Japan in four sets, 25-21, 23-25, 25-21, 25-21.  Iran, Serbia and the US all recorded a 2-1 record and faced a tiebreak situation.  A point differential method determines a winner in a three-way tie, with points scored versus points allowed.  Iran placed first in the pool with the best point differential and it had the best record in sets.

The second spot in the pool would either go to Serbia or the U.S.  Serbia's point differential totaled 1.039, as it scored a total of 238 points and gave up 229 points.  The U.S., with 239 points scored one more point than Serbia, but it gave up 25 additional points to its opponents with 254.  By a ratio difference of .098, Serbia came out on top and the U.S., eliminated from the gold medal round, will play for places nine through 16.

To read more about each match the U.S. Boys Youth National Team played, visit USA Volleyball or the FIVB website.

The U.S. Boys' Youth National Team opened the 2009 FIVB Boys' Youth (U-19) World Championship with a 3-1 (25-20, 13-25, 25-22, 25-23) pool play upset of defending champion Iran on Friday in Jesolo, Italy.

Team USA (1-0) will play Serbia (1-0) on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. local time (3:30 a.m. PT) in its second pool play match. Iran (0-1) will face Japan (0-1).

U.S. team captain Taylor Sander (Norco, Calif.) led all scorers with 21 points on a match-high 18 kills, two blocks and one ace. Jeremy Dejno (New Berlin, Wis.) added 13 points on 13 kills. Dylan Davis (Corona del Mar, Calif.) totaled 10 points on four kills and a match-high six blocks.

By Christine Jinbo

USA Volleyball announced its 12 player roster that will represent the United States at the FIVB Boys' Youth (U-19) World Championship on Aug. 28-Sept. 6 in Jesolo and Bassano del Grappa, Italy.

	Christine Jinbo/ESPN RISE
	Micah Christenson, setter for Outrigger VBC will play along fellow Hawaiians Taylor Crabb and Joshua Taylor.

The team members selected are Micah Christenson (Honolulu, Hawai'i), Tanner Clayton (San Diego, Calif.), Taylor Crabb (Honolulu, Hawai'i), Dylan Davis (Corona del Mar, Calif.), Jeremy Dejno (New Berlin, Wis.), Nick Gibson (Shorewood, Wis.), Evan Mottram (Leona Valley, Calif.), Connor Olbright (Orange, Calif.), Spencer Rowe (Trabuco Canyon, Calif.), Taylor Sander (Norco, Calif.), Joshua Taylor (Honolulu, Hawai'i) and Maurice Torres (Riverside, Calif.).

The U.S. Boys' Youth National Team won the 2008 NORCECA Championship in Miami and qualified for the 2009 World Championship.

Sean Byron (Ohio State University) and Dan Friend (Lewis University) will serve as assistants to Read. The head of the U.S. delegation to the Boys' Youth World Championship will be Ken Preston, the former men's head coach at UC Santa Barbara.

For more information visit USA Volleyball or the FIVB Website for event information.



 

By Kirstin Olsen, Special to ESPN RISE

A year ago today, marked a special event in volleyball history. The U.S. Men's National Team struck gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, USA Volleyball's first indoor gold medal in 20 years. ESPN RISE caught up with outside hitter Reid Priddy and peppered him with questions about his journey to the gold medal match and his life today.

Reid Priddy and his friends from the National Team celebrate the anniversary of their gold medal victory.  Catch it live tonight, on a Radio/Web Stream Podcast with video at The Volleyball Network from 5pm-7pm (PT).

Q & A with Reid Priddy

ESPN RISE: When did you get involved in volleyball?
Priddy: I was 15 years old and I was first introduced to Volleyball in PE class.  The coach saw something and encouraged me to tryout for the team at school.  I did, and fell in love with it.
 
Did you play other sports growing up?
Yes, soccer for like 11 years...baseball, basketball...

Where did you go to high school?
Freshman year I went to Lake Mary High School in Florida and then we moved to Phoenix, and I finished at Mountain Pointe High School (they just won their seventh state title this season!).(Read full post)

By Christine Jinbo

Watch and learn from the best this weekend, Aug. 15-17 as men's volleyball teams from the United States, Panama, Guatemala and Dominican Republic compete in the event.

Teams from this event will qualify for the 2010 World Championships, September 24 through October 10, 2010, in Italy.

Event Schedule

Irvine, Calif., Qualifier Match Schedule
All times are Pacific Time

Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009
5:00 p.m. - Dominican Republic vs.  Panama
7:30 p.m. - USA vs. Guatemala

Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009     
5:00 p.m. - Guatemala vs. Dominican Republic
7:30 p.m. - USA vs. Panama

Monday, Aug. 17, 2009     
5:00 p.m. - Guatemala vs. Panama
7:30 p.m. - USA vs. Dominican Republic

Tickets cost: $12 for adults, $6 for children under 12,  $8 each for groups of 15 or more and an all-session pass is $25. Tickets are on sale now at the Bren Center box office at (949) 824-5000 or at TicketMaster.com.
 

The U.S. Men's Junior Volleyball Team fell to Iran, 2-3 (25-23, 21-25, 18-25, 25-20, 10-15) on Thursday at the FIVB Men's Junior (U-21) World Championships at the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune, India.

With the loss, the U.S. Men's Junior Team falls to 0-3 in Pool F and 2-4 overall.  With a 0-3 record, the squad will contend for places five through eight and will compete this weekend along with Iran (1-2). Brazil won the pool with a 3-0 record and Cuba finished second at 2-1. Both will move on to the semifinals.

The United States' Tony Ciarelli (Huntington Beach, Calif.) led all scorers with 21 points on a match-high 17 kills, two blocks and two aces. Tyler Jaynes (Granite Bay, Calif.) added 15 points on seven kills, a match-high seven blocks and one ace. Murphy Troy (St. Louis, Mo.) scored 12 points on nine kills and three aces.

The two teams were very close statistically. Both finished with six aces. The United States had 15 blocks to Iran's 14. But the United States' percentage of successful kill attempts was 36.64 while Iran's was 43.8. Iran scored on 35 U.S. errors while committing only 30.

Among other U.S. scorers, Tri Bourne (Honolulu, Hawai'i) scored seven points on three kills and four blocks. Nick Vogel (El Cajon, Calif.) finished with five points on five kills. Joe Kauliakamoa (Las Vegas, Nev.) added three points on two kills and one block. Tom Amberg (El Cajon, Calif.) and Rusty Lavaja (St. Charles, Ill.) each scored two points on two kills. Brad Lawson (Honolulu, Hawai'i) scored one point on a block while Joe Sunder (Greensburg, Pa.) scored one point on a kill.

Read more at USA Volleyball.

Final Pool F Standings
Brazil 3-0 6 points
Cuba 2-1 5 points
Iran 1-2 4 points
USA 0-3 3 points

Pool F Results
Aug. 4 - Brazil def. USA, 25-21, 25-23, 22-25, 25-17
Aug. 4 - Cuba def. Iran, 25-18, 25-23, 25-22

Aug. 5 - Cuba def. USA, 25-23, 25-23, 25-23
Aug. 5 - Brazil def. Iran, 25-20, 25-22, 25-18

Aug. 6 - Iran def. USA, 23-25 25-21 25-18 20-25 15-10
Aug. 6 - Brazil def. Cuba, 25-22, 25-14, 25-22

Final Pool A Standings
India 2-1 5 points
USA 2-1 5 points
Belarus 2-1 5 points
Tunisia 0-3 3 points

Pool A Results
July 30 - USA def. Belarus, 32-30, 21-25, 25-18, 30-28

July 31 - India def. Tunisia, 25-11, 25-15, 25-13

Aug. 1 - USA def. Tunisia, 21-25, 25-19, 25-15, 25-21
Aug. 1 - Belarus def. India, 25-21, 22-25, 25-23, 20-25, 15-11

Aug. 2 - Belarus def. Tunisia, 24-26, 26-24, 25-17, 25-17
Aug. 2 - India def. USA, 25-23, 25-21, 25-18

After defeating Belarus, (32-30, 21-25, 25-18, 30-28) and Tunisia, 25-11, 25-15, 25-13 in pool play, the U.S. Men's Junior National Team lost to host country India, in the 2009 FIVB Men's Junior (U-21) World Championships on Sunday, (23-25, 21-25, 18-25)

India and the United States both concluded the pool with 2-1 records, as did Belarus. By virtue of the tiebreaking point ratio formula, India won Pool A with a 1.226 ratio. In its five years of competition in the event, India never qualified for the top half of the classification bracket in the previous events and this is the first time India won its pool. USA earned the second spot by two-thousandths of a point over Belarus - 1.039 to 1.037.

Tony Ciarelli (Huntington Beach, Calif.) led the United States with 12 points on 10 kills, one block and one ace. Tyler Jaynes (Granite Bay, Calif.) added seven points on six kills and one ace. Joe Sunder (Greensburg, Pa.) scored six points on five kills and one block.


Patchell started Ciarelii and Troy at outside hitter, Jaynes and Vogel at middle blocker, Sunder at opposite, Kauliakamoa at setter and Shoji at libero. Amberg, Bourne and Lawson all played as substitutes. Lavaja replaced Vogel in the second set and started the third.


Read more about the USA Junior Men's Team at USA Volleyball

2009 FIVB Men's Junior World Championships
July 31-Aug. 9 in Pune, India

Final Pool A Standings
India 2-1 5 points
USA 2-1 5 points
Belarus 2-1 5 points
Tunisia 0-3 3 points

Pool A Results
July 30 - USA def. Belarus, 32-30, 21-25, 25-18, 30-28

July 31 - India def. Tunisia, 25-11, 25-15, 25-13

Aug. 1 - USA def. Tunisia, 21-25, 25-19, 25-15, 25-21
Aug. 1 - Belarus def. India, 25-21, 22-25, 25-23, 20-25, 15-11

Aug. 2 - Belarus def. Tunisia, 24-26, 26-24, 25-17, 25-17
Aug. 2 - India def. USA, 25-23, 25-21, 25-18

The U.S. Men's Junior National Team, now 2-0 in pool play, came back from a first-set loss and defeated Tunisia 3-1 (21-25, 25-19, 25-15, 25-21) on Saturday at the FIVB Men's Junior (U-21) World Championships at the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune, India.

The top two teams from each first-round pool advances to second and will compete for places one through eight. The bottom two teams fall into the second-round and will compete for places nine through sixteen.

The United States' Joe Sunder (Greensburg, Pa.) and Murphy Troy (St. Louis, Mo.) led all scorers with 17 points each. Sunder had 14 kills, two blocks and one ace. Troy added a match-high 15 kills and two blocks.

Tony Ciarelli (Huntington Beach, Calif.) scored 14 points on 12 kills, one block and one ace. Nick Vogel (El Cajon, Calif.) totaled 11 points on four kills, a match-high six blocks and one ace. Rusty Lavaja (St. Charles, Ill.) tallied eight points on six kills and two blocks.

Libero Erik Shoji (Honolulu, Hawai'i) was credited with eight digs and two faults on 22 attempts and seven excellent receptions with one fault on 20 attempts. Ciarelli had seven excellent receptions and no faults on 20 attempts. Kauliakamoa was credited with 19 running sets and one fault on 82 attempts.

Read more at USA Volleyball.

2009 FIVB Men's Junior World Championships
July 31-Aug. 9 in Pune, India

Pool A Standings
USA 2-0 4 points
India 1-1 3 points
Belarus 1-1 3 points
Tunisia 0-2 2 points

Pool A Schedule (All times PT) and Results
July 30 - USA def. Belarus, 32-30, 21-25, 25-18, 30-28

July 31 - India def. Tunisia, 25-11, 25-15, 25-13

Aug. 1 - USA def. Tunisia, 21-25, 25-19, 25-15, 25-21
Aug. 1 - Belarus def. India, 25-21, 22-25, 25-23, 20-25, 15-11

Aug. 2 - 1:30 a.m. Belarus vs. Tunisia
Aug. 2 - 5:30 a.m. India vs. USA

USA Men's Junior National Teams bests Belarus in Pune, India.

The U.S. Men's Junior National Team opened the FIVB World Championships on Friday with a 3-1 (32-30, 21-25, 25-18, 30-28) pool play victory over Belarus at the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune, India.

The seventh-ranked U.S. Men's Junior Team will play its next pool play match against Tunisia at 1:30 a.m. PT on Saturday.

Tony Ciarelli (Huntington Beach, Calif.) paced Team USA on Friday and led all scorers with 23 points on 18 kills, four blocks and one ace. Joe Sunder (Greensburg, Pa.) added 15 points on 12 kills and three blocks. Murphy Troy (St. Louis, Mo.) chipped in nine points on seven kills, one block and one ace.

Nick Vogel (El Cajon, Calif.) scored eight points on three kills, four blocks and one ace.(Read full post)

2009 FIVB Men's Junior World Championships
July 31-Aug. 9 in Pune, India

The players and coaches on the U.S. Men's Junior (U-19) National Team that will compete July 31-Aug. 9 at the 2009 Men's Junior World Championship in Pune, India, know each other pretty well.  Unlike the girls' Junior National Team, seven players return from the 2008 team that won the bronze medal at the 2008 NORCECA Championship in El Salvador to qualify for the world championships.

Returning players include: outside hitter Tri Bourne (Honolulu, Hawai'i); middle blocker Tyler Jaynes (Granite Bay, Calif.); setter Joe Kauliakamoa (Las Vegas, Nev.); outside hitter Brad Lawson (Honolulu, Hawai'i); libero Erik Shoji (Honolulu, Hawai'i), who was named Best Defender, Best Receiver, and Best Libero at the NORCECA Championship; team captain Murphy Troy (St. Louis, Mo.) at outside hitter; and opposite Joe Sunder (Greensburg, Pa.).

Head coach Shawn Patchell, the men's volleyball coach at BYU, also coached the team in 2008.

Jaynes, Kauliakamoa, Lawson, Shoji and Troy have all played together on U.S. teams since 2006, when they were on the U.S. Boys' Youth Team that won the silver medal at the NORCECA Championships in the Dominican Republic.

The new players on the team will bring great skill and are also familiar with some of the other players in one way or another.

Outside hitter Tony Ciarelli (Huntington Beach, Calif.) started as a freshman at USC this spring, playing with Troy and Bourne. That Trojans team made it to the NCAA final, where it fell to UC Irvine, 2-3.

Middle blocker Rusty Lavaja (St. Charles, Ill.) plays at BYU with Kauliakamoa and Patchell. Middle blocker Nick Vogel (El Cajon, Calif.) and outside hitter Thomas Amberg (El Cajon, Calif.) play together at Valhalla High School before both went to UCLA. The U.S. Men's Junior Team assistant coach Jonathan Wenger is also from UCLA.

However, there is one player the team expected to have in India that it won't. Setter Matt Stork (Topanga, Calif.) could not make the trip due to visa issues.

Live scoring, photos and other information are available on the FIVB web site.

2009 FIVB Men's Junior World Championships
July 31-Aug. 9 in Pune, India

July 30
9:30 p.m. USA vs. Belarus

July 31
3:30 a.m. Tunisia vs. India

Aug. 1
1:30 a.m. Tunisia vs. USA
5:30 India vs. Belarus

Aug. 2
1:30 a.m. Belarus vs. Tunisia
5:30 a.m. India vs. USA

The 2009 USA Volleyball High Performance Championship will take place at the Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center July 22-26 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The USA Volleyball High Performance Championships, featuring a tournament-record 92 teams for both boys' and girls' championship flights, combines the best teams from USAV High Performance Pipeline teams, USAV Region High Performance Teams and international squads.

Tayyiba Haneef-Park (Laguna Hills, Calif.), a two-time Olympian for the U.S. Women's National Team, will serve as the keynote speaker at the tournament banquet on July 21 at 7 p.m. ET. Haneef-Park played a key role in the U.S. winning the silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Half of USA Volleyball's 40 regions are sending Regional High Performance Teams to compete in the 2009 USA Volleyball High Performance Championships.  Four countries outside the United States are sending teams to compete in the USA Volleyball High Performance Championships including Dominican Republic, Canada (province teams of Nova Scotia, Alberta, Manitoba competing), Italy and Puerto Rico.

The USA Volleyball High Performance Championships features an international theme with some variations of FIVB rules. Matches are best-of-five sets format with most teams playing eight matches during the event. The tournament will utilize some new FIVB rules such as the primary and secondary libero.  In addition, the FIVB experimental rule of six total subs per set but not limiting a player to one entry will be used.

Read More at USA Volleyball

By Christine Jinbo

The USA Boys' Junior Olympic Volleyball Championship (JOVC), held July 1 through 8, hosted boys teams from around the country.  As the nation mourned the King of Pop, volleyball teams "got to be there" at the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) where the top teams contended for the national championship.

The No. 1 seed Outrigger 17-1 and No. 2 seed OCVC 17-1 must have felt "bad" after they lost in a "thriller", in the quarterfinals.  But after these two teams "beat it", the bracket opened up for all comers.(Read full post)

By Christine Jinbo

Orange County Riptides crowned National Championship in Atlanta.
 
The USA Junior Olympic Volleyball Championship gathered the best boys' volleyball teams in the nation in Atlanta, Ga.   The championship match for the boys' 18 Open Division, held on Saturday, July 4, featured Riptides OC (Orange County, Calif.) and Balboa Bay 18-Quiksilver (Orange County, Calif.).

In the all-Orange County final, both teams advanced through a bracket which contained high level Mid West, East Coast and California teams as well. The two-set championship thriller ended as underdog Riptides OC defeated Balboa Bay Quicksilver, coached by John Speraw, the Head Coach at NCAA Champion UC Irvine, (27-25, 25-22).

In a, riches to rags and back to riches story, Riptides OC dominated the Southern California Region early in the season. But without starting setter Arik Metzger, who was injured, the squad did not place in the Gold Division of the Boys Classic and bowed out to Epic (San Diego, Calif.) Volleyball Club in the semifinals of the Silver Division playoffs.

Riptides OC needed a player to fill the setting spot before J.O.'s and picked up 5-foot-10 setter Brett McGarry to replace the injured Metzger one week prior to departing for Atlanta.  Marking their solidarity and mission, the players shaved their heads the night before heading to Atlanta.  The squad, reborn, stormed through the brackets and defeated:

Adversity Elite 18 (Des Plaines, Ill.) (25-16, 23-25, 15-10)
Richmod Volleyball Club 181 (Richmond, Va.) (25-19, 25-13)
Balboa Bay 18White (Newport Beach, Calif.) (25-12, 25-23)
Eden Mizuno 18 (Eden, N.Y.) (25-15, 18-25, 15-11)
STLHP 18 Orange (St. Louis, Calif.) (19-25, 25-21, 17-15)
SMBC 18-Black (Santa Monica, Calif.) (25-19, 25-20)
Pali 18 Kaepa (Pacific Palisades, Calif.) (25-15, 26-24)
Seaside 18-Black (San Diego, Calif.) (25-12, 25-16)

Sports Performance Volleyball 18 Mizuno was the only team to get the best of the Riptides OC  Club, in a third set deciding game, 23-25, 25-21, 16-14.

Riptides downed both the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds of the tournament en route to the gold medal.  In the Gold Division semifinal, it defeated first seed, MB Surf 18's (Manhattan Beach) (25-18, 25-23) and second seed Balboa Bay 18Q (27-25, 25-22) in the final.

McGarry, who was cut from his high school varsity team, Loyola (Los Angeles, Calif.) was an inspirational leader for Riptides.  He led the team through the week of competition and knocked out the Loyola replica team MBSurf.  The MB Surf team started four Loyola athletes and added Punahou (Honolulu, Hawaii) High School standout Maddison McKibbin along with other standout players.

Redeemed, McGarry stood with his gold medal around his neck.  He starred at the shiny memento and shook his head at the road he took to get there.

All Tournament Team:

From the Silver Medal Team; Connor Hughes (Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif.), Tanner Janzen (Santa Margarita, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) and Ian Castellano (San Clemente, Calif.);

From the Gold Medal Team, Maurice Torres (Orange Lutheran, Orange, Calif.), Chase Frishman (Dana Hills, Calif.) and "Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament" Dane Worley (Foothill, Santa Ana, Calif.).

By Christine Jinbo

St. Louis High Performance Volleyball (St. Louis, Mo.) had the biggest brains in the gym at the Boys Classic in Anaheim, Calif.  It has become, somewhat of a recent trend, for Ivy League schools that host mens' volleyball, to send their coaches recruiting in the same arena as UC Irvine, USC and other top NCAA Div. I programs.

Two Loyola (Los Angeles, Calif.) High School graduates, Michael Dye and Sean Cotter will head to Princeton (N.J.) in the fall and three St. Louis (Mo.) area athletes, who all play on St. Louis High Performance, will head to MIT (Boston, Mass.) and Harvard (Cambridge, Mass.).

These three athletes Matt Hohenberger, Rob Lothman and, Patrick Vatterott  spoke to ESPN RISE Volleyball about their choice to attend these academically rigorous schools.  Check out their video below.

Video Link

By Christine Jinbo

Many volleyball athletes, both boys and girls are competing at a national tournament at this very moment.  These athletes play for many reasons, one of which is to get recruited to play in college.

UC Irvine Mens Volleyball team recently bested USC in the NCAA Div. I National Championship in Provo, Utah. UCI Asst. Coach Mark Presho spoke with ESPN RISE Volleyball about building a national championship team and the type of athletes college coaches want to recruit.  He answered many common questions athletes have about the recruiting process.

Video Link

By Christine Jinbo

Brett Anderson of the Riptides O.C. 17 Orange team spoke to ESPN RISE Volleyball after his team earned first place at the Boys Classic, hosted by Southern California Volleyball Association (SCVA).  Riptides O.C. defeated the tournament favorite, Orange Coast Volleyball Club (OCVC) 17-1 in the final. 

The junior setter looks forward to the J.O.'s hosted by USA Volleyball.  His team finished as the runner up in the Boys Invitational that hosted over 300 teams from around the nation.  This recent first place finish, he hopes, will help his team in the Junior Olympic Championship in Atlanta, Ga.

Video Link

By Christine Jinbo

USA Volleyball conducts two large scale events which overlap and close out the junior club volleyball season, the Girls' and Boys' Junior Olympic Volleyball Championship. Miami, Fla. is the home for the 2009 Girls' JOVC and Atlanta, Ga. plays host to the boys.

	Courtesy Christine Mirick
	Peter Jasaits passes for MB Surf, a top contender from Southern California.

With a maximum field size of 36 teams in the Open Division, there will be fierce competition among teams, which earned bids through selected "bid" tournaments

The tournaments selected as Bid Tournaments for the 2009 Boys season are as follows:

Bid Tournament - Dates - Maximum Number of Bids
No Dinx Boys Far Westerns
-   January 3-4  -   2
Dennis Lafata Gateway Boys Festival 
-   January 17-18  -   4
Rochester CAN-AM  
-  January 17-18   -   3
SCVA Junior Boys Invitational 
-   January 17-19 -   10
USAV Southeast BBQ  
-  January 23-25  -   2
Molten Wisconsin Boys Volleyball Festival 
-   February 7-8-   4
Nittany Ninvitational (17 & 18 Open)  
-  February 14-15 -   4
NIKE Great Lakes Festival for Boys 
-   February 14-15  -   3
Nittany 2 (14O, 15O, 16O) 
-   February 22-23 -    2
Boys East Coast Championships
-    May 23-25  -   2

USA Volleyball's goal for the Open Division of the Boys Junior Olympic Volleyball Championship, "is to produce an event which will promote the highest level of Boys competition."

By Christine Jinbo

After spending two consecutive four-day stints in Anaheim, Calif., it became ever clearer that the culminating season ending event regardless of geographical distance, is an essential part of a club season.  The final competition of a season enables teams to showcase their talent, battle in a championship atmosphere and achieve team goals.

Currently, the USA Junior Olympic Volleyball Championship (JOVC) is the only event teams must qualify to attend.  The nation's top teams attend the Open Division of the JOVC.  The tournament also hosts qualified teams in two other divisions, National and American.  There are four other season enders in which clubs may participate. (Read full post)

By Christine Jinbo

The Southern California Volleyball Association (SCVA) concluded its Boys Classic Tournament with over 500 teams, many Atlanta bound for the USA Junior Olympic Volleyball Championship.

Michael Cate of Riptides OC 17 Orange spoke with ESPN RISE Volleyball after the team's championship run in the 17 Open Division.

Video Link

By Christine Jinbo

It would be overstated to say that Riptides OC 17 Orange shocked the world when it beat No. 1 seeded OCVC 17-1 in the finals of the Boys Classic, hosted by the Southern California Volleyball Association in Anaheim, Calif.

	Christine Jinbo/ESPN RISE
	Steady performances at the serving line, like this one from Chris Gibbons helped Riptides OC win the 17 Open Division.

By Christine Jinbo

ESPN RISE Volleyball has video and pictures from the recent Boys Classic hosted by the SCVA in Anaheim, Calif.  Visit the ESPN RISE Volleyball Group page to see photos from the Boys Classic and stay tuned for video interviews!

Leave a message on the group wall, so we know you were there!
 

By Christine Jinbo

The Balboa Bay Volleyball Club looks to dominate the junior boys' volleyball scene once again at the USA Junior Olympic Volleyball Championships (JOVC).  In 2008, the club captured three gold medals at the JOVC in the 15 Open, 16 Open and 18 Open Divisions.  The club had a team in every Open Division final except for the 14 Open, where it tied for third.

	Christine Jinbo/ESPN RISE
	Balboa Bay 18Q takes the Boys Classic

By Christine Jinbo

ESPN RISE FAB 50 No. 5 Mater Dei earned its first CIF Championship in boys' volleyball this year.  Salvatore La Cavera III spoke to ESPN RISE about team, championships and the chain around his neck.

Video Link

By Christine Jinbo

Connor Hughes spoke with ESPN RISE Volleyball about playing in the CIF State Southern California Div. II Regional, the teams' strategy and playing his senior year.

By Christine Jinbo

ESPN RISE Volleyball talked to Christian Workman of No. 1 Loyola (Los Angeles, Calif.) High School about the CIF Sportsmanship Award and the meaning of team.

By Christine Jinbo

Loyola crowned ESPN RISE National Champion

ESPN RISE Volleyball FAB 50
FAB 50 Final Rankings reflect games played through June 2.

Loyola's (Los Angeles, Calif.) ESPN RISE FAB 50 National Championship season grew with six starters who returned, from its '08 squad, which finished last year ranked No. 10 in the FAB 50 national rankings.   The Cubs spent seven weeks at the No. 1 spot of the ESPN RISE FAB 50 and quickly climbed from its original No. 8 pre-season ranking.

	Christine Jinbo/ESPN RISE
	ESPN RISE National Champion, Loyola High School

With 20 of 32 matches against ranked opponents, the Cubs' claim to the title resides strongly in their strength of schedule, team play and commitment to excellence.  The Cubs' championship mentality led the squad to their fourth CIF Southern Section Div. I Championship in seven years.  Loyola also earned its spot in the record books as the first ever CIF State Div. I Regional Champion.

The tenacious Cubs chased championships with an active 22-match win streak, which started in mid-March.  Through injuries, lineup changes, an 18-man roster and a nine-man rotation (sometimes 10), the Cubs finished the year with a 30-2 record and avenged both early season losses in straight set victories.

Loyola High School works to instill the philosophy of "men for others,” in each student.  As part of this belief, Loyola students complete at least 155 hours of community service work before graduation.  The Loyola volleyball team represents the school's philosophy of men for others.

Senior defensive specialist, Christian Workman received the CIF Div. I Sportsmanship Award and echoed the feeling of community and of being men for others.

"Every day I worked to make the other guys on the team better and they would push me."

Players for Loyola feel they are part of something greater than themselves, as senior defensive specialist Gus Murray explained.

"It has tradition and everyone expects us to do well."

The Loyola Volleyball program earned 10 CIF Southern Section Div. I championships overall and four in the last seven years.

Workman summed up the Cubs' season, "It was always a team effort this whole year; it wasn't just one person.  I think that is the greatest part about our team, we are a team and not just a bunch of individuals."

By Christine Jinbo

The debate continues for the claim to the title of ESPN RISE National Champions.  Loyola (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Punahou (Honolulu, Calif.) own the current No. 1 and No. 2 spots respectively and both have strong claims to the national crown.

	Leonard Xu
	Matt Mirick, senior setter and team leader for Loyola.