Club Volleyball

[pittdan77]

Getting deep into the world of club volleyball. It's quite an interesting world. For anyone who haven't experienced it, here are a few observations. I'm sure there are some similarities with other sports or maybe some of you have done this but I thought it would be cool to share for those that never experienced it.

Holy crap are some of these kids good! I'm almost overwhelmed with how good some of these girls are and how some clubs manage to accumulate talent. It's very entertaining to see two evenly matched open division teams go at it on that level when you're right at courtside. That said, elite teams struggle when you don't see any chemistry. Saw two open division teams get taken out by regional teams this past weekend just because the girls just didn't play well together against teams that were obviously working well together.

Tournaments range from very grass roots and local to corporately run enterprises. Both have a place as the big tournaments draw a wider variety of clubs and have all of the equipment. Heading to York for the Blue Ribbon Brawl next weekend and my daughter's division has clubs from at least five states coming. 36 teams total for that tournament. There is also a pretty big tournament in DC this weekend, the Capitol Hill Classic. A few weeks ago, there was a large tournament at the convention center downtown (Steel City Freeze) that drew teams from as far away as Nevada. Pretty wild someone runs a 13-year-old girl that far for games.

Many of these tournaments have a recruiting showcase. I'm not totally sure how they work but you can get some exposure and build a recruiting profile. I know they do some drills and get some measurements. Let them play a little. From my experience, a little different that how football does it but there are similarities. I think if you're a top tier player, you won't need more than one to get some measurements but if you're planning to play at a lower level, these are probably a sound way to get there. The other thing is that many college coaches have daughters playing so they're at the tournaments watching. Saw Penn State's Katie Schumacher-Cawley, on Sunday. Really love that she wasn't mobbed and was left alone to watch her kid play.

In the end, the whole experience is what you make of it. My daughter's team had a rocky start in her first two tournaments but managed a third and a second place finish in the gold bracket. Both losses were to teams that play in a higher division and I think one has already qualified for nationals in Florida. She's on a regional team, by the way. But they're having a good time and despite being from seven different school districts, they have really gotten close to each other. My daughter has also gotten messages from players in other clubs and is enjoying making friends. You do have to deal with other parents because you become like some tribe of SUV driven nomads, together. Fortunately that's been a good experience, too. In the end, I don't really care how far she goes with it but I'm enjoying watching her do something she loves. It's exhausting but fun. I'll update as things go if people are interested.

 

[Black Panther]

Anybody the Panthers would be the interested in someday? Or anybody that might want to be a Panther? Pitt shouldn’t be pretty hard to sell to young talented Volleyball players.

 

[vantheman1976]

I recall reading that Fisher and staff are away this week attending some of these tournaments. Thanks for the summary and your insight. All the best to your daughter and her team.

 

[pittdan77]

Anybody the Panthers would be the interested in someday? Or anybody that might want to be a Panther? Pitt shouldn’t be pretty hard to sell to young talented Volleyball players.

Reese Hazelton was there with her club but didn't play. Beyond that, no, that tournament didn't have any of the premier open clubs in attendance.

I will say, PSU has gotten a couple of really good transfers. I still think they lack the overall size but they got a lot better through the transfer portal.

 

[pittdan77]

Spent the weekend in York for the Blue Ribbon Brawl. Was our first Grand Prix. Lots of talented teams. Because we haven't been in as many tourneys so far, our girls got a terrible seed. Like 32 out of 35 which put us in a pool with the #2 seed. Our girls handled two of the four teams in the pool pretty easily and then fell victim to one of the worst officiating calls I've ever witnessed in a volleyball game. Up 23-22 with the serve to the #2 seed (and eventual runner-up) in the second set and an attempted set off of a serve (which was also a double) flew up and backwards towards the line. Girl dove and missed and everyone near the court, including the score keeper, thought it was 24-22. Up official said he didn't see it and of course the girl doing the line wasn't paying attention and just called it out. He gave them the point and the serve. Doubt we win the third set but it was a tough pill to swallow. The team took the point but did come over after and acknowledged the bad call. Coach had nice things to say about the team. Still made the gold bracket and were rewarded with the #1 seed (eventual third place winner) in the first round. They handled us pretty well. Came back and won the placing game so they finished 11th out of 35 teams. Not too shabby for the kind of team we have. Especially since we were giving up a big size advantage most of the weekend.

Saw that official involved in two more controversial calls later in the day on adjacent courts. He was distracted and just not paying attention to the game. Saw him check his watch during a rally. Stinks but you're going to find a turd floating around at a tourney that big.

Overall, there were some very talented teams in this tournament from five or six different states. Some teams already had championship tickets punched. There were some more developmental teams, too. Lots of size. Some teams had three or four 14u's over six feet tall and you could tell some of the girls have a lot of experience. Watched some 18u games. Unreal how good these kids are and how competitive the games were.

A weekend off then off to the next big tournament out east. Irish Rumble.

 

[vantheman1976]

Spent the weekend in York for the Blue Ribbon Brawl. Was our first Grand Prix. Lots of talented teams. Because we haven't been in as many tourneys so far, our girls got a terrible seed. Like 32 out of 35 which put us in a pool with the #2 seed. Our girls handled two of the four teams in the pool pretty easily and then fell victim to one of the worst officiating calls I've ever witnessed in a volleyball game. Up 23-22 with the serve to the #2 seed (and eventual runner-up) in the second set and an attempted set off of a serve (which was also a double) flew up and backwards towards the line. Girl dove and missed and everyone near the court, including the score keeper, thought it was 24-22. Up official said he didn't see it and of course the girl doing the line wasn't paying attention and just called it out. He gave them the point and the serve. Doubt we win the third set but it was a tough pill to swallow. The team took the point but did come over after and acknowledged the bad call. Coach had nice things to say about the team. Still made the gold bracket and were rewarded with the #1 seed (eventual third place winner) in the first round. They handled us pretty well. Came back and won the placing game so they finished 11th out of 35 teams. Not too shabby for the kind of team we have. Especially since we were giving up a big size advantage most of the weekend.

Saw that official involved in two more controversial calls later in the day on adjacent courts. He was distracted and just not paying attention to the game. Saw him check his watch during a rally. Stinks but you're going to find a turd floating around at a tourney that big.

Overall, there were some very talented teams in this tournament from five or six different states. Some teams already had championship tickets punched. There were some more developmental teams, too. Lots of size. Some teams had three or four 14u's over six feet tall and you could tell some of the girls have a lot of experience. Watched some 18u games. Unreal how good these kids are and how competitive the games were.

A weekend off then off to the next big tournament out east. Irish Rumble.

Sounds like you're having fun....that counts for a lot....in spite of that knucklehead official. Keep having a blast!

 

[pittdan77]

Sounds like you're having fun....that counts for a lot....in spite of that knucklehead official. Keep having a blast!

One official was really good all day but a ball hit the antenna in front of him and he missed it. Was early in a game and didn't affect the outcome. Bad calls happen and that's a really long weekend for any official. Hard to fault them for the occasional bad call in a tournament that big but that one was pretty special.

One thing I will say, some coaches do voluntarily give up a point on a blatantly bad call. I've seen it a few times. See it more on a rotation mistake.

I am having fun. It's tiring and expensive but my kid is loving it and I can see her improving so it's worth it.

 

[pittdan77]

Spent the weekend in Downingtown as part of the Irish Rumble. Huge tournament with several age groups having multiple divisions. Ours had 27 teams. Officiating was a bit sketchy. Saw some blatant carries and doubles but overall didn't see or hear of any games turning on a bad call.

First time against some of the eastern PA clubs this year. Seems like a lot of the clubs out east field a ton of teams with maybe one team being exceptional. Some of the teams were pretty bad. Did play West E which is based in western Westmoreland.

Overall, daughter's team finished 4-2 and took third overall. Terrible loss to a bad team on Saturday put them in a bracket with a very good team from MD (Vision). Probably could have met them in the finals but couldn't get past them in the semi's. Learning moment. As a club, we did pretty well for such a huge tournament. Very well run. Wasn't much room around the courts for seating but that happens. Overall, a good trip. Just a long drive.

Heading out to @FreeportPanther territory for a single day tournament next weekend.

 

[FreeportPanther]

Spent the weekend in Downingtown as part of the Irish Rumble. Huge tournament with several age groups having multiple divisions. Ours had 27 teams. Officiating was a bit sketchy. Saw some blatant carries and doubles but overall didn't see or hear of any games turning on a bad call.

First time against some of the eastern PA clubs this year. Seems like a lot of the clubs out east field a ton of teams with maybe one team being exceptional. Some of the teams were pretty bad. Did play West E which is based in western Westmoreland.

Overall, daughter's team finished 4-2 and took third overall. Terrible loss to a bad team on Saturday put them in a bracket with a very good team from MD (Vision). Probably could have met them in the finals but couldn't get past them in the semi's. Learning moment. As a club, we did pretty well for such a huge tournament. Very well run. Wasn't much room around the courts for seating but that happens. Overall, a good trip. Just a long drive.

Heading out to @FreeportPanther territory for a single day tournament next weekend.

Tom Phillips runs our program. He’s the VB sage around here. You wouldn’t know it to look at him.
He has an amazing program for such a small place!
Good luck. Have fun and no injuries!

 

[pittdan77]

Tom Phillips runs our program. He’s the VB sage around here. You wouldn’t know it to look at him.
He has an amazing program for such a small place!
Good luck. Have fun and no injuries!

Our club team's HC is something of the same. He's a very mild mannered guy but he is really respected in this area. He also runs the club, coaches HS girls and boys teams, and he officiates college games, too.

 

[FreeportPanther]

Our club team's HC is something of the same. He's a very mild mannered guy but he is really respected in this area. He also runs the club, coaches HS girls and boys teams, and he officiates college games, too.

Not sure what you're up against at Freeport. We don't do the club VB thing because the granddaughter is also a big time softball pitcher. She just verbaled to a D1 program as a junior. She just shows up for VB in the fall after travel ball is over with, and is a good enough athlete that she was first team All State outside hitter on Freeport's PIAA championship team and two time WPIAL winner.
Not sure what age we're talking about here, but if it's older girls/HS age and Freeport's varsity girls participate, fasten your seatbelt! They are good.

Lots of teams come to get the competition and see how they fare against them. Should be fun. Tom's tourney's are usually run well and have good competition.

 

[pittdan77]

Not sure what you're up against at Freeport. We don't do the club VB thing because the granddaughter is also a big time softball pitcher. She just verbaled to a D1 program as a junior. She just shows up for VB in the fall after travel ball is over with, and is a good enough athlete that she was first team All State outside hitter on Freeport's PIAA championship team and two time WPIAL winner.
Not sure what age we're talking about here, but if it's older girls/HS age and Freeport's varsity girls participate, fasten your seatbelt! They are good.

Lots of teams come to get the competition and see how they fare against them. Should be fun. Tom's tourney's are usually run well and have good competition.

Congrats to your granddaughter. She must be a heck of an athlete.

My kid plays 14u so I don't think we'll play any of the HS girls but I told my daughter to expect some tough competition from the locals and pointed out that they have been very successful. That said, we've played some very good teams so they won't be intimidated. I guess our club sends teams up there every year for his tournaments so I'm willing to bet there is some friendly rivalry there and the quality is good enough to push our kids.

 

[FreeportPanther]

Congrats to your granddaughter. She must be a heck of an athlete.

My kid plays 14u so I don't think we'll play any of the HS girls but I told my daughter to expect some tough competition from the locals and pointed out that they have been very successful. That said, we've played some very good teams so they won't be intimidated. I guess our club sends teams up there every year for his tournaments so I'm willing to bet there is some friendly rivalry there and the quality is good enough to push our kids.

IDK what he has coming up at that age. Might be a little less than what has recently gone through. But they take it seriously, I can tell you that.
Good luck, hope you have a good time.

 

[pittdan77]

IDK what he has coming up at that age. Might be a little less than what has recently gone through. But they take it seriously, I can tell you that.
Good luck, hope you have a good time.

Programs like that are good because they develop kids when they're young. I expect some good competition.

Thank you. I'm looking forward to the trip.

 

[HOF Coach]

Tom Phillips runs our program. He’s the VB sage around here. You wouldn’t know it to look at him.
He has an amazing program for such a small place!
Good luck. Have fun and no injuries!

So that's where Tommy ended up once he got out of prison!

Thanks...

 

[FreeportPanther]

Programs like that are good because they develop kids when they're young. I expect some good competition.

Thank you. I'm looking forward to the trip.

How did you do in Freeport Tourney??
Hope you had a good time and did well.

 

[HOF Coach]

How did you do in Freeport Tourney??
Hope you had a good time and did well.

Why isn't Free Port two words instead of one, Freeport?

 

[pittdan77]

How did you do in Freeport Tourney??
Hope you had a good time and did well.

That's happening this Saturday. Pretty small tourney. Got the schedule yesterday.

 

[pittdan77]

Why isn't Free Port two words instead of one, Freeport?

The first makes it sound like someone is giving away wine.

 

[FreeportPanther]

The first makes it sound like someone is giving away wine.

IDK? I don't own this circus, I just travel with it!

 

[FreeportPanther]

Why isn't Free Port two words instead of one, Freeport?

I'll ask around for you. Guessing the guy who knows is long dead though?
Like why is there an "h" at the end of Pittsburgh? Inquiring minds want to know!!!

 

[FreeportPanther]

Why isn't Free Port two words instead of one, Freeport?

Here's the best I can do? Doesn't answer the question, but pretty sure David Todd is dead! Seance maybe???

"The first settlement was made at Freeport in the 1760s.[13] Freeport received its name from David Todd, who declared it a free and open port. The borough was incorporated in 1833.[14] Freeport was a port on the former Pennsylvania Canal.[15]

Twenty-seven lots on the lands became Freeport borough, and were conveyed by William and David Todd for $24 each in 1797. This land was originally part of Westmoreland County but by the time the town was laid out, it had been made part of Allegheny County.

This land was originally called Todd's Town after the founding Todd family, and it would go by this name until its incorporation in 1833. It was a proclamation by David Todd that gave the town the name of Freeport. Todd said: "all the ground between the houses on Water Street and the river shall be free to all the lot-owners, and that boats, rafts, and other river craft landing here should be free of wharfage. Ever since the laying out of the town, it is a free port for all the river craft; so, this town christened by the proprietors has ever since been called Freeport."[16]

 

[pittdan77]

Been a busy week and there was a bit to unpack from last weekend in Freeport.

First off, Freeport's gym at the new MS is fantastic. Love the way the court is set up in order to host a small tournament and still have good bleacher seating. Obvious some thought went into the setup.

The tournament setup was....well, weird. It was pretty obvious that there either wasn't much consideration to seeding or the pools were set up unevenly. Either way, there were only three regional travel club teams in the tournament and they all ended up in the same pool. The rest were some version of a spring season junior high team or smaller localized clubs.

So of course, we ended up in a three-way tie (based on sets) after pool play. After a good 45 minutes of waiting, we found out we were somehow the victim of a tiebreaker and would play in the consolation bracket. So, despite only dropping two sets all day, we finished fifth out of eight teams.

The championship seedings were also weird. You don't normally end up on the same side of the bracket as a team in your pool but that's how it went down so the two surviving club teams had to play each other and then the winner had to turn right around and play in the championship against a rested opponent. They actually played three in a row. Not going to disparage the organizer other than to say the home team had it pretty good.

Off to State College next weekend. Late addition to the schedule. Have no idea who will show up for that but our girls are excited for another chance to compete.

 

[FreeportPanther]

Been a busy week and there was a bit to unpack from last weekend in Freeport.

First off, Freeport's gym at the new MS is fantastic. Love the way the court is set up in order to host a small tournament and still have good bleacher seating. Obvious some thought went into the setup.

The tournament setup was....well, weird. It was pretty obvious that there either wasn't much consideration to seeding or the pools were set up unevenly. Either way, there were only three regional travel club teams in the tournament and they all ended up in the same pool. The rest were some version of a spring season junior high team or smaller localized clubs.

So of course, we ended up in a three-way tie (based on sets) after pool play. After a good 45 minutes of waiting, we found out we were somehow the victim of a tiebreaker and would play in the consolation bracket. So, despite only dropping two sets all day, we finished fifth out of eight teams.

The championship seedings were also weird. You don't normally end up on the same side of the bracket as a team in your pool but that's how it went down so the two surviving club teams had to play each other and then the winner had to turn right around and play in the championship against a rested opponent. They actually played three in a row. Not going to disparage the organizer other than to say the home team had it pretty good.

Off to State College next weekend. Late addition to the schedule. Have no idea who will show up for that but our girls are excited for another chance to compete.

Yes, I don't know much about how these tournaments are set up, although a few years ago, we sure went to a lot of them! We never were part of a club team, just a team made up of school teammates. The whole idea there was to get the kids playing together and gaining some cohesion, as well as develop skills against good competition.

I think the "club" circuit is kind of outside of Freeport's pay grade. They probably don't put much thought into how the tournament is set up, competition wise. Pretty sure their outlook is just getting the kids playing good competition.

I could be wrong, but I hope you at least got in some good competition, because in the long run, it is all about playing challenging teams and improving skills.

Yes, the Gym is nice. We'll have one more year to enjoy it since we'll be defending our WPIAL and PIAA titles for her senior year. Volleyball is such a fun sport to watch, but it gets tense when you have someone competing! LOL
Thanks for the update, and good luck going forward!

 

[pittdan77]

Yes, I don't know much about how these tournaments are set up, although a few years ago, we sure went to a lot of them! We never were part of a club team, just a team made up of school teammates. The whole idea there was to get the kids playing together and gaining some cohesion, as well as develop skills against good competition.

I think the "club" circuit is kind of outside of Freeport's pay grade. They probably don't put much thought into how the tournament is set up, competition wise. Pretty sure their outlook is just getting the kids playing good competition.

I could be wrong, but I hope you at least got in some good competition, because in the long run, it is all about playing challenging teams and improving skills.

Yes, the Gym is nice. We'll have one more year to enjoy it since we'll be defending our WPIAL and PIAA titles for her senior year. Volleyball is such a fun sport to watch, but it gets tense when you have someone competing! LOL
Thanks for the update, and good luck going forward!

It's their tournament and they can certainly run it how they choose. Was actually good for the girls because it was the first time they suffered some real disappointment. And you may be right about not giving much thought to it. The competition was decent given who they played in the morning. The afternoon was a let down because the consolation bracket was terrible but that happens at big tournaments too.

I will say this for Freeport. They do understand what they have in that program and it shows when you look around. You're very fortunate in that regard because a lot of schools don't even want to shell out enough to buy game balls.

 

[FreeportPanther]

It's their tournament and they can certainly run it how they choose. Was actually good for the girls because it was the first time they suffered some real disappointment. And you may be right about not giving much thought to it. The competition was decent given who they played in the morning. The afternoon was a let down because the consolation bracket was terrible but that happens at big tournaments too.

I will say this for Freeport. They do understand what they have in that program and it shows when you look around. You're very fortunate in that regard because a lot of schools don't even want to shell out enough to buy game balls.

It's both a blessing and a curse for a school the size of Freeport.
Volleyball dominates the girls sports, and other girl's sports suffer.
My granddaughter is a top softball pitcher, but the team around her in HS is a joke.
All the best athletes concentrate on VBall year around. That hurts softball and basketball. If all the good athletes played multiple sports like my granddaughter, things would be better all around.
From what I've read about this, playing multiple sports is good for the kids because it works different muscles and gives them a mental break so they don't burn out!

 

[pittdan77]

It's both a blessing and a curse for a school the size of Freeport.
Volleyball dominates the girls sports, and other girl's sports suffer.
My granddaughter is a top softball pitcher, but the team around her in HS is a joke.
All the best athletes concentrate on VBall year around. That hurts softball and basketball. If all the good athletes played multiple sports like my granddaughter, things would be better all around.
From what I've read about this, playing multiple sports is good for the kids because it works different muscles and gives them a mental break so they don't burn out!

Honestly, it's problematic for any smaller school. Just aren't enough kids to go around sometimes. Freeport is huge compared to my daughter's school and there is still pressure from some coaches to focus on one sport/activity. Fortunately the volleyball coach isn't like that. In the past month she tried out for and made the varsity cheer squad for next year (going into 9th grade), had a big part in the school musical, played winter league for the Jr High VB team, started her dance classes for the season, and has had multiple club practices and tournaments. Oh, and track started Monday. I don't ever know what the fundraiser I'm pushing is for anymore and I'm exhausted. How she does it and keeps a 3.7 GPA or better is beyond me.

Other thing is that college coaches love to see multi-sport athletes so it's doing the kid a disservice to make them choose. It's not easy focusing on your best sport while participating in other sports but I do think that overall, it's good for the kids. Almost need that break and I think it's good to break things up. Burn out is very real and it's sad to see.

 

[vantheman1976]

Honestly, it's problematic for any smaller school. Just aren't enough kids to go around sometimes. Freeport is huge compared to my daughter's school and there is still pressure from some coaches to focus on one sport/activity. Fortunately the volleyball coach isn't like that. In the past month she tried out for and made the varsity cheer squad for next year (going into 9th grade), had a big part in the school musical, played winter league for the Jr High VB team, started her dance classes for the season, and has had multiple club practices and tournaments. Oh, and track started Monday. I don't ever know what the fundraiser I'm pushing is for anymore and I'm exhausted. How she does it and keeps a 3.7 GPA or better is beyond me.

Other thing is that college coaches love to see multi-sport athletes so it's doing the kid a disservice to make them choose. It's not easy focusing on your best sport while participating in other sports but I do think that overall, it's good for the kids. Almost need that break and I think it's good to break things up. Burn out is very real and it's sad to see.

Your daughter is a warrior....congrats....and good luck to her!

 

[FreeportPanther]

Your daughter is a warrior....congrats....and good luck to her!

This is something a lot of people overlook about women's/girls sports.
They ARE warriors.
When they go out to compete, they are every bit as determined and focused as their male counterparts.
True, they may not be as strong or big, but they are every bit as competitive.
This HAS to be such an asset to these young women in their formative years. The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat as they used to say.
Teamwork, hard work and effort and the ultimate gratification of doing your best.

 

[pittdan77]

This is something a lot of people overlook about women's/girls sports.
They ARE warriors.
When they go out to compete, they are every bit as determined and focused as their male counterparts.
True, they may not be as strong or big, but they are every bit as competitive.
This HAS to be such an asset to these young women in their formative years. The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat as they used to say.
Teamwork, hard work and effort and the ultimate gratification of doing your best.

The best part about club volleyball is that she found other girls who are just as driven to win and she's learned that it's okay to be like that. Probably the one drawback from playing in school is that not everyone is as driven. But that's also a good life lesson.

I think that nurturing leadership is ultimately the lesson they learn. Overcoming that "bossy" nonsense and taking back a true sense of how to support others even if you want to choke them. They also know they're fighting up hill against the boys and how domineering they can be. I see her pushing back on that harder.

I really enjoy the women's game of volleyball compared to men's. It's definitely more finesse and doesn't rely on big hitting and serves. You really have to play in your system and know how to still make an impactful play when you get out of system and can't take a heavy swing at the ball.

 

[pittdan77]

Your daughter is a warrior....congrats....and good luck to her!

Thank you. I'm proud of her. She's definitely driven to succeed.

 

[FreeportPanther]

The best part about club volleyball is that she found other girls who are just as driven to win and she's learned that it's okay to be like that. Probably the one drawback from playing in school is that not everyone is as driven. But that's also a good life lesson.

I think that nurturing leadership is ultimately the lesson they learn. Overcoming that "bossy" nonsense and taking back a true sense of how to support others even if you want to choke them. They also know they're fighting up hill against the boys and how domineering they can be. I see her pushing back on that harder.

I really enjoy the women's game of volleyball compared to men's. It's definitely more finesse and doesn't rely on big hitting and serves. You really have to play in your system and know how to still make an impactful play when you get out of system and can't take a heavy swing at the ball.

How true about "getting along". Girls deal with way more drama that can carry over to sports than boys. Totally relate to your "Choking them" comment. My granddaughter, on the court or field, is all about her teammates, no matter their social interaction off the field or court.

She says, you'd never know, when they're playing! LOL

Just wait for the big servers or big hitters in the girls' game. It's out there and you'll be seeing it more regularly than you may imaging at this age.

There will be games when you have to game plan around certain players, but kids that can know and accept their roles in a system are key to a good team. It helps David stick with Goliath at times.

 

[pittdan77]

Just wait for the big servers or big hitters in the girls' game. It's out there and you'll be seeing it more regularly than you may imaging at this age.

There will be games when you have to game plan around certain players, but kids that can know and accept their roles in a system are key to a good team. It helps David stick with Goliath at times.

We've seen a couple "big hitters" and server's. What I meant is that the game doesn't rely on every player being that way. Men aren't even wearing knee pads as much and a lot of women are starting to wear leggings because of all of the diving. Just different games.

We have been fortunate to give some of the "Goliath's" a run for their money. TNT is a club down in Philly that loves to brag about their teams being double and triple qualified for nationals. They bring in excellent talent and size compared to most of the teams in the Keystone region. We nearly beat them but got jobbed by a pretty terrible officiating moment from the up ref. But you could see their players starting to break down at each other to the point of tears while our girls just seemed to blossom under the pressure because they're all so close. They certainly had more on the line than us, though. It's not all roses. Like, don't upset the one setter because she'll shut you off til you settle down, but they work together well and it's so good to see.

This is supposed to be our club's "B" team but they've pushed three national qualifiers to the wire this year.

 

[FreeportPanther]

We've seen a couple "big hitters" and server's. What I meant is that the game doesn't rely on every player being that way. Men aren't even wearing knee pads as much and a lot of women are starting to wear leggings because of all of the diving. Just different games.

We have been fortunate to give some of the "Goliath's" a run for their money. TNT is a club down in Philly that loves to brag about their teams being double and triple qualified for nationals. They bring in excellent talent and size compared to most of the teams in the Keystone region. We nearly beat them but got jobbed by a pretty terrible officiating moment from the up ref. But you could see their players starting to break down at each other to the point of tears while our girls just seemed to blossom under the pressure because they're all so close. They certainly had more on the line than us, though. It's not all roses. Like, don't upset the one setter because she'll shut you off til you settle down, but they work together well and it's so good to see.

This is supposed to be our club's "B" team but they've pushed three national qualifiers to the wire this year.

Playing "up" and punching above your weight is great training for any group of girls who will go to war together down the road.

I can't tell you how many times our girls got off to shaky starts in their various playoff quests. Instead of blinking or falling apart, there was a quiet resolve. It was like OK, we've been here before, just trust the system and keep swinging.

Our program has had great players, but the team never relied on them exclusively. Different players stepped up at different times. It was so much fun to watch. You always had the Steady Eddies, but it takes an entire squad to work together to be special and move on in these one and done pressure packed situations.

Also nice in VB that it is best of 5. One bad game doesn't sink you.
It is a super fun sport, both to play and to watch. Thrill a minute in the big games. That said, NO ONE likes game 5"s. Anything can happen there.

 

[pittdan77]

Playing "up" and punching above your weight is great training for any group of girls who will go to war together down the road.

Our club values playing up instead of playing where we should. You don't learn anything from beating subpar competition.

 

[ILMPanther]

Getting deep into the world of club volleyball. It's quite an interesting world. For anyone who haven't experienced it, here are a few observations. I'm sure there are some similarities with other sports or maybe some of you have done this but I thought it would be cool to share for those that never experienced it.

Holy crap are some of these kids good! I'm almost overwhelmed with how good some of these girls are and how some clubs manage to accumulate talent. It's very entertaining to see two evenly matched open division teams go at it on that level when you're right at courtside. That said, elite teams struggle when you don't see any chemistry. Saw two open division teams get taken out by regional teams this past weekend just because the girls just didn't play well together against teams that were obviously working well together.

Tournaments range from very grass roots and local to corporately run enterprises. Both have a place as the big tournaments draw a wider variety of clubs and have all of the equipment. Heading to York for the Blue Ribbon Brawl next weekend and my daughter's division has clubs from at least five states coming. 36 teams total for that tournament. There is also a pretty big tournament in DC this weekend, the Capitol Hill Classic. A few weeks ago, there was a large tournament at the convention center downtown (Steel City Freeze) that drew teams from as far away as Nevada. Pretty wild someone runs a 13-year-old girl that far for games.

Many of these tournaments have a recruiting showcase. I'm not totally sure how they work but you can get some exposure and build a recruiting profile. I know they do some drills and get some measurements. Let them play a little. From my experience, a little different that how football does it but there are similarities. I think if you're a top tier player, you won't need more than one to get some measurements but if you're planning to play at a lower level, these are probably a sound way to get there. The other thing is that many college coaches have daughters playing so they're at the tournaments watching. Saw Penn State's Katie Schumacher-Cawley, on Sunday. Really love that she wasn't mobbed and was left alone to watch her kid play.

In the end, the whole experience is what you make of it. My daughter's team had a rocky start in her first two tournaments but managed a third and a second place finish in the gold bracket. Both losses were to teams that play in a higher division and I think one has already qualified for nationals in Florida. She's on a regional team, by the way. But they're having a good time and despite being from seven different school districts, they have really gotten close to each other. My daughter has also gotten messages from players in other clubs and is enjoying making friends. You do have to deal with other parents because you become like some tribe of SUV driven nomads, together. Fortunately that's been a good experience, too. In the end, I don't really care how far she goes with it but I'm enjoying watching her do something she loves. It's exhausting but fun. I'll update as things go if people are interested.

Club volleyball is one of the most enjoyable experiences. Just got back from the Big South in Atlanta over this past weekend. An incredible tournament. We live in the South so my daughter play’s mostly in NC, SC, and Georgia. Hope to get up North to play sometime (other than the Capitol Hill tournament) but doubt it will happen.
If your club ever gets the opportunity to go to the Big South I would highly recommend it.

 

[pittdan77]

Club volleyball is one of the most enjoyable experiences. Just got back from the Big South in Atlanta over this past weekend. An incredible tournament. We live in the South so my daughter play’s mostly in NC, SC, and Georgia. Hope to get up North to play sometime (other than the Capitol Hill tournament) but doubt it will happen.
If your club ever gets the opportunity to go to the Big South I would highly recommend it.

I was watching some updates from that tournament over the weekend. Looks like a huge event.

Hoping to get her to the Capitol Hill tournament in a year or two. Her club does attend but she would need to move up from the regional team. That one looked crazy too with courts in the hallways.

But yes, it has been a fun experience and she's enjoying it. Sort of takes over your life but it's been a great experience. So many talented young women out there.

 

[ILMPanther]

I was watching some updates from that tournament over the weekend. Looks like a huge event.

Hoping to get her to the Capitol Hill tournament in a year or two. Her club does attend but she would need to move up from the regional team. That one looked crazy too with courts in the hallways.

But yes, it has been a fun experience and she's enjoying it. Sort of takes over your life but it's been a great experience. So many talented young women out there.

10,000 girls play in the Big South. The open divisions are loaded with D1 talent. Saw one team from Atlanta (A5 is the club) with 8 D1 signees already. Jalen Rose’s daughter plays on that team.
Does your daughter play for Revolution? I saw a couple teams from that club at the Capitol Hill tournament

 

[pittdan77]

10,000 girls play in the Big South. The open divisions are loaded with D1 talent. Saw one team from Atlanta (A5 is the club) with 8 D1 signees already. Jalen Rose’s daughter plays on that team.
Does your daughter play for Revolution? I saw a couple teams from that club at the Capitol Hill tournament

She plays for Horseshoe near Altoona. It's a relatively small club compared to some of the bigger city clubs with only two teams per age group (they also allow some school based teams to play under the club name). We usually head east to play in bigger tournaments. Technically, we don't have a true Open team in any age group but our National teams always play up into the Open divisions and our Club level team (what my daughter plays on) usually competes in the National division at big tournaments. They also hit several Grand Prix events which are fun because of all the talent you see.

The only big tournament we send teams to west of us is the Steel City Freeze but that's about it. There's a smaller Grand Prix in Johnstown in April. We also head over that way for single day club level tournaments but that's it. Mostly head east to York, Harrisburg, Philly, DC, and that monstrosity near Lancaster called Spooky Nook and all of the little places near there that they use for bigger tournaments. Usually see teams from MD, VA, DE, NY, and NJ along with the Philly area clubs. Occasionally you see a club from NC.

That said, we do have two teams that qualified for Nationals. I like the club because it focuses more on improvement for the 12 through 15 age groups. Like, they won't let the 12u teams serve underhand and by 13 they're teaching jump serves. A lot of focus on playing within the system and they seem to prefer girls who are willing to learn and put a lot of effort into the game. My kid needs that so overall, I'm very satisfied with the club and her progress.

 

[pittdan77]

Haven't updated but we picked up an extra tournament in State College and everything went wrong. We had a player that couldn't make it due to a family commitment and our best OH was having shoulder issues from pitching softball. Because of that, we had five players out of position at certain points in the rotation since we moved the OH to Libero and my kid filled in for the middle who was absent. The setter played opposite for my daughter across the front row and the regular libero played OH. Took them two games just to settle into the rotation and there were problems with assignments all day. Frustrating to see a ball hit the floor because a player didn't know it was there ball. Somehow finished fifth again and made the playoffs despite only winning one set all day. I'm really not sure how these small tournaments work at all, LOL, but I think we would have done better if we had a full roster and were healthy. Just about all of these girls are playing a school sport this spring (volleyball, track, or softball) so it's been tough to even have a full practice with everyone healthy.

I will say that the little club full of Penn Trafford girls looks really good. They have some size and play very well together. Should be a problem for other schools in the WPIAL in a couple years.

This coming weekend we're limping into the last Grand Prix of the season over in Johnstown. Should have a full roster and the OH is done pitching and has been resting. Will be a fun experience for them to play at the War Memorial or First Summit Arena or whatever they're calling it now. I think the hockey team is done so hopefully they took the ice out so it's not so cold and there aren't issues with condensation. Apparently this tournament has been earlier in the past and has had that problem.