Tawa’s Club Volleyball Dots: Great Scott! Toxic Volleyball Moms, Showdowns and Tours

This is “Dots,” VolleyballMag.com’s weekly look at 10 things in club volleyball, past or present, that interest me and hopefully will interest you. Look for Dots every Tuesday through Junior Nationals this summer.

• The 18s national qualifiers rolled into Salt Lake City this past weekend for the SLC Showdown, the seventh such qualifier in this age group for 2024.

In the 24-team Open division, two from California and one hometown squad qualified. Texas and Kansas clubs showed out in the club-level divisions.

• WAVE 18-Brennan, from San Diego, won the 18 Open division, but without overcoming significant adversity on Day 2. The squad was 1-1 after two pool play matches, including a loss to two-time qualifier champion KC Power 18 Black and needed a win over AZ Revolution 18 Premier to clinch advancement. WAVE won Game 1 handily but lost Game 2 and went into overtime in Game 3 before prevailing, 17-15. Phew!

Reigning national champion SCVC is off quickly with a strong showing at the SLC Showdown

WAVE regrouped in its Gold Pool with two sweeps to clinch a bid, then outlasted SCVA foes SCVC 18 Roxy, 15-12 in the third, to take home top prize.

Head coach Brennan Dean said that MB Jenna Hanes, who led the team in kills, was unstoppable for the weekend. He added that the team’s other two middles also were excellent as was his entire team, in fact.

“Everyone played a role in getting us to the podium,” he stressed.

• SCVC, the reigning 17 Open Junior National Champion, punched its ticket in its first qualifying effort. The team, from the South Bay of Southern California, lost to NORCO 18 Black on Day 1, but not before clinching first in its pool. Melissa Boice’s team followed up with five straight sweeps to reach the final, and won Game 1 of the championship match before being swallowed by WAVE in Games 2 and 3.

“Our focus the weeks leading up was in our preparation,” Boice said. “How we prepare will predict how we will play, along with one point, one game, one match at a time.”

The team excelled after the surprising loss by getting solid serving and passing led by libero Taylor Deckert and outsides Sarah Hom and Kendall Beshear. On Day 3, middles Rachel Moglia and Jade Dudley-Epps were efficient, and setter Thea Morris and right side Chloe Hynes were on point.

“Falling short to a strong Wave team in the finals, we walked away with our ticket punched, but more work to be done!” Boice said.

• Club V 18 Ren Reed, a Utah club, grabbed the final qualifying spot. The team opened with five straight wins, then dropped two of its next three to find itself in the third-place match for the final bid opposite Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar. Club V won in two close sets to capture the bid.

Club V won a third place duel to capture an 18 Open slot in its hometown qualifier

“We have been working hard at our out of system offense,” said coach Reed Carlson. “We knew that we’d be playing some great ball control teams that serve tough and play great defense so we wanted to have answers when we passed the ball off the net.  Our pins, Ava Nakai and Elli Mortenson, played great all weekend. [Middle blocker] Taylor Harvey, true to form, stepped up in moments when we needed her and drew a lot of attention, which opened up our attack on both pins.”

Vegas Aces got out of town on Super Bowl Weekend to qualify 18 Liberty in Salt Lake City

• In the club divisions, TX Performance 18 Black, Roots 18-1 Green and Vegas Aces 18 UnderArmour captured bids in 18 USA, TX Legacy 18 Elite, San Clemente 18-Mike and WAVE 18 Bobbie Joe shined in 18 Liberty and Dynasty 18 Blue took home gold in 18 American.

Dynasty Blue put it all together to take 18 American

TX Performance won 18 USA despite two losses, including a Day 2 loss to Roots that it avenged in the championship match. Six of the team’s nine matches went the distance, including the semifinals and finals.

TX Performance played in Open at Florida Fest, but decided to try for a bid in USA at Salt Lake City. Mission accomplished despite playing without two key players who were injured in Fort Lauderdale. Ashlee Macias and Danielle Varela played exceptionally well for Performance, said Al Rosen, a legendary New Mexico high school coach.

Vegas Aces won the final bid by avenging an earlier loss to NorCal 18-1 Black in the third-place match. The bid was especially gratifying, considering that injuries pushed players into positions they’d never played before.

“It worked out because of their devotion at practice and their mental fortitude,” noted coach Charles Park. “They worked on not just their own position but worked on every volleyball skill during practices to become more well-rounded as players.”

Park had special words for several of his players:

Hannah Pemberton — Team’s setter took an awkward fall and was slow to get up, but persevered through the rest of the tournament and got the final assist to clinch the bid.

Tatum Thompson — Team’s libero never let a ball drop and is developing into a true defensive leader on the court.

Bianca Richardson — DS was thrust into setter role while Pemberton was out and put up hittable sets and stayed as consistent as possible.

Leilia Toailoa — OH overcame major bruising to lead the team offensively.

Daniella Planeta – New to the team, his DS played incredibly well. Her serve-receive and defense were on point at all times.

Kiana Badgette — A middle who made incredible blocks and was consistent as a hitter.

“I can say each person contributed for this bid and it truly was a team effort,” Park said. “I felt that when each athlete was playing the ball, it was not only to do what they are supposed to do, but also it felt like they were trying to pass well for each other. They were attacking the ball to help score for each other. They were genuinely happy and supportive of each other. This was a fantastic win for us but I am more proud on how much closer we got as a team.”

***

We did not hear from anyone from the 18 Liberty qualifiers before the deadline, but did receive this uplifting report from Dynasty Blue head coach Joe Vanderbeek about his team’s 9-0 romp through 18 American:

“This was our third qualifier of the year and we had finished 5th in both of our other two attempts. We played well but just kept falling short of our goal of a National Bid. We possessed a great deal of talent at all of our positions and felt technically ready but we were not yet a complete team.

“Before our last practice we held a team meeting to discuss what was missing and how to fix it. As a team we decided we needed to remember that volleyball is fun. We took that time to work on our celebrations and communication. We made a conscious decision to be the most positive and supportive team we could be. It was by far our best practice of the year! The girls really bought into this idea and had a great deal of fun putting together different celebrations for an Ace, Kill, Timeouts, etc.

“All weekend long they brought such positive energy that we never really got down in our matches. When our opponents had the momentum our girls would get it back by coming together and supporting each other. In fact, I only called four timeouts all weekend in our nine matches. I had several other coaches, players and parents tell me how supportive and fun my team was acting all weekend. We even had some other teams come and cheer for us at the championship game!”

• In Texas, the weather held in Houston, allowing the second stop in the Tour of Texas to be completed without a hitch, unlike the Dallas stop, where the final day was canceled due to weather.

Skyline 16 Royal won the Tour and now will try to defend its Triple Crown title

Houston Skyline 17 Royal, Dallas Skyline 16 Royal and TAV 15 Black were the big winners, capturing the 17 Invitational, 16 Invitational and 15 Invitational titles, respectively. Houston Skyline tied for fifth in 16 Open at Junior Nationals last summer and won the only 17 Open qualifier to date, Northern Lights, in late January. Dallas Skyline and TAV are reigning national champs in 15 Open and 14 Open, respectively.

Houston Skyline went 7-0 over the weekend.

“The team was excited to compete in our hometown and against some of the best in Texas,” said coach Alex Edwards. “We knew we would have to start off strong as all eyes were on us after our first qualifier. Day 1 we were tested due to our opponents’ scouting and keying on certain players. However, we have been focusing our offensive ability to score against a more solid block/defense and continuing to find ways to score. Day 2 unfolded with some new match ups. We played a strong Excel team in the semifinals and our anticipated final match against Dallas Skyline. Both matches were high level as some big swings, stuff blocks and incredible defensive plays occurred. In the end, our pressure from the service line allowed us to stay in system and run our offense. In summary, I was extremely proud of our ability to execute a game plan and continue to push our offensive system. Triple Crown is next on the schedule and we are ready for another strong tournament!”

***

Dallas Skyline 16 Royal also went 7-0 in Houston.

“Our team worked on building chemistry and successfully tackled every opponent,” said assistant coach Jon Rye. “In the ultimate match against TAV 16 Black, overcoming the challenge of beating a team three times showcased our remarkable resilience. Certainly, the courts echoed with TikTok recordings, snacks were shared, and, most importantly, a gold medal proudly stands as a testament to our team’s unwavering hard work.”

Standouts for 16 Royal included dominating 6-4 middle Keoni Williams, sparkplug libero Kiley Brooks, who had 71 digs; RS Taylor Clarke, a lefty who was the focal point when the team was out of system; and 6-1 Brooke Lacewell, who played mainly on the right and came up with huge blocks and key kills in the championship match.

***

TAV 15 Black lost a close one on Day 1 to Madfrog 15s National Green, but won out to take 15 Invitational.

“I’m very excited about how the team performed this past weekend,” said coach Jason Nicholson. “We had a crazy week of preparation after learning we would be without our setter. Sophee Peterson. This forced us to put Brynn Stephens in a 5-1 position versus our usual 6-2 system. Putting her there wasn’t an issue from a setter situation but took away her as a primary passer and attacker. But everyone stepped up and filled roles. One of the unique things about this team is we have a lot of kids that are very well rounded allowing me to fill potential holes with phenomenal players. Naomi Livings stepped it up on the right with her first full tournament back from injury. Lexi Martin and Gentry Barker were solid six-row pins. Nyla Livings, Mariah Akinsola and Onita Davis were huge at the net all weekend. Libero Ansley Shafer and DS Karsyn Evans were solid in the back row, allowing Brynn to run the offensive system at a high level and be a threat as a attacker from the setter position. Sophee, though out, contributed with leadership from the sideline.

“We were a little sloppy at times on Day 1 but found our grove and played great on Sunday to pull off the win. This is a group of high-level kids that are wanting to improve every day.”

Ping Cao, standing, far left, poses with his Dallas Skyline team at MD Anderson Medical Center

• Dallas Skyline 17 Royal finished second in the Invitational Division of the Tour. The team is playing without venerable head coach Ping Cao, who was expected to lead this team in his first year after successful stints at Sports Performance, TAV and Drive Nation. Ping learned in August that he had lymphoma and used the fall for chemotherapy infusions. He has been in Houston since undergoing Car T cell therapy at MD Anderson. The team was able to visit him while on the Tour.

Whitney Sample, a highly successful coach in her own right, has taken over for Ping.

“We are hopeful Ping will rejoin his team in late February,” said Skyline director Jon Rye.

• President’s Day Weekend is coming up and that means volleyball coast to coast, highlighted by the Triple Crown NIT in Kansas City. Triple Crown has become THE premier club event in the country the past several years, even more so than Junior Nationals and AAU Nationals, because [almost] all of the nation’s best clubs are represented. The notable exceptions this year are Circle City, which runs a President’s Day Tournament of its own in St. Louis; and Metro VB, which is the anchor club at the Capitol Hill Classic. Notably, this is the first year that traditional powerhouse club Sports Performance will be in Kansas City. SPVB will be represented by its 18 Elite, 18 Kahl, 16 Elite and 15 Elite teams.

Now, the format at Triple Crown is a little wonky, with every team in each division lumped together at the start. The key thing to know is that the divisions we cover (15s-18s) have four power pools of eight teams. They play exclusively in their power pool on Day 1 (though not every time in the pool) and all 32 power pooled teams remain in contention regardless of outcome on Saturday. They then will be joined by pool winners from non-power pooled teams and some second-place finishers to create a 64-team championship bracket.

From there the top teams play it out until there’s a winner. Yes there are sub brackets for those who lose early and pools for those not in the championship bracket, so lots of play to be had by all, but the “king of the hill,” so to speak, will be the team that survives to the end without losing after Day 1.

There will be 104 teams in the 18s and 15s divisions and 120 teams in the 17s and 16s division. It really is a Who’s Who of the best the sport has to offer, with dozens of future collegiate All-Americans and certainly an Olympian or two (or more) taking the court.

• Scott Mattera is a club coach, head women’s coach at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio and a wonderful trainer. I used to watch him as lead coach for some of PrepVolleyball.com’s Unsigned Showcases back when I was affiliated with Prep. He and his boundless energy were primary reasons to come to a Showcase!

Scott has also built a successful page on TikTok called More than wins vb (@morethanwinsvb) and on Saturday released a video with two sound recruiting tips:

1. Do not lie about your measurements (height; approach touch); and
2. Do not speed up your video to make your arm swing appear faster.

Mattera says those are red flags that will have him moving on immediately regardless of how much potential you show. Bottom line: have integrity in the recruiting process so that coaches can believe what they see. Thanks, Scott!

• Finally, if you are a volleyball parent, stay away from the Volleyball Moms page on Facebook that is more than 73,000 strong. It quite simply is toxic, with anonymous members complaining incessantly about their club coaches, playing time, keeping score at tournaments, the cost of club, favoritism, seat saving at tournaments and so many other cringe-worthy things. Save your sanity and do not join. I’ve been a part of this for only a few weeks and mine is already gone!

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