Recruiting Paradise at USAV Girls’ Junior National Championships

Erin Campbell
Intern, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: (719) 228-6864
E-Mail: erin.campbell@usav.org 

RENO, Nev. (June 30, 2010) – Two divisions of the USA Volleyball Girls’ Junior National Championships at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center, finished play Wednesday. The 12 National and American Divisions passed out their medals to victors.

The 12 National Division saw Borinquen Coqui 12-1F (Puerto Rico) and I Mua Girls 12s (Aloha) compete for the title in a battle of undefeated teams. What ensued was a three-set showdown creating the closest championship match the 2010 Championships have seen between teams based out of two different islands in different oceans.

Borinquen was relentless in its defense and took the first set from I Mua, 26-24. I Mua, even though it was defeated, carried its emotional momentum and tough offensive front through the end of the first and into the second set.

I Mua came back in the second set determined to see a third set. The Hawaiian team matched Borinquen’s intense defense and won the second set, 26-24.

The third set was point-for-point early in the tiebreaker, but Borinquen eventually won the match, 15-8.

Borinquen Coqui defeated sixth-seeded ASICS MAVS 12 Blue (Heart of America) 25-20, 25-13 in the quarterfinal and second-seeded WAVE 12 Jade Spalding 25-17, 25-11 in the semifinal to reach the title match.

I Mua Girls 12s reached the gold-medal match after defeating fourth-seeded MadFrog 12s Lewellen, (North Texas) 5-25, 25-11, 15-11 in the quarterfinal. It then defeated top-seeded MAVA VB Rags 12 Elite (PR) 26-24, 21-15, 15-9 in the semifinal.

Fourth-seeded Club West 12 Elite (Southern California) and second-seeded Laguna Beach 12 Gaido (Southern California) competed for the gold medal of the 12 American Division. Both teams entered the match with a single match loss in the tournament.

In the first set, Club West’s offense was clicking and it seemed to be unstoppable. But tough serving from Laguna Beach kept Club West on its toes. Even with this tough serving, it was not enough to keep Club West from reaching 25 first with a 25-22 victory.

In the second set, it was all Laguna Beach with its digs and tough serving. Laguna Beach led by six, 17-11, but Club West chipped away at the lead. Even though Club West was consistent in its offense and defense, the spark that Laguna Beach found at the start of the second set led it to a 25-22 victory.

In a closely contested tiebreaker, Club West led the third set at the switch, 8-6. Laguna was not about to go home without a fight and fought back to take a 9-8 lead. The set went back and forth, but strong blocking from Club West led it to the 16-14 victory.

Laguna Beach reached the final contest after defeating the third-seed Excel 12 Elite National (North Texas) 19-25, 25-25, 15-10 in the semifinal.

Club West defeated top-seeded SG Elite 12 Roshambo (Southern California) 25-27, 25-18, 15-10 in the semifinal.

Volleyball fans across the nation can see what some of the recruiters are scouting this week, thanks to the Internet. In a partnership with the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), USA Volleyball will stream live video of championship matches scheduled between July 1 and July 3 can be viewed live. This schedule includes gold-medal matches in the Open, National and American Divisions for 17s (July 1), 18s (July 2) and 16s (July 3) age groups. To access the stream during the matches, visit www.usavolleyball.org/live.

For more information on the USA Volleyball Girls' Junior National Championships, click here. For all brackets, results and schedules, click here.

 Click here for the complete Schedule:
USA Volleyball Girls’ Junior National Championships
12 National: Gold- Borinquen Coqui 12-1F (Puerto Rico), Silver- I Mua Girls 12s (Aloha), Bronze- ASICS MAVS 12 Blue (Heart of America) and WAVE 12 Jade Spalding (Southern California)
12 American: Gold- Club West 12 Elite (Southern California), Silver- Laguna Beach 12 Gaido (Southern California), Bronze- SG Elite 12 Roshambo (Southern California) and Excel 12 Elite National (North Texas)
13 National: Gold- SG Elite 13 Roshambo (Southern California), Silver- ASICS MAVS 13 Blue (Heart of America), Bronze- Arizona Sky 13N1 (Arizona) and WAVE 13 Katie Spalding (Southern California)
13 American: Gold- Rockwood Thunder 13-1 (Gateway), Silver- Team Piko 13 (Aloha), Bronze- Iowa Rockets 13 Black (Iowa) and Mizuno Long Beach 13 Mizuno (Southern California)
14 Open: Gold- Delta Valley 14-1 (Northern California), Silver- Miz LB 14 Rockstar (Southern California), Bronze- ASICS MAVS 14 Blue (Heart of America) and TAV 14 VB Rags Black (North Texas)
14 National: Gold- Ka Ulukoa 14 Wekiu (Aloha), Silver- City Beach 14 Black (Northern California), Bronze- Mizuno Northern Lights 14-1 (North Country) and Amarillo Aces 14-1 (Sun Country)
14 American: Gold- Nike Six Pack 14-1 (Iowa), Silver- NKYVC 14 Tsunami (Ohio Valley), Bronze- So Cal Elite 14-Elite (Southern California) and Coast 14-1 Luis (Northern California)
15 Open: Gold- Invasion 15 Black (Heart of America), Silver- Mizuno Northern Lights 15-1 (North Country), Bronze- STL CYC 15 Green (Gateway) and TAV 15 VB Rags Blue (North Texas)
15 National: Gold- City Beach 15 Black (Northern California), Silver- Tejas 15 Kaepa 1 (North Texas), Bronze- Synergy 15 Orange (Keystone) and Black Swamp 15 Orwig (Ohio Valley)
15 American: Gold- Vision Zone 15 Elite (Northern California), Silver- Club West 15 Elite (Southern California), Bronze- Lakewood Performance 15 (Rocky Mountain) and Springfield 15 Blue (Heart of America)
All Girls’ 16 Divisions: June 30- July 3


All Girls’ 17 Divisions: June 28- July 1


All Girls’ 18 Divisions: June 29- July 2

Tags: USA Volleyball Girls' Junior National Championships