Starlings-Monrovia 12 Strikes Gold on GJNC Journey

Candice Kasischke
Intern, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: (719) 228-6800
E-Mail: candice.kasischke@usav.org

ATLANTA (July 1, 2011) – The championship court for the 2011 USA Volleyball Girls’ Junior National Championships, located inside the Georgia World Congress Center, was the first place that Starlings-Monrovia 12 (Southern California) visited when arriving in Atlanta as the team prepared to play in the event which is being held from June 25-July 4.

Victoria Ashkinos (Pasadena, Calif.) is a member of Starlings-Monrovia 12 and has her father, Ben Ashkinos, as an assistant coach. Victoria voiced that the team was star-struck when they walked into the tournament venue.

“When we came in Monday, we were really intimidated with how it was,” said the younger Ashkinos. “We felt so small and normally on the court, we feel big. We were surrounded by so many amazing teams and it made us nervous and felt out of place.”

That intimidation eroded quickly thanks to the careful planning by Starlings-Monrovia 12 Head Coach Laauli Toomalatai. He predetermined that he was going to shuttle his team straight from the airport to court 9, the court that the USA Volleyball Girls’ Junior National Championships gold-medal matches are played.

“When we got here, the first place I took them to was the championship court,” Toomalatai said. “We bypassed everything and went straight to that court because I wanted them to get motivated and to see what they were here to work toward.”

Starlings-Monrovia 12, which competed in the 12 American Division, consists of a 10-year-old, an 11-year-old and nine players who were in their first year of playing volleyball this year. This same team made Starlings Volleyball Club history by not only qualifying for the USAV Girls’ Junior National Championships, but by winning its first gold-medal in the 12 American Division without suffering a single loss in 10 matches. During those 10 matches, the team dropped just three sets along the way.

“We only had four solid players and the rest sort of came along as we went,” Toomalatai said. “The journey was shaky, but the girls with one year of experience carried the team. The other girls had no choice but to rise to the occasion and get better in the eight months we took to prepare.”

Ben Ashkinos commented that as coaches, they had to adjust their offense so that the Starlings could keep up with the play that it faced at the 2011 USA Volleyball Girls’ Junior National Championships in Atlanta.

“We have a tiny setter, and we keep our sets all below the antenna because we have to score as fast as we can,” Toomaltai said. “We also had to speed our game up with taking two-step approaches because it is the only way we could compete with these big teams.”

Starlings Volleyball Club is a non-profit organization that allows financially challenged families a chance for their daughters to play club volleyball. The team and parents held two poker tournaments, sold candy and ran concessions to raise $7,000 to pay the team’s way to the USA Volleyball Girls’ Junior National Championships.

Wayne Teng, director of Starlings-Monrovia Volleyball Club, recognizes his girls as strong athletes and even stronger individuals.

“There was a lot of tough training, countless hours of practices, tons of tears and pains,” Teng said. “Our girls sacrificed a lot to get here. The journey was so tough, but we all just kept believing in our girls.”

Starlings-Monrovia 12 had already won one national title this year as it captured the 12s Division at the Starlings National Championships held June 17-19 at San Diego. The players learned from the experience and went on to win their second national title against the some of the best 12s teams the country has.

Leilia Toomalatai (Monrovia, Calif.), daughter of the head coach and member of the Starlings-Monrovia 12 squad, was surprised at how well her team competed against such tough competition at the USAV Girls’ Junior National Championships.

“I expected that our championship match would have definitely gone to three games, but it didn’t have to,” Toomalatai said. “We have been underdogs the whole season. It has been hard for us. Everyone expects to beat us because they don’t think that our club is very good. The thing is, we always put up a fight. We never give up. It is crazy to think we are one of the best teams in our age group in the country.”

Lauren Rewers (Monrovia, Calif.) was thrilled that her team performed so well at such a high level.

“At first it was scary, but it got better as we kept winning and it made it more exciting,” Rewers said. “It was a big accomplishment. We were told that it was a possibility that we could make it to Nationals, but we did make it and then we won it.”

Coach Toomalatai and assistant coach Ashkinos have walked away from the USA Volleyball Girls’ Junior National Championships feeling proud of the legacy their team has started.

“We were both coaching-parents for the first time this year,” Toomalatai said. “To come here and walk into it gave me the chills. All I wanted to do was to give them a great experience. After they were introduced at the gold-medal match, I was okay with whatever happened. They ended the way they started, as champions.”

“This experience is all about the girls,” Ashkinos said. “We wanted to give them the best opportunity to achieve their goals. We made game plans built around their strengths and the girls executed it.”

For more information on the Starlings Volleyball Clubs for which the Starlings-Monrovia 12 is a member club, visit http://starlings.org/.

For USA Volleyball Girls' Junior National Championships results, click here. For more information on the tournament, visit http://usavolleyball.org/events/4873.

All USA Volleyball Girls’ Junior National Championships gold-medal matches will be video streamed live at http://usavolleyball.org/live. All USA Volleyball Boys’ Junior National Championships medal matches except 13 Club will be streamed and accessed through the same URL.

Visit www.usavolleyball.org and become a fan of USA Volleyball's Facebook page for all the latest news. Fans are encouraged to share their family-friendly pictures on the USA Volleyball Facebook page.

USA Volleyball Girls’ Junior National Championships Results

12 National: Gold- Borinquen Coqui 12-1F; Silver- ASICS MAVS 12 Blue; Bronze- Wave 12 Casey (Southern California) and MadFrog 12s Lewellen (North Texas)
12 American: Gold - Starlings-Monrovia 12 (Southern California); Silver – Victory 12 Elite (North Texas); Bronze – Alamo 12 Kaepa (Lone Star) and Laguna Beach 12 Gaido (Southern California)
13 National: Gold - Borinquen Coquir 13-1F (Puerto Rico); Silver - ASICS MAVS 13 Blue (Heart of America); Bronze - Madfrog 13s NAT STEF (North Texas) and Nebraska Elite 13 Thunder (Great Plains)
13 American: Gold - Club West 13- National (Southern California); Silver - Xtreme 13 Black (Lone Star); Bronze – Seal Beach 13-Tony (Southern California) and Premier 13 Gold (Great Plains)
14 Open: Gold – Cleveland Volleyball Company 14 Black (Ohio Valley); Silver – Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar (Southern California); Bronze – OVA 14 Asics (Florida) and Nebraska Elite 14 Mayhem (Great Plains)
14 National: Gold – Team Piko 14 Ho’omau (Aloha); Silver – Coast 14-1 Luis (Southern California); Bronze – Iowa Rockets (Iowa) and Backswamp 14 Orwig (Ohio Valley)
14 American: Gold – Texas Image 14 Mizuno (North Texas); Silver – Sunshine 14 South Bay (Southern California); Bronze – Pinellas Heat 14 Elite (Florida) and Woodlands Wave 14UA (Lone Star)
15 Open: Gold - Northern Lights 15-1 (North Country); Silver - TAV 15 VB Rags Black (North Texas); Bronze – City Beach 15 Black (Northern California) and Woodlands Wave 15UA (Lone Star)
15 National: Gold – Blackswamp 15 Oberst (Ohio Valley); Silver - Miami Elite Blue 15 (Florida); Bronze- Ultimate G15 Gold (Great Lakes) and ASICS MAVS 15 Molten (Heart of America)
15 American: Gold – AZ Sky 15 Magic (Arizona); Silver – Iowa Rockets 15R (Iowa); Bronze - Cincy Classics 15 Red (Ohio Valley) and River City Juniors 151 (Great Plains)
16 Open: Finals on July 4
16 National: Finals on July 4
16 American: Finals on July 4
17 Open: Finals on July 2
17 National: Finals on July 2
17 American: Finals on July 2
18 Open: Finals on July 3
18 National: Finals on July 3
18 American: Finals on July 3

Tags: junior, Junior Nationals, Juniors, USA Volleyball Girls' Junior National Championships