Long Beach, Blackswamp and A5 Win National Titles

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

ATLANTA (July 4, 2011) - The 16 Open, 16 National and 16 American Divisions at the 2011 USA Volleyball Girls’ Junior National Championships concluded play with medal matches in their respective gold-medal divisions on July 4 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

Earning titles on the last day of the tournament and gold-medal play were Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar (Southern California) in the 16 Open Division, Blackswamp 16 Cordova (Ohio Valley) in the 16 National Division and A5 Mizuno 161 Gabe (Southern) in the 16 American Division.

The 16 Open Division battle for the gold medal was between No. 16 seed Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar and No. 5 seed Northern Lights 16-1 (North Country). Long Beach dominated the beginning of the first set with a 10-1 advantage. At this point, Northern Lights called a timeout and stepped its game up as Long Beach began making hitting errors leading to a 15-11 score still in Long Beach’s favor. Without making any headway through 22-18, Long Beach hit the ball out of bounds and then Northern Lights responded with two consecutive blocks narrowing the deficit to 22-21. The score came to a 23-all tie and Northern Lights’ undeniable defense captured a 25-23 victory, despite the early 10-1 deficit.

In the second set, both teams came out ready to play. Long Beach took a 9-6 lead forcing Northern Lights to take a timeout. At this point, Northern Lights came back to win the next two points, but Long Beach’s offense kept carrying its lead. At 21-14, Long Beach took a two-point run and Northern Lights responded with a two-point run of its own at 23-16. Long Beach pulled out a 25-17 victory.

The third set started neck-and-neck with ties at 4-all, 6-all and 7-all. Northern Lights broke away briefly with two consecutive kills, gaining a 9-7 lead. The battle continued and the teams tied again at 11-all. Northern Lights scored back-to-back points granting it a 13-11 lead. However, Long Beach tied the score at 13-all and closed the set 15-13 and the victory with the final four points of the match.

Mizuno LB 16 Rockstar, which lost to Wave 16Jeanne (Southern California) in its sixth match of first-round pool play match, reached the gold-medal match by defeating No. 4 seed OVA 16 Asics (Florida) 25-22, 25-21 in the semifinal. Northern Lights 16-1 reached the gold-medal match after defeating the undefeated No. 7 seed STL CYC 16 Green (Gateway) 25-22, 25-21 in the semifinal. Northern Lights entered the gold-medal match with just one loss, a first-round concluding pool match to OVA 16 Asics (Florida).

The 16 American Division battle for the gold medal was between two undefeated teams, top-seed A5 Mizuno 161 Gabe and No. 3 seed Austin Juniors Volleyball 16 Mizuno (Lone Star). The two teams played a competitive first set as A5 and Austin Juniors took turns with the lead with neither having more than a two-point cushion. The teams battled to a 19-all score, but a block from Austin Juniors forced A5 to take a timeout. Neither team let up and the score was tied at 22-all and 23-all. A5 won the next two rallies to win the set 25-23.

The second set was intense with no more than a two-point lead by either team in the early stages. A5 took the first four-point lead at 17-13. Despite Austin Juniors’ offensive efforts, A5 held the lead to 21-17. Austin Juniors kept fearlessly swinging and brought it to a 22-20 deficit. With A5’s serve at 24-22, Austin drilled a kill, forcing a side-out. A5 responded to Austin Juniors’ serve with a feisty hit that forced an Austin Juniors player to shank the ball, resulting in A5’s 25-23 victory.

A5 Mizuno 161 Gabe, which did not lose a set the entire tournament in 11 matches yielding a 16.4 points defense per set, reached the gold-medal match after defeating No. 12 seed Mintonette- m.61 Rox (Ohio Valley) 25-14, 25-20 in the semifinal. Austin Juniors 16 Mizuno reached the gold-medal match after defeating No. 7 seed Uno Girls 16 Elite (Great Lakes) 18-25, 25-22, 15-9 in the semifinal.

The 16 American gold-medal match-up featured teams from the same clubs that participated in the 17 Open title match that took place one day earlier. Austin Juniors won the 17 Open Title, but A5 Mizuno came away with the 16 American win in the rematch of clubs for bragging rights. No. 14 seed Blackswamp 16 Cordova (Ohio Valley) and top-seed Northern California Volleyball Club Black (Northern California) 16-1 competed for the title in the 16 National Division. In the first set, NCVC came out and won the first four points. Blackswamp kept spirited play and battled NCVC to an 11-9 score. The teams tied at 14-all, but NCVC responded with three consecutive points. Blackswamp’s serving helped them tie the score again at 18-all. The teams traded points with fiery kills and a 22-all score forced a NCVC timeout. The teams found themselves at yet another tie at 24-all, but Blackswamp served the ball in the net and NCVC took set point by hitting off of Blackswamps’s block for a 26-24 victory.

In the second set, Blackswamp recovered from its first set loss and played inspired and confident at the beginning. Blackswamp kept a tight lead through 12-10. NCVC then responded with two consecutive points to tie the set. Blackswamp kept pulling through with a slight lead, taking its biggest lead at 19-16. but NCVC caught up at 19-all and force ties at 21-all and 22-all, but Blackswamp took a 25-22 victory from three consecutive kills.

In the third set, Blackswamp scored the first five points of the set. NCVC tried to fight back, but Blackswamp’s scrappy play carried it to an 8-4 lead. The teams then switched sides of the court, but Blackswamp kept terminating. Blackswamp’s serving guided it to a 10-6 lead. NCVC took some swings that bounced off Blackswamp’s block to make the game 11-9. The teams took turns siding-out before NCVC tied the score at 13-all with two consecutive kills. Blackswamp’s kills owned the next two points and provided it with a 15-13 victory.

Blackswamp Cordova’s only loss leading up to the gold-medal match was to Circle City 16 Purple (Hoosier) in its sixth match of the first-round of pool play. However, Blackswamp faced Circle City in the semifinal and won the rematch 25-20, 24-26, 15-7. NCVC Black 16-1, which reached the gold-medal match undefeated, blanked undefeated No. 4 seed Tsunami 16-Jing (Southern) 25-22, 25-18 in the semifinal.

Out of the 40 USA Volleyball Regional Volleyball Associations, 19 different regions plus Puerto Rico earned at least one medal during the 2011 USA Volleyball Girls’ Junior National Championships. The Southern California Region took home 16 medals, including six gold medals. Ohio Valley earned eight medals and three golds. The Lone Star Region also piled up eight medals. As a club, Northern Lights earned three medals with one gold and two silvers. Blackswamp also earned three medals with two golds and a bronze. MAVS had two silvers and a bronze as part of its club haul. Nebraska Elite earned three bronze medals. Iowa Rockets earned a silver and two bronze medals.

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

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USA Volleyball Girls’ Junior National Championships Results

12 National: Gold- Borinquen Coqui 12-1F (Puerto Rico); Silver- ASICS MAVS 12 Blue (Heart of America); 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 Blackswamp 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: Gold- Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar (Southern California); Silver- Northern Lights 16-1 (North Country); Bronze- OVA 16 Asics (Florida) and St. Louis CYC 16 Green (Gateway)
16 National: Gold- Blackswamp Cordova (Ohio Valley); Silver- NCVC Black 16-1 (Northern California); Bronze- Circle City 16 Purple (Hoosier) and Tsunami 16-Jing (Southern)
16 American: Gold- A5 Mizuno 161 Gabe (Southern); Silver- Austin Juniors Volleyball 16 Mizuno (Lone Star); Bronze- Mintonette- m.61 Rox (Ohio Valley) and Uno Girls 16 Elite (Great Lakes)
17 Open: Gold- Austin Junior Volleyball 17 Mizuno (Lonestar); Silver- A5 Mizuno 171 Heidi (Southern); Bronze- Club Red 17 Mizuno (Arizona) and Invasion 17-Black (Heart of America)
17 National: Gold- Orange County 17Blue (Southern California); Silver- Northern Lights 17-2 (Northern); Bronze- Alliance 17 Mizuno (Southern) and Iowa Rockets 17R (Iowa)
17 American: Gold- Instinct 17 Tigers N (North Texas); Silver- NorthShore Wood (Ohio Valley); Bronze- Alamo 17 Kaepa (Lone Star) and Nebraska Elite 17 Edge (Great Plains)
18 Open: Gold- Sports Shack 18-ASICS (Southern California); Silver- Synergy 18 Orange (Keystone); Bronze- Coast 18-1 (Southern California) and Vision 18 Gold (Northern California)
18 National: Gold- Six Pack 18 (Iowa); Silver- Surf City 18 Craig (Southern California); Bronze- Imi Ike 18s (Aloha) and ECJ 18 Elite (Ohio Valley)
18 American: Gold- Santa Barbara 18Smack (Southern California); Silver- Alamo 18 Kaepa (Lone Star); Bronze- Jamba 18 Tom (Southern California) and Fond Du Lac Fusion 18 (Badger)

Tags: 2011 Girls' Junior National Championships, junior, Junior Nationals, Juniors, USA Volleyball Girls' Junior National Championships