DETROIT, Mich. (June 28, 2018) – The Girls Junior National Championships mean gold to Brianna Anderson.
Anderson and her team, OT 14 S. Felix V out of the Florida Region (Orlando/Tampa) won the 14 Open division on Thursday with a 25-20, 25-20 victory over AVC Cleveland Rox 14N Tom out from the Ohio Valley Region.
The 2018 Girls Junior National Championships (GJNC) will continue through July 4 at the Cobo Center in Detroit.
The other champions in the 14s divisions were A2 14 Green (Ohio Valley Region/American champion), Vegas Aces 14 UnderArmour (Southern California/National), Sunshine 14 Westside (Southern California/USA) and TeamD 14-Red (Lakeshore/Patriot).
Anderson won GJNC gold in the 13 Open Division in 2017 with OTVA 13 S. Rox Red. When she was 11, she won 12 American with a different Florida Region club, JJVA (Jacksonville).
In 2018, the team ran undefeated through the tournament, going to three sets four times, including a tough 25-27, 25-22, 16-14 victory over LoneStar 14 Red (North Texas).
“We came in pretty confident. We were ranked second,” Anderson said. “We went three a few times, but each time we fought hard. By the end, we were able to stick together and do really well.”
Winning at GJNCs was on the team’s radar since the start of the season.
“That was our main goal. Every practice, we talked about how we wanted to be back-to-back champions,” Anderson said. “That’s what motivated us every single day.”
OT 14 S. Felix V’s head coach, Felix Viera, appreciated the level of competition in Detroit.
“I love it because every single day there’s a tough match,” he said. “There’s a lot of competition against the best.”
In the semifinals, OT 14 S. defeated Arizona Storm 14 Thunder (Arizona), 25-12, 25-7. AVC Cleveland Rox 14N Tom beat Lions 14-1 (Great Lakes), 25-20, 25-20.
Sport Court is the official athletic flooring for all USA Volleyball national championship events.
14 PATRIOT
The home club got a big win as Detroit’s TeamD 14-Red (Lakeshore Region) took the Patriot Division with a 22-25, 25-23, 15-12 victory over Club H 14 – adidas (Southern California).
“We’re really excited for our kids and especially the coaches. They put in a lot of hard work,” said TeamD Head Coach Malia Gabel. “Detroit is an amazing city. I feel l like there is so much culture here.”
In the semifinals, Club H 14 swept SG Elite 14Elite (Southern California), 25-17, 27-25. TeamD defeated Brazos Valley 14 National (Lone Star), 25-11, 17-25, 15-8.
14 AMERICAN
A2 14 Green won the championship with a 25-17, 27-25 sweep of Sunshine 14 South Bay (Southern California). In the semifinals, A2 swept Cobb Atlanta 14 Kevin (Southern), 25-18, 25-18. Sunshine defeated 305 VBC 14 National (Florida), 26-24, 25-16.
14 NATIONAL
In the championship match, Vegas Aces 14 UnderArmour defeated NCVC Asics 14-1 (Northern California), 21-15, 25-21, 15-13. In the semifinals, Vegas Aces beat Iowa Rockets 14R (Iowa), 25-25, 25-12. NCVC Asics swept Metro 14 Travel (Chesapeake), 25-20, 25-18.
14 USA
Sunshine 14 Westside defeated SA Magic 14 Elite (Lone Star) in the championship match, 20-25, 25-23, 15-12. In the semifinals, Sunshine came back to beat Gainesville 14 Elite (Florida), 15-25, 25-19, 15-10. SA Magic battled MPV 14’s Max (Florida), 20-25, 25-23, 15-12.
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
June 28: 14s
June 29: 15s
June 30: 12s
July 1: 11s
July 2: 13s
July 3: 17s
July 4: 16s