MLK 2014 was a huge success for CHVBC! From our 18s down to our youngest players at 10 years old, we showed confidence, courage and enthusiasm on the court.
After just one month of practice, our teams showed significant progress. I look forward to seeing us build on this foundation toward our club goal of steady improvement through hard work. Here is a recap of all of our teams:
18 BLACK
Our 18 Black finished 11th overall. They displayed the high level skills that earned so many of our players All South Jersey and All Conference recognition during the high school season. Their effort was recognized by college coaches as they made significant strides in their college recruiting. Coach Ori was pleased with the defensive intensity and will continue to work on serve receive and side-out scoring to improve the offense.
17 BLACK
17 Black (badly in need of a team name), finished 5th overall in Gold Bracket with a 6-2 record. This finish is the best in the history of our club! Lead by both Coach Dan (in practice) and Coach Tom (at the tournament), the 17s displayed solid ball control and used their size and strength to win points at the net. Their only two losses of the tournament were to the #1 & #2 finishers. Going forward, the coaches want to add offensive diversity to the middle attacks with both slides and GAP sets.
17 NITRO
Nitro came through in a tiebreaker on Day 1 to earn a spot in the Silver Bracket. Early in the tournament, they rebounded against LHVA to force a 3rd set where they came out on top 15-8. The team finished 21st overall with four of their matches going to 3 sets. Coach Karen will look to increase the tempo of their middle attacks by implementing the GAP set in practice and work on tip coverage on defense to protect against short attacks.
16 VIPERS
The CHVBC 16U Vipers (pictured above), lead by Coach Bernie Liu, won four straight elimination games to finish 1st in the Silver Bracket at MLK and 15th overall! They played the game with great enthusiasm, showed steady progress and began to implement the skills we have been reviewing in practice. They will continue to work on their approach footwork to build consistency in their attacks.
16 RAMPAGE
It was no surprise that Coach Jeff’s team featured strong play from the middles who protected the net all weekend with strong blocking. After a hard fought loss to Paradigm (#1 overall) on Day 1, Rampage won 5 of their next 8 matches and finished in the Bronze Bracket, 31st overall. Their Day 3 win over Crossroads lead to CHVBC’s most lop-sided win of the tournament (25-7) in Rampage’s favor. Coach Jeff will work on their out-of-system offense to create even more opportunities for the outside hitters.
15 AVALANCHE
Avalanche started their weekend with an enthusiastic 2-1 win against fellow SJ club, Marlton VBC! The team came together on Day 2 where they showed renewed energy and earned wins over both CJVA 15s teams, finishing 1st in their pool and earning a spot in the Bronze Bracket. The team finished 45th overall. Coach Manny will emphasize defensive intensity and transition footwork leading up to the Capitol Classic in DC.
15 TEMPEST
Tempest came out strong on Day 1 with a 2-1 record earning a spot in the Silver Bracket. They faced stiff competition on Day 2 before rallying on Day 3 with a competitive win over Allegro before falling to Yorktowne Open in 3 sets. They finished 27th overall out of 72 teams! Coach Carolyn was pleased with the overall play, but wants to work on arm-swing fundamentals and middle hitting to bring more consistency to the offense.
14 EAGLES
One of only two South Jersey club teams at MLK, the Eagles exceeded all expectations at their first tournament, winning two matches and finishing 35th overall! Drawing inspiration from their famous mascot, “Freedom Bob the Hustle Eagle,” the 14s brought a high level of energy to the court and made huge strides from Day 1 to Day 3. Coach Scott and the team will be adding several new defensive drills in practice and implementing the 4-2 offense for their upcoming matches.
12 TIGERS
Our six Tigers players formed the youngest team at the tournament this year! Playing in the 13U Bracket (they don’t even offer a 12U bracket!!!), the team improved from scoring 5 points in their first match on Saturday to 23 in their last match on Sunday. They were the only South Jersey team participating at the 13U level and the team features players as young as 10 years old. Coach Amber and Coach Kate were very proud of their team and want to continue to work on more aggressive serving to prepare for their home matches at SJ Hoops.
Great tournament by all! Now, let’s get back to work. DC is just around the corner!!!