USAV JUNIORS
National inspiration
Teams battle at the
eams battle at the USA Volleyball Girls’ 18s Junior National Championships
KC POWER 18-1 HIGHLIGHTED THE fi nal day of the 2017 USA Volleyball Girls’ 18s Junior National Championships by claiming the 18 Open Division title, while four other teams won divisional titles in Dallas at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. KC Power (Heart of America) defeated
TAV 18 Black (North Texas) in a thrilling 25- 23, 22-25, 16-14 gold-medal match in front of a standing-room-only crowd. KC Power, 8-1 overall in the tournament, reached the title match by defeating A4 Volley 18-Purple (Southern California) in the quarterfi nal round and Sky High-Adidas 18 Black (Great Lakes) in the semifi nals. TAV, which lost its fi rst and last matches of the tournament to fi nish 8-2, earned its berth into the fi nals by defeating Top Select 18 Elite Blake (Florida) 25-21, 25-21 in the quarterfi nals and Tstreet 18-Troy (Southern California) 27-25, 25-23 in the semifi nals. “This is huge for us, especially because for
the last three years we have lost in the quar- terfi nals so we haven’t got past fi fth,” said KC Power setter Madison Lilley, who was named the most valuable player of the 18 Open Division. “This year we were really focused on getting past that match and everything just starting rolling from there. We think we are really deserving and working really hard for it.”
As with many of the players competing at the GJNC18 event, this tournament repre- sents the fi nal club event for Lilley and her KC Power teammates. “This is it for us,” Lilley said. “We are all heading our separate ways to college. I am heading to Kentucky. Club career is offi cially over, which is sad.” However, Lilley’s schedule remains packed
with volleyball before she arrives in Lexington, Kentucky to begin her collegiate career. She will be immersed into USA Volleyball’s High Performance program and competing on the U.S. Women’s Junior National Team that will
play in the Women’s U20 Pan American Cup this May in an effort to qualify Team USA for the FIVB Volleyball Women’s U20 World Championships.
“I will be heading to Costa Rica in May to play on the (Women’s Junior) National Team and compete for a bid to Worlds,” Lilley said. “Still a busy summer, the playing never ends. But it is what I love to do.” In the 18 USA Division, AJV 18 Mizuno
(Lone Star) swept AP 18 Asics (Lone Star) 25-17, 25-19 in the gold-medal match to win the title. AJV was 9-0 in the tournament and did not lose a single set – only one team
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reached 20 points in a single set and that was versus Ocala Power United 18 Rox (Florida) in a 25-23, 27-25 victory to conclude the fi rst round. AJV booked its ticket to the fi nals by defeating SA Force 182 National (Lone Star) 25-17, 25-18 in the quarterfi nals and SG Elite 18 Roshambo (Southern California) 25-19, 25-18 in the semifi nals. AP 18 Asics, which went 7-2 overall, defeated Madfrog 18s N Blue (North Texas) 25-18, 25-18 in the quarterfi nals and Ignite 18 Elite (Hoosier) 29- 27, 23-25, 15-11 in the semifi nals. IPVA 18 Black (Iowa) defeated Asics Louisiana 18 (Bayou) 30-28, 25-22 in a battle
USAV/BILL KAUFFMAN
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