It’s hard to believe, but, today is the 6th and final day of competition. This morning, we started off with the 14’s, and 15’s playing in 3 team pools with the winner of each pool competing for their divisional finals match. All of our teams played very well with the majority splitting their matches (1-1) to complete in their last day of the Volleyball Festival. The 14-1’s and 15-1’s each won 2 close matches in pool play to move on to their divisional finals.
The 14-1’s were evenly matched verses Hawaii’s Magic team as they were an excellent passing and digging team. This match went to 3 games with our 14’s winning the Contest Division (Bronze Finalists) in a nail biter of 15-13 in the tie-breaking set. They end Festival finishing 45th overall moving up from their initial seed of 56th.
The 15-1’s finished off Dinamo Elite earlier in the day taking only 2 sets to win the Confidence Division and finishing 75th overall in the 15’s division. They were the 69th seed entering Festival.
The 16-2’s had an up and down week and experienced a couple of tournament ending knee and ankle injuries. In divisional pool play they won easily in their first match to Extreme Block Party, however, found themselves in a very close match up vs. Point West Mizuno in a 3 set victory to make their championship final in the Comet Division (25-22, 23-25, 15-12). Their divisional final was not any easier vs. Central Coast. After splitting the first 2 sets (24-14, 23-25) and losing another player to an ankle injury, the team rallied back with solid passing and excellent serving to win a thrilling 3rd set, 15-10 and maintaining their starting seed of 99th overall.
Here is a recap of our teams:
TEAM START FINISH
12-1 37th 25th
14-1 47th 45th (Contest Division Bronze Champions)
14-2 69th 100th
14-3 102nd 102nd
15-1 69th 75th (Confidence Division Champions)
15-2 81st 83rd
15-3 87th 85th
15-4 94th 93rd
16-1 31st 22nd
16-2 99th 99th (Comet Division Champions)
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Thurs. - Day Five of Competition
The 16-1’s played in their final match of Festival playing in a 2/3 set match. They finished the tournament by moving up from their initial seeding of 31st and finished 22nd overall in the tournament. Considering the injuries they experienced over the last few days it was a respectable finish as teammates stepped up to contribute to their overall result.
The 15’s and 16-2’s enjoyed a nice day off and came to support our other teams as the 14’s and 15’s competed in divisional seedings for their final competition on Friday. Our 14’s group played in pool play again today with yet another opportunity to improve on their overall standings. Tournament seedings resulted with our 14-2’s and 3’s playing each other in pool play. After the morning wave concluded, the 14-1’s, 2’s, and 3’s all maintained their seed positions from the previous day.
Today was also the tournament finals for the Gold Division brackets for the 14-18’s age groups. Each of the final’s were at the US Airways Center which is also the home of NBA’s Phoenix Suns. Our club entered the in our “safety green” shirts (“highlighter’s” by some) and for anyone in the arena, There was no doubt where Excel Volleyball Club was sitting the the 12,000 seat facility. As a group, we watched some high level volleyball in the 17’s & 18’s divisions with Bonneville VBC from ID winning the 17’s final while Saddleback VBC dominated the 18’s event vs. San Diego VBC.
The 15’s and 16-2’s enjoyed a nice day off and came to support our other teams as the 14’s and 15’s competed in divisional seedings for their final competition on Friday. Our 14’s group played in pool play again today with yet another opportunity to improve on their overall standings. Tournament seedings resulted with our 14-2’s and 3’s playing each other in pool play. After the morning wave concluded, the 14-1’s, 2’s, and 3’s all maintained their seed positions from the previous day.
Today was also the tournament finals for the Gold Division brackets for the 14-18’s age groups. Each of the final’s were at the US Airways Center which is also the home of NBA’s Phoenix Suns. Our club entered the in our “safety green” shirts (“highlighter’s” by some) and for anyone in the arena, There was no doubt where Excel Volleyball Club was sitting the the 12,000 seat facility. As a group, we watched some high level volleyball in the 17’s & 18’s divisions with Bonneville VBC from ID winning the 17’s final while Saddleback VBC dominated the 18’s event vs. San Diego VBC.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Wed. - Day Four of Competition
Day 4 was the final day for the 12’s competition. They started off the day with a win in their first match while just falling short in their divisional bracket to play in the finals match. The 12’s finished their first Festival tournament and advanced 12 places to 25th overall after starting the tournament as 37th seed. Congratulation's to our 12’s team, parents, and coaches for your support and a job well done. Have a safe trip home.
Overall, Wednesday was a much better day for the club. As the 14’s group enjoyed their day off at the water park, our 15’s and 16’s continued to battle on day 4. 15-1’s slipped slightly after a tough day on the courts, while the 15-2’s finished 1st in their pool & 15-3’s finishing 2nd in a 5 team pool, while the 15-4’s again held their seed for their last and final day of divisional playoffs on Friday. They all will enjoy a well deserved day off on Thursday.
The 16-2 team play well again today in several close match ups, but, just fell short leading in to their divisional finals on Friday. They will also enjoy a well deserved day off on Thursday.
The 16-1’s battled all day (5 matches) as they competed in their double elimination Silver Divisional bracket. After coming off a slow start with a first match loss they won their next three rounds as they fought back to get closer to the Silver divisional final. They ended their day with a 3 set loss and will play in their final match on Thursday morning for 21st or 22nd position overall in this years’ Volleyball Festival.
Overall, Wednesday was a much better day for the club. As the 14’s group enjoyed their day off at the water park, our 15’s and 16’s continued to battle on day 4. 15-1’s slipped slightly after a tough day on the courts, while the 15-2’s finished 1st in their pool & 15-3’s finishing 2nd in a 5 team pool, while the 15-4’s again held their seed for their last and final day of divisional playoffs on Friday. They all will enjoy a well deserved day off on Thursday.
The 16-2 team play well again today in several close match ups, but, just fell short leading in to their divisional finals on Friday. They will also enjoy a well deserved day off on Thursday.
The 16-1’s battled all day (5 matches) as they competed in their double elimination Silver Divisional bracket. After coming off a slow start with a first match loss they won their next three rounds as they fought back to get closer to the Silver divisional final. They ended their day with a 3 set loss and will play in their final match on Thursday morning for 21st or 22nd position overall in this years’ Volleyball Festival.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Tues. - Day Three of Competition
Day 3
Overall, today was a long and challenging day for the club. The highlight of the day was the 14-1’s sweeping their pool play to take 1st in their pool and maintain the 47th seed to continue Thursdays divisional pool play.
Many of our teams, again, held their seed from Tuesday’s pool play. Our girls are playing hard and are hanging in there as they conclude day 3 of their competition. We continue to play very competitive teams throughout our age groups as we prepare for the final 2 days of play.
Injuries have plagued both of our 16’s team’s (knee’s and ankle’s) as the grind of the long volleyball week takes it’s toll. Coming out of Monday’s pool play, our 16-1’s team took over the #5 seed of the tournament to start off the day on Tuesday. Thumb and ankle injuries to key players challenged their ability to play at 100% and forced one to end her Festival tournament early on Tuesday with a severely sprained ankle. The team played hard to make up the injuries, however, it did not pan out as well as Monday, as the team ended up falling to 26th by the end of the day.
The medical staff and sports trainers at the convention center have their job cut out for them over the course of Festival as they estimate miles and miles of sports tape and plastic wrap and over a million pounds of ice for various injuries.
Overall, today was a long and challenging day for the club. The highlight of the day was the 14-1’s sweeping their pool play to take 1st in their pool and maintain the 47th seed to continue Thursdays divisional pool play.
Many of our teams, again, held their seed from Tuesday’s pool play. Our girls are playing hard and are hanging in there as they conclude day 3 of their competition. We continue to play very competitive teams throughout our age groups as we prepare for the final 2 days of play.
Injuries have plagued both of our 16’s team’s (knee’s and ankle’s) as the grind of the long volleyball week takes it’s toll. Coming out of Monday’s pool play, our 16-1’s team took over the #5 seed of the tournament to start off the day on Tuesday. Thumb and ankle injuries to key players challenged their ability to play at 100% and forced one to end her Festival tournament early on Tuesday with a severely sprained ankle. The team played hard to make up the injuries, however, it did not pan out as well as Monday, as the team ended up falling to 26th by the end of the day.
The medical staff and sports trainers at the convention center have their job cut out for them over the course of Festival as they estimate miles and miles of sports tape and plastic wrap and over a million pounds of ice for various injuries.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Mon. - Day Two of Competition
Day 2 of competion was hot and exciting as everyone progressed through pool play qualification brackets. Today's high was 109 degrees outside, but, many of our courts inside provided some exceptional volleyball. The highlight of the day was the 16-1's as they progressed through pool play beating the #5th overall seed in 3 sets and taking their position into day three. The top 16, after tomorrows 3rd round, go on to compete in the Gold Championship Division. Seeds 17-32 progress to the Silver Division. Tuesday will prove to be another exciting day of Festival volleyball. The 16-2's also faired well matching up vs. some very good teams in their pool. They held their seed again this evening starting Tuesday at 99th and setting up for postitioning day for Friday's divisional finals.
The 12-1's started the day as the 14th seed playing the 4th and 20th seeded team's in a couple of hard fought matches, however, slid slightly to 20th overall. Tomorrow's competition will set up for their final day of divsional playoffs on Wednesday.
The 14's played well again and competed against some of the top teams in the tournament with the 14-1's holding their seed at 47, the 14-2's @ 88, and the 14-3's @ 102. Tuesday's and Wednesday's pool play will set up final positioning for the divisional finals on Friday.
In this afternoon's pool play our 15's teams it was the 15-3's that took advantage of some better play and moved up 24 spots from 87 to 63 seed to start off round 3 of divisional positioning. Our 15-2's started the day at 81 slipping slightly to 88th, while the 15-1 and 15-4's holding their seeds at 69 and 94 respectively. Tomorrow, our 15-2's and 15-4's will compete against each other in a 5 team pool to set up the remainder of the tournament divisionals.
It was another long and hot day in the desert and we're not quite to the halfway mark. Thank you for the support of many of the parents that are here in Phoenix. Many more will be coming in tomorrow to join us to spectate the largest amatuer event in the world, the Volleyball Festival.
Take to you again on day 3.............
The 12-1's started the day as the 14th seed playing the 4th and 20th seeded team's in a couple of hard fought matches, however, slid slightly to 20th overall. Tomorrow's competition will set up for their final day of divsional playoffs on Wednesday.
The 14's played well again and competed against some of the top teams in the tournament with the 14-1's holding their seed at 47, the 14-2's @ 88, and the 14-3's @ 102. Tuesday's and Wednesday's pool play will set up final positioning for the divisional finals on Friday.
In this afternoon's pool play our 15's teams it was the 15-3's that took advantage of some better play and moved up 24 spots from 87 to 63 seed to start off round 3 of divisional positioning. Our 15-2's started the day at 81 slipping slightly to 88th, while the 15-1 and 15-4's holding their seeds at 69 and 94 respectively. Tomorrow, our 15-2's and 15-4's will compete against each other in a 5 team pool to set up the remainder of the tournament divisionals.
It was another long and hot day in the desert and we're not quite to the halfway mark. Thank you for the support of many of the parents that are here in Phoenix. Many more will be coming in tomorrow to join us to spectate the largest amatuer event in the world, the Volleyball Festival.
Take to you again on day 3.............
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Sun. - Day One of Competition
Day one of competion has come and gone. It was an exciting day....a challenging day....a hot day....a LOOOONG day. Our teams made it through day one jitters with many of our teams holding their initial seeds for day two. Our 12's made the most significant leap in standings moving from 37nd to the 14th seed to start off day 2. The 14-1's went from 56th to 49th, while the 16-1's moved up 3 spots to hold the 28th seed, all 3 teams still eligible for the championship gold and silver division.
There's lot's of volleyball left in this 5 day tournament and anything can happen. Stay tuned as we enter our second and championship qualifying day of the tournament.
More Festival Photo's at http://digitalvision.smugmug.com
There's lot's of volleyball left in this 5 day tournament and anything can happen. Stay tuned as we enter our second and championship qualifying day of the tournament.
More Festival Photo's at http://digitalvision.smugmug.com
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Sat. - Opening Ceremonies
Phoenix, 2009 Volleyball Festival.
Two team buses, a couple of stops on the way to the desert and all 10 of our teams have made it safely to prepare for opening ceremonies. It's a been a hot one on Saturday with a high temp. of 109.....Africa hot. We've settled in and we've made it through an exciting opening ceremony celebration. Excel Volleyball Club is one of the larger clubs with 100+ members represented at Festival and we did it in a sea of "safetly green".
Hopefully, other teams will not try to flag down our members or rush to our courts as we have the identical color shirts as the Festival's the medical staff. They'll figure it out........
Pre-staging outside the South Hall was incredibly hot and uncomfortable, but, it was very exciting for the club as we entered the air-conditioned backstage area to be introduced to the masses. The 12's led the way with the team banner and did so with smiles on their faces. 7000 other participants and several other thousand parents and spectators greeted us with enthusiasm as the announcer officially introduced "Excel Volleyball Club" to the stage.
The preparation is over tonight and we're on to competition in the morning.........
Two team buses, a couple of stops on the way to the desert and all 10 of our teams have made it safely to prepare for opening ceremonies. It's a been a hot one on Saturday with a high temp. of 109.....Africa hot. We've settled in and we've made it through an exciting opening ceremony celebration. Excel Volleyball Club is one of the larger clubs with 100+ members represented at Festival and we did it in a sea of "safetly green".Hopefully, other teams will not try to flag down our members or rush to our courts as we have the identical color shirts as the Festival's the medical staff. They'll figure it out........
Pre-staging outside the South Hall was incredibly hot and uncomfortable, but, it was very exciting for the club as we entered the air-conditioned backstage area to be introduced to the masses. The 12's led the way with the team banner and did so with smiles on their faces. 7000 other participants and several other thousand parents and spectators greeted us with enthusiasm as the announcer officially introduced "Excel Volleyball Club" to the stage.
The preparation is over tonight and we're on to competition in the morning.........
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