The following was written by all players from the team:
Hello from Wisconsin Dells!!!
Today is our last day here, and the experience has been one of a kind. From each individual girl, to every point of each game. Day 1 was long and tiring from travel, and once we got here we went to opening ceremonies. It was insane! There were boys and girls from many different regions everywhere we looked. We were clearly the smallest team there and most definitely the under dogs.
Our first day of competition was different. It was really hard to get used to all of the humidity in the little bubble of a gym we played in. We lost our first game in 4 to Southern California, even though it was close, and later beat USA Select Red.
Games on Day 2: we played USA Select White and then Badger (a Wisconsin team). We had a slow start in the USA game but came out on top. We played really well against Badger and had a very fast paced game with them, but lost in a heartbreaker.
On Day 3 we played Chile in the morning and then later faced Aloha(Hawaii). We beat Chile in 5 and Hawaii in 4. Both were scrappy teams but we played our very best. Thanks to Ciara Stastny we served Chile off the court in game 5, and beat them 15-3.
Day 4 we played Ohio Valley in the morning and lost in 5 sets. It was intense, everybody was rooting against us. Girls from Chile and boys from Ohio, all around our court everyone was cheering against us. It was close but in the end it all worked out. Badger beat Chile, making us 2nd in our pool and giving us a chance to take the bronze. For our final match we played USA Youth White. It was intense, our last game together as a team, and our last shot for a medal. We took it to 5 back and forth, but in the last game our team stepped up, took charge, and played their hearts out. After we won, we waited for the championship to end. Once that was over, the Award Ceremony started.
Stepping on the podium was awesome! All of us together accepting our awards and taking a big sigh of relief. We were the under dogs and when everyone asked us where we were from, they were surprised.
After every day we played, in our free time, we went and played at the water park. It was da bomb!! 3 giant water slides cascaded down from the ceiling, little wading pools sat at the bottom with tiny huts, and hot life guards. The theme was really cool. It was like Mayan/ jungle South American extravaganza. On every slide you could ride in double tubes, which were faster, or single. One night we decided to go to the cute little town of Dells. We ate at and amazing Italian pizza place, and after we walked around. First, we went into the mirror maze, which was very creepy. Many of us hate clowns. There were creepy clown faces on the walls. After, we all got really cool airbrushed hats… Then we split up into two groups and checked out the stores. Chloe is a creeper.
At night we played funny games with our team. One was the Adams Family game and the Murder Mystery game. Then Scooter came in and did an amazing Chris Farley impersonation. It was a good night.
Today was relaxing. We slept in, then went down and ate breakfast. After we all got our bags together and went on an adventure. Jess, Hannah, Rachel, and Crash went to the water park, while the two Ciaras, Kiz, and Sariah went on a nice little nature walk. Stacey and Chloe had already left.
All in all it was a great experience. We will all miss each other and our adventures together.
The following is some final statistics from the event as far as individual category leaders. Many parents have asked me to get a copy of the complete stats You may email the IVA office and ask for a copy of those stats as I have sent them the file.
These individual statistics are based on a minimum number of attempts in each category:
Best Passer - Ciara Parker (2.18)......Ciara was also named the Best Passer of the entire event.
Best Server - Stacey Benton and Ciara Parker (2.20)
Most Aces - Ciara Parker (26)
Best Attacker - McKenzie Willey (.280) and Rachel Enloe (.279)
Most Kills - McKenzie Willey (148)
Most Assists - Stacey Benton (346)
Best Blocker - Rachel Enloe (24)
Best Digger - Ciara Parker (226)
Most Points Scored (Kills/Blocks/Aces) - McKenzie Willey (177)
Friday, July 30, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Update Day #3
Hi everyone. Here is the update on how we did today and what the scenarios are looking forward.
Match #1 vs. Chile
The girls came out playing very well. Passing was good, attacking was good, blocking was good, defense was good and serving was good. We won the first 2 sets and then fell apart a little in the 3rd and 4th and lost. In the 5th set we took control again. McKenzie blocked their best player (#14) 3 times, Ciara Stastny served 10 balls in a row that were really tough, keeping them on their heels and Sariah had some great defensive efforts. We beat them in the 5th 15-3!
Match #2 vs. Aloha
Teams from the island are always known for great defense and passing and for being very scrappy and they were no exception. We came out a little sluggish from our very quick hour and 45 minute break and lunch and Aloha was very fresh as this was their first match of the day. Aloha came out very solid, passing well, attacking well and serving well and really put it to us in the first set. We were able to gather our composure and battle back to win set 2 fairly easily. Sets 3 and 4 would remain very close throughout.....no team ever had a lead bigger than 3. Through great attacking by McKenzie and Ciara on the outside, Hannah on the right and Chloe/Rachel in the middle and by great setting from Stacey and defense/serving from Sariah, Jessika and Ciara S we were able to battle a very tough team and come out on top, winning the match in 4 sets.
So...what does that mean now in the overall picture?
We are currently 2-1 in our pool of 5 teams, with one match remaining against Ohio Valley tomorrow morning. There are 2 pools of 5 in the Gold Division. The winner of each pool will play for the Gold Medal. The 2 second place teams will play for Bronze. The 2 thirds for 5th place and so on. Right now we sit 2nd in our pool behind Badger who beat us yesterday. Badger would need to lose and we would need to beat Ohio for us to have a chance to play for the Gold Medal. we can't look at that though as Ohio is a very good team and we need to focus our attention on winning that match at 8am tomorrow morning.
Tonight, the team is going into the town of Wisconsin Dells to eat and shop and look around before coming back and getting to bed early in preparation for our early morning match.
Match #1 vs. Chile
The girls came out playing very well. Passing was good, attacking was good, blocking was good, defense was good and serving was good. We won the first 2 sets and then fell apart a little in the 3rd and 4th and lost. In the 5th set we took control again. McKenzie blocked their best player (#14) 3 times, Ciara Stastny served 10 balls in a row that were really tough, keeping them on their heels and Sariah had some great defensive efforts. We beat them in the 5th 15-3!
Match #2 vs. Aloha
Teams from the island are always known for great defense and passing and for being very scrappy and they were no exception. We came out a little sluggish from our very quick hour and 45 minute break and lunch and Aloha was very fresh as this was their first match of the day. Aloha came out very solid, passing well, attacking well and serving well and really put it to us in the first set. We were able to gather our composure and battle back to win set 2 fairly easily. Sets 3 and 4 would remain very close throughout.....no team ever had a lead bigger than 3. Through great attacking by McKenzie and Ciara on the outside, Hannah on the right and Chloe/Rachel in the middle and by great setting from Stacey and defense/serving from Sariah, Jessika and Ciara S we were able to battle a very tough team and come out on top, winning the match in 4 sets.
So...what does that mean now in the overall picture?
We are currently 2-1 in our pool of 5 teams, with one match remaining against Ohio Valley tomorrow morning. There are 2 pools of 5 in the Gold Division. The winner of each pool will play for the Gold Medal. The 2 second place teams will play for Bronze. The 2 thirds for 5th place and so on. Right now we sit 2nd in our pool behind Badger who beat us yesterday. Badger would need to lose and we would need to beat Ohio for us to have a chance to play for the Gold Medal. we can't look at that though as Ohio is a very good team and we need to focus our attention on winning that match at 8am tomorrow morning.
Tonight, the team is going into the town of Wisconsin Dells to eat and shop and look around before coming back and getting to bed early in preparation for our early morning match.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
Wrap up of Day 1
Hey from Wisconsin. The girls played really well this afternoon against one of the USA Select teams. We dropped the first set, then came back and dominated the next three sets. Chloe put on a serving clinic, Ciara Parker dug like a maniac, and Stacey was delivering some nice money balls! Kizzy finally found her zone attacking and had a really nice match. Hannah and Rachel shut down their big hitters with some great blocking. Sariah had some sick ups! Everyone stepped up and did a really nice job. (Even Crashy got in to serve and play a little "D".)
So far, everyone has gotten to play in every match:)
The venue where we are playing is odd. The air in the gym is very moist and heavy. Scooter and I were sweating just sitting on the bench. It seems to affect the flight of the ball, and it has taken our kids a little time to get used to it and make some necessary adjustments.
After our last match, the girls and I went and had a blast at the water park. So much fun!!!!! I think I swallowed a gallon of water on one of the slides. The kids are enjoying themselves, and they seem to be getting along great!
Not sure what time we play tomorrow, but hopefully we can pass a little better than we did today!
Tata for now!!!!
Parker
So far, everyone has gotten to play in every match:)
The venue where we are playing is odd. The air in the gym is very moist and heavy. Scooter and I were sweating just sitting on the bench. It seems to affect the flight of the ball, and it has taken our kids a little time to get used to it and make some necessary adjustments.
After our last match, the girls and I went and had a blast at the water park. So much fun!!!!! I think I swallowed a gallon of water on one of the slides. The kids are enjoying themselves, and they seem to be getting along great!
Not sure what time we play tomorrow, but hopefully we can pass a little better than we did today!
Tata for now!!!!
Parker
Match #1 Recap vs. Southern California Youth Red
by Hannah Allred:
Our first games were good but we could have worked a lot harder. We all put fourth really good effort. In the first set we were not yet awake and played very timid. The second game we all worked harder as a team but couldn't do it. the third set was a lot better. we won the third set!!! then the fourth set came around and it was cutthroat, but we couldn't pull it off. Overall we had a fair start.
Our first games were good but we could have worked a lot harder. We all put fourth really good effort. In the first set we were not yet awake and played very timid. The second game we all worked harder as a team but couldn't do it. the third set was a lot better. we won the third set!!! then the fourth set came around and it was cutthroat, but we couldn't pull it off. Overall we had a fair start.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Arrival in Wisconsin
You are getting me (Scooter) again tonight as everyone is on their way to bed in preparation for our early morning match tomorrow and Alaina has taken Crash to the waterpark which is about 100 yards from our rooms to take one or two slides down the tubes! In the coming days however, I will have the girls give updates, with coaches putting in their two cents also to keep everyone up to date. I will post scores after each set during the match, live from the bench so keep in touch with the blog. Keep in mind that Wisconsin is in the CST so an 8:30am match means that it is 7:30am in Utah.
So, that being said, let me give you a rundown of the day. Our flight left SLC at 9:50am. Check-in went very smoothly and the flight to Minneapolis was nice and smooth. We had a layover in Minneapolis for a little over an hour and then our flight from MN to Madison was complete with seats in the back with a full window view of the engines which were the loudest we have ever heard and water leaking (literally a stream of water) all over us. Thank goodness it was only a 40 minute flight :)
We only had to wait for about 10 minutes for our bus to arrive to take us to the resort. It was a good ol' yellow school bus. The driver's son was on the bus and was entertaining the girls by showing how his toy cars would roll up the aisle from the back of the bus to the front. The ride was about an hour through beautiful countryside. Lots of farmland and everything is so green!!!
We were greeted by the Willey family when we arrived so McKenzie was very happy, as were the rest of us to see familiar, smiling faces! We checked into our rooms and then made our way to the tailgate party and opening ceremonies. We got there just as they were ending the tailgate party so we got what was left as far as food. they had hamburgers, bratwurst, corn on the cob, macaroni salad, chicken breast and cole slaw. There wasn't much left so not everyone got full, but were grateful that we got there in time to get something.
We then lined up by region and marched in to the opening ceremonies. The ceremony was in the facility where we are playing which is a big bubble dome (like you see the tennis courts around Salt Lake in the winter time). It's a nice facility but we will see how the solid white roof affects the ability to see and judge the distance of the ball. Hopefully it won't affect anything.
After we all marched in (every region was announced), we were welcomed by the Chula Vista resort president and by USA Volleyball. Tracy Stalls (women's national team player) and Tom Hoff (Men's Olympic Gold Medalist in Beijing) spoke to everyone with some inspiring words and then the ceremony was over. The girls walked back to the hotel (about a 25 minute walk) and Alaina checked the team in to the tournament. Alaina and I then walked back and the weather and walk was very nice. The smell of woods, sound of crickets...made me feel like I was back home in Indiana again!
So that brings us to this moment....the girls are in bed as of about 30 minutes ago and we will be eating breakfast at 7am, off the the gym at 7:30am and play at 8:30am vs. Southern California. We will then come back to eat lunch and prepare for our 2:00pm match vs. the USA White team. Stay tuned for live updates via the blog on scores and during the match.
Some of us ran into Kaitlyn Van Hoff tonight also....she was a member of the Intermountain HP team that competed in Tucscon 2 years ago and finished 4th. She is now competed and earned a spot with the USA teams that are here. So exciting to see her moving through the pipeline. Another success for the IM region!!!
Oh, and as I write this, I'm watching the Cardinals vs. the Cubs on ESPN....VERY exciting game, going into the 11th inning...so.......GO CARDINALS!!!!! :)
Also, I have been trying to upload pictures from Opening Cermonies but the internect connection is very slow. I will try and find somewhere I can get a quicker speed and it won't time out and get some pictures up tomorrow! Sorry about that.
So, that being said, let me give you a rundown of the day. Our flight left SLC at 9:50am. Check-in went very smoothly and the flight to Minneapolis was nice and smooth. We had a layover in Minneapolis for a little over an hour and then our flight from MN to Madison was complete with seats in the back with a full window view of the engines which were the loudest we have ever heard and water leaking (literally a stream of water) all over us. Thank goodness it was only a 40 minute flight :)
We only had to wait for about 10 minutes for our bus to arrive to take us to the resort. It was a good ol' yellow school bus. The driver's son was on the bus and was entertaining the girls by showing how his toy cars would roll up the aisle from the back of the bus to the front. The ride was about an hour through beautiful countryside. Lots of farmland and everything is so green!!!
We were greeted by the Willey family when we arrived so McKenzie was very happy, as were the rest of us to see familiar, smiling faces! We checked into our rooms and then made our way to the tailgate party and opening ceremonies. We got there just as they were ending the tailgate party so we got what was left as far as food. they had hamburgers, bratwurst, corn on the cob, macaroni salad, chicken breast and cole slaw. There wasn't much left so not everyone got full, but were grateful that we got there in time to get something.
We then lined up by region and marched in to the opening ceremonies. The ceremony was in the facility where we are playing which is a big bubble dome (like you see the tennis courts around Salt Lake in the winter time). It's a nice facility but we will see how the solid white roof affects the ability to see and judge the distance of the ball. Hopefully it won't affect anything.
After we all marched in (every region was announced), we were welcomed by the Chula Vista resort president and by USA Volleyball. Tracy Stalls (women's national team player) and Tom Hoff (Men's Olympic Gold Medalist in Beijing) spoke to everyone with some inspiring words and then the ceremony was over. The girls walked back to the hotel (about a 25 minute walk) and Alaina checked the team in to the tournament. Alaina and I then walked back and the weather and walk was very nice. The smell of woods, sound of crickets...made me feel like I was back home in Indiana again!
So that brings us to this moment....the girls are in bed as of about 30 minutes ago and we will be eating breakfast at 7am, off the the gym at 7:30am and play at 8:30am vs. Southern California. We will then come back to eat lunch and prepare for our 2:00pm match vs. the USA White team. Stay tuned for live updates via the blog on scores and during the match.
Some of us ran into Kaitlyn Van Hoff tonight also....she was a member of the Intermountain HP team that competed in Tucscon 2 years ago and finished 4th. She is now competed and earned a spot with the USA teams that are here. So exciting to see her moving through the pipeline. Another success for the IM region!!!
Oh, and as I write this, I'm watching the Cardinals vs. the Cubs on ESPN....VERY exciting game, going into the 11th inning...so.......GO CARDINALS!!!!! :)
Also, I have been trying to upload pictures from Opening Cermonies but the internect connection is very slow. I will try and find somewhere I can get a quicker speed and it won't time out and get some pictures up tomorrow! Sorry about that.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Statistics (Training)
Well, it is Friday night and the alternates have been released to go home. They were FANTASTIC and helped us so much!!! Below are the statistics compiled for the week. The "Cauldron" points is how many points players scored in all the drills that we ran and are in rank order of how they finished. Also you will see skill statistics for serving, passing, digging, attacking and assists. Statistics should not be used to compare yourself to others but rather to be a means of evaluation to see where you are and where you need to set goals to improve.
CAULDRON
NAME TOTAL
Ciara P. 2356
McKenzie W. 2285
Sariah P 2278
Stacey B. 2238
Rachel E. 2206
Hannah A. 2173
Kennedy S 2131
Jessika L. 2055
Jenna B. 2036
Keva R. 1985
Chloe H. 1861
Tipper N. 1822
McKenzie T. 1677
Ciara S. 1676
NAME TOTAL
Ciara P. 2356
McKenzie W. 2285
Sariah P 2278
Stacey B. 2238
Rachel E. 2206
Hannah A. 2173
Kennedy S 2131
Jessika L. 2055
Jenna B. 2036
Keva R. 1985
Chloe H. 1861
Tipper N. 1822
McKenzie T. 1677
Ciara S. 1676
ATTACKING (in alphabetical order by first name)
NAME (Hitting Eff. )
Chloe H. (-.042)
Ciara P. (.242)
Ciara S. (.071)
Hannah A. (.217)
Jenna B. (.120)
Jessika L. (.250)
Kennedy S (.082)
Keva R. (-.063)
McKenzie T. (.449)
McKenzie W. (.201)
Rachel E. (.215)
Sariah P (N/A )
Stacey B. (.270)
Tipper N. (.000)
PASSING (in alphabetical order by first name)
NAME Avg
Chloe H. 1.07
Ciara P. 2.33
Ciara S. 2.34
Hannah A. 2.15
Jenna B. 1.97
Jessika L. 1.00
Kennedy S 2.00
Keva R. 1.63
McKenzie T. 1.75
McKenzie W. 2.10
Rachel E. 2.11
Sariah P 1.97
Stacey B. 2.00
Tipper N. 1.64
SERVING (in alphabetical order by first name)
NAME Avg
Chloe H. 1.67
Ciara P. 2.10
Ciara S. 2.16
Hannah A. 1.94
Jenna B. 1.82
Jessika L. 2.05
Kennedy S 1.81
Keva R. 0.67
McKenzie T. 1.84
McKenzie W. 2.28
Rachel E. 1.91
Sariah P 2.00
Stacey B. 2.08
Tipper N. 1.63
Chloe H. 1.67
Ciara P. 2.10
Ciara S. 2.16
Hannah A. 1.94
Jenna B. 1.82
Jessika L. 2.05
Kennedy S 1.81
Keva R. 0.67
McKenzie T. 1.84
McKenzie W. 2.28
Rachel E. 1.91
Sariah P 2.00
Stacey B. 2.08
Tipper N. 1.63
DIGS (in alphabetical order by first name)
NAME Dig (+) Dig (-) Dig (converted for a kill)
Chloe H. 5 3 0
Ciara P. 51 5 6
Ciara S. 34 2 3
Hannah A. 23 0 4
Jenna B. 33 3 4
Jessika L. 20 3 0
Kennedy S 23 4 2
Keva R. 15 7 0
McKenzie T. 27 1 3
McKenzie W. 40 2 8
Rachel E. 6 0 0
Sariah P 72 6 15
Stacey B. 26 2 3
Tipper N. 39 7 2
Chloe H. 5 3 0
Ciara P. 51 5 6
Ciara S. 34 2 3
Hannah A. 23 0 4
Jenna B. 33 3 4
Jessika L. 20 3 0
Kennedy S 23 4 2
Keva R. 15 7 0
McKenzie T. 27 1 3
McKenzie W. 40 2 8
Rachel E. 6 0 0
Sariah P 72 6 15
Stacey B. 26 2 3
Tipper N. 39 7 2
ASSISTS
Ciara P. 35
Jessica L. 112
Ciara P. 35
Jessica L. 112
Stacey B. 157
training in salt lake
It's Rachel here. Today is our fourth day of training and I'm loving it. The pace of play is fast, and all of the girls are playing really great. It's amazing how girls from St. George, Idaho, and Utah valley can come together and make such a fantastic team. The girls are fun to play with and work so hard. The coaching staff, Alaina and Scooter, are helping us develop so much even in just this one week. I'm seeing everyone improving so much and am really excited to get to Wisconsin and finally play the best teams in the country. Well, that's all for now.
- Rachel Enloe
Scooter here...Rachel is right...the pace is nice and quick and ALL of the girls are really playing well. It's been FANTASTIC to see 5 alternates in the gym who are working very hard and getting everything they can out of this experience. In the 5 days (25 hours of training) that these girls have recieved, their level of play has increased tremendously. Our alternates have made our traveling squad so much better and any success that we have in Wisconsin will, no doubt, be in part because of their hard work.
Those that are traveling are doing very well also and being pushed every minute. There are good battles for starting positions in every position which is a great thing for a team. The touranment schedule was released today and we know our first two matches/opponents. You can see the tournament link for results online at:
https://www.advancedeventsystems.com/VolleyballResults/Home.aspx?e=PTAwMDAwMDA4OTA90
Our team is called "Intermountain" and we are in the International Youth Division. We are in Pool A and we will play Monday at 8:30am vs. Southern California and at 2:00pm that same day vs. USA White. Should be two very good matches!
Stay tuned to our blog and the tournament website to see how we are doing on and off the court.
- Rachel Enloe
Scooter here...Rachel is right...the pace is nice and quick and ALL of the girls are really playing well. It's been FANTASTIC to see 5 alternates in the gym who are working very hard and getting everything they can out of this experience. In the 5 days (25 hours of training) that these girls have recieved, their level of play has increased tremendously. Our alternates have made our traveling squad so much better and any success that we have in Wisconsin will, no doubt, be in part because of their hard work.
Those that are traveling are doing very well also and being pushed every minute. There are good battles for starting positions in every position which is a great thing for a team. The touranment schedule was released today and we know our first two matches/opponents. You can see the tournament link for results online at:
https://www.advancedeventsystems.com/VolleyballResults/Home.aspx?e=PTAwMDAwMDA4OTA90
Our team is called "Intermountain" and we are in the International Youth Division. We are in Pool A and we will play Monday at 8:30am vs. Southern California and at 2:00pm that same day vs. USA White. Should be two very good matches!
Stay tuned to our blog and the tournament website to see how we are doing on and off the court.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Welcome to HP 2010
Each year the Intermountain Region High Performance Teams do a blog for it's fans to follow their progress. This year is no exception. We have one Youth team that will be training from July 19-24 in Salt Lake City and will then fly to Wisconsin for the U.S. High Performance Championships July 25-30. This blog will serve as the update for those fans that wish to follow along. Athletes and coaches will post their thoughts on here daily and match results will also be posted live from the bench. We will also attempt to put as many statistics up as possible and even some pictures. Feel free to post comments on the blog yourself in support of our region team.
The training roster includes the following athletes and coaches:
Chloe Hirst
Ciara Parker
Ciara Stastny
Hannah Allred
Jenna Bradfield (alternate)
Jessika Long
Kennedy Springer (alternate)
Keva Robinson (alternate)
McKenzie Taylor (alternate)
Rachel Enloe
Sariah Pelaez
Stacey Benton
Tipper Nelson (alternate)
Head Coach - Alaina Parker
Assistant Coach - Scott Keister "Scooter"
You may find the tournament information at this link: http://usavolleyball.org/volleyball-disciplines/high-performance-indoor/2010-usav-high-performance-championships
The training roster includes the following athletes and coaches:
Chloe Hirst
Ciara Parker
Ciara Stastny
Hannah Allred
Jenna Bradfield (alternate)
Jessika Long
Kennedy Springer (alternate)
Keva Robinson (alternate)
McKenzie Taylor (alternate)
Rachel Enloe
Sariah Pelaez
Stacey Benton
Tipper Nelson (alternate)
Head Coach - Alaina Parker
Assistant Coach - Scott Keister "Scooter"
You may find the tournament information at this link: http://usavolleyball.org/volleyball-disciplines/high-performance-indoor/2010-usav-high-performance-championships
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