2013 USAV Open National Championships Round-Up

Fifteen Badger Region teams packed their bags and headed to the 2013 USA Volleyball Open National Championships being held May 24-28 at the Kentucky Expo Center in Louisville, Ky. Eight women’s teams, six men’s teams and one unified Special Olympics team competed at the event. Check out how they did below.

Badger Blizzards

The Badger Blizzards competed in the 2013 Women’s PVL Championships May 25-28.

The Blizzards went 1-1 their first day of play, defeating Western Empire in a five-set thriller before falling to the 2012 PVL Champions the Hoosier Exterminators.

The Blizzards opened play on Sunday with a straight-set victory over The Dream Team (Northern California Region) and closed pool play with a win over Sound Premier (Puget Sound Region). Their 3-1 record in pool kept the Blizzards in the running for gold heading into the third day of the championships.

The Blizzards kicked things off on Monday with a win over Arizona Sizzle in a five-set battle. The Blizzards fell to Team Florida Wave in three, landing them in the silver bracket for the final day of competition.

The Blizzards ended their run at nationals with a loss to TNT (North Texas Region) in four sets and walked away from their PVL debut with a seventh-place finish.

SPANK

SPANK competed in the Women’s BB division May 24-26 and walked away with an impressive second-place finish and impressive 9-2 record.

SPANK went undefeated their first two days of play. They opened play on Friday with a win over Reckless in straight sets. Their second match of pool pitted them against Mully’s Phoenix, whom they also defeated in straight sets.

SPANK closed play on Friday with a win over Team Motrin.

On Saturday, SPANK opened play with a pair of two-set wins, first defeating X-Kids and Plain Label. They finished the day with a three-set win over Hi-Ya! to maintain their perfect match record.

SPANK’s first gold-bracket match pitted them against Inland NW Volleyball Club, whom they defeated in straight sets.

SPANK battled through their quarterfinal match and defeated Champagne in three sets. Next, they defeated Muffin Top to earn a bid to the finals.

SPANK’s championship match pitted them once again against Champagne. They fell in three sets, with the decisive third set going into extra points.

The double-elimination format of the tournament meant a single-set to 25 was needed to determine the champion.

Champagne won that set 25-22. SPANK walked away with an impressive 9-2 record and second-place finish.

Madison Maidens

The Madison Maidens competed in the Women’s BB division May 24-26 and finished in 37^th place.

The Maidens lost their first match to LaJit. The Maidens gained momentum after a three-set victory over the Rocky Mountain Swingers and won their final match on Friday against FN Awesome RVC in two sets.

The Maidens dropped their next three sets to That’s What She Said, Champagne and Metropolis La Femme NYC.  

The Maidens ended the tournament with a loss to VBLI Crush in the first round of flight two.  

SheVegas

SheVegas competed in the Women’s B division May and earned an eleventh-place finish.

In their first pool, SheVegas defeated the Sets Kittens in straight sets. Next, SheVegas took down Mass Chaos in a three-set thriller. Their final match on Friday pitted them against Constant, whom they defeated in two sets.

Their 3-0 record kept them in the running for gold going into their second pool on Saturday.

SheVegas chalked up two more victories against Get Over It and Over Not Under before falling to the Bumpettes in three sets.

Their 2-1 record earned SheVegas a slot in the silver bracket for Sunday’s playoffs.

SheVegas won their first-round match against Mully’s Challengers in straight sets. Their second-round match pitted them against BOOM, who defeated SheVegas in two sets.

SheVegas finished their run at nationals in eleventh place.

WVA 30ish Black

 WVA 30ish Black competed in the Women’s B division May 24-26 and finished in 11^th place, tying with other Badger Region team SheVegas.

After dropping their first match to Magic and Mayhem, WVA 30ish Black defeated Mully’s Select, Easy as Pi and Triple B to close pool-play on Friday with a 4-1 record.

WVA 30ish Black opened their second pool on Saturday with a win over HARDline Women’s in two sets. Their second match pitted them against Fraggle Block, and they fell in three sets.

WVA 30ish Black advanced to Sunday’s silver bracket and defeated HiLife in three sets. They concluded play at nationals with a loss to Mass Chaos in the quarterfinals of the silver bracket.

Dykstra Swingers

The Dykstra Swingers competed in the Women’s B division and walked away with a fifth-place finish.

The Swingers started strong, chalking up two straight-set wins over Shinkara and Volleyballers before falling to Fraggle Block in two sets.

On Saturday, The Swingers opened their new pool with a pair of wins over Mully’s Carmelite and Magic and Mayhem.

Their record earned them a spot in Sunday’s gold bracket, where they suffered a first-round loss to the Lady Chickens. They won their next match against the Bumpettes to finish their run at nationals in fifth place.

MOJO

MOJO competed in the Women’s B division May 24-26 and earned a 31^st-place finish.

MOJO got off to a slow start, suffering four losses on Friday to Desert Divas, MIT Club, Bumpettes and Sets Panthers.

MOJO bounced back on Saturday and won their first match against KAPOW-EXTREME in straight sets. They faced and fell to the Sets Kittens a second time before closing their pool with a win over RPI Women in two sets.

On Sunday, MOJO fell to Mully’s Select in flight two to end their run at nationals.

Care For All Ages

Care for All Ages competed in the women’s 50+ division and walked away with a fifth-place finish.

Care for All Ages opened pool-play on Friday with a win over Glorias del Volleyball 50 in straight sets. Next, Care for All Ages fell to ROOF. Their final pool-play match on Friday pitted them against Pacific Blue, whom they defeated.

Care for All Ages opened their new pool on Saturday with a win over Shinkara Mile Hi-50 and a win over Voilebol en Accion 50. They dropped their final match of the day to BRASIL MIX-50 in three sets.

Care for All Ages advanced to Sunday’s silver bracket, and won their first-round match over Astec Systems.

 Their final match of the tournament was a two-set victory over the New England 49ers to earn Care for All Ages the silver-bracket championship and a fifth-place finish.

Team CORE

Team CORE competed in the Men’s A division May 27-29 and earned a 15^th-place finish.

Team CORE took out the Hellbenders in straight sets to open play on Monday. Their next matches pitted them against Next Generation and RVC Bamboo and suffered a pair of three-set losses.

Team CORE bounced back on Tuesday, winning all three matches against ZOOM, Royal Legends and Mid South Digs.

Their performance earned them a slot in Wednesday’s bronze division, where they earned a first-round victory over Chicago Coast.

Team CORE ended their run with a three-set loss to Nati Lite.

Wisconsin Great Lakes

Wisconsin Great Lakes competed in the Men’s BB division May 24-26 and earned an 11th-place finish.

On Saturday, Wisconsin Great Lakes earned a pair of straight-set victories over VBLI CRUSH BLACK and FLEX.

Wisconsin Great Lakes opened play three straight wins over Hang Men, Teamtribe Kolohe and Hurricanes Alumni OB.  

On Saturday, Wisconsin Great Lakes earned a pair of straight-set victories over VBLI CRUSH BLACK and FLEX. Wisconsin Great Lakes lost their final set of the day to Jew and Crew.

Wisconsin Great Lakes advanced to the silver bracket, and defeated Bottoms Up in three sets before falling to PLS Chicago to end their run at nationals.

Balls and Beers

Balls and Beers competed in the Men’s BB division May 24-26, earning a 45^th-place finish.

Balls and Beers opened play Friday with a three-set win over FullSpeed. They split their next two matches, first falling to 6packanyone? then defeating Mully’s Magnum.

On Saturday, Balls and Beers defeated Trainwreck and PROLIFIK, both in straight sets. Their final match pitted them against Absolut TNG and they suffered a three-set loss.

Balls and Beers advanced to flight two on Sunday and earned a pair of wins over Honey Badgers M and Snicklefritz before falling to Serves U Right.

Team Elevate

Team Elevate competed in the Men’s B division May 24-26 and took 19^th place.

Team Elevate chalked up wins in their first three pool-play matches on Friday over the Buffalo Beasts, Stud Guppies and UVA.

On Saturday, Team Elevate opened with a win over Thirty Three Percent, but dropped their next two matches to Two Dink Minimum and The B.O.W.

Team Elevate advanced to the bronze bracket on Monday, earning a first-round win over Conquest Monkey in straight sets.

Team Elevate fell to 2 Drink Minimum in two sets to finish their run at nationals.

Madison Mayhem

Madison Mayhem competed in the Men’s B division May 24-26, finishing second overall after an impressive 9-3 record.

Mayhem opened pool play with a pair of two-set wins over jackass and NVC-Shenanigans. They squeaked out a three-set victory over Southern Connecticut to close play on Friday.

On Saturday, Mayhem tallied another pair two-set wins over STANN and Hurlburt. Their perfect record earned them a slot in Sunday’s gold bracket.

Mayhem lost their first match in the gold bracket to L.O.F.T. in straight sets. Next, they took on the Buffalo Beasts and earned a three-set victory to earn them a trip to the quarterfinals.

Mayhem faced Playing w/Fire! and defeated them in three sets to earn a semifinal appearance.

In the semis, Mayhem earned another three-set victory, this time over Marysville Goodyear.

In the championship match, Mayhem faced L.O.F.T. and fell in two sets.  

Mad City Seniors

The Mad City 55’s competed in the Men’s 55+ division May 27-29.

They opened pool play with a loss to Spike Force 55s in three sets. Mad City bounced back to win their second match against E’s Club 55. They closed pool on Monday with a loss to Kings Mountain Fog 55.

On Tuesday, Mad City earned a trifecta of victories over Greenfield, SCHENECTADY 55 and Colorado, all in straight sets, earning them a slot in Wednesday’s gold bracket.

Mad City opened gold with a two-set win over Venezuela 55 and a three-set win over Spike Force 55s.

Mad City fell to MN Masters to finish nationals ranked fifth.

Wisconsin Bad-Pack

Wisconsin Bad-Pack is a Badger Region Unified Special Olympic Team that competed in the Unified Special Olympics Stars division May 24-25.

The Bad Pack earned their third consecutive championship title after tallying a perfect 6-0 record at nationals.

Bad Pack first faced the Kay Center Tigers and earned a two-set victory. Next, Bad Pack faced the Henry County Gladiators, whom they also defeated in straight sets.  Their next two matches on Friday were more of the same as they closed pool with a pair of two-set wins over the Allen Spikers and Chattanooga Chill.

Bad Pack faced the Allen Spikers again in their semifinal match on Saturday, defeating them in straight sets.

The championship match featured the Bad Pack and Henry County Gladiators. In their only three-set match of the tournament, the Bad Pack earned their third consecutive gold medal at nationals.

Club Spotlight: Chequamegon Lakers

We'll be highlighting a different club around Badger Region every few months. Our first "Club Spotlight" features the Chequamegon Lakers, a new program that started up this past season.

Located in the northernmost part of Wisconsin (we're talking REALLY north), this one-team club was started by Linda and Brian Klobucher.

"Our daughter, Briana, discovered a passion for volleyball during her 8th-grade season in the Wisconsin Independent Volleyball League (WIVL)." Linda said. "Since WIVL tops out at the eighth-grade level, which our girls were at the time, we went looking for another league."

Their daughters passion led these parents to start the Chequamegon Lakers. 

"With help and support from a friend and coworker, and encouragement from parents, we decided to join Badger Region. " Linda said. "We decided to keep ourselves in Wisconsin instead of joining a much closer Minnesota league." 

The Klobucher's have enjoyed their first experience in the club volleyball world, specifically getting to know the players. 

"Both Brian and I have found that getting to know the players has been great!" Linda said. "I double as coach and he helps me out. I feel like I have eight 14-year-old daughters! They are a great group of young ladies that work hard and are fun to be around." 

Growing pains are inevitable on a new team, but hard work paid off over the course of the season. 

"We've had our ups and downs as far as playing, but I think the highlight of the season was the Eau Claire tournament." Linda said. " We took first!" 

While winning the Eau Claire tournament was a season highlight, it was one of many great memories the players made of the course of the season. 

"We had the players and their parents over for a sledding/bonfire party that was a lot of fun." Linda said. "Towards the end of the night, we had to keep a close eye on them as they made a snow jump and were then seeing how many of their teammates they could fly over!" 

The team also provided a great opportunity for the girls to meet and spend time with someone from a different culture. 

"One of our families had a German foreign exchange student, Toni, join them in January." Linda said. "She came to most of our tournaments and was like our mascot. The girls thought of her as part of the team." 

New opportunities come with inevitable speed bumps along the way, and it was no different for Linda and Brian as they started the Chequamegon Lakers. But they navigated each and every challenging situation with enthusiasm and creativity. 

"What was harder than we expected about starting a club was making sure I had filled out all the necessary paperwork that’s required since I was so afraid I would miss something!" Linda said. "After several calls to Colleen and Jen it went pretty well. Everyone I had called was so helpful and accommodating." 

Paperwork wasn't the only difficulty this new team faced. 

"Another obstacle was trying to get gym time." Linda said. "After struggling with the school’s sports schedule and trying to sneak in practice at a reasonable time, my husband checked into a little country school that now serves as a community center...with the gym still intact! We approached the board and were given the thumbs up to hold our practices there. Brian and I would pick up the girls after school and get them to practice 12 miles out of town and our parents worked it out amongst themselves who would carpool and pick them up. It worked out better than anyone would have expected!"

As this new club prepares for the next season, they have some great memories to look back on and motivation to keep their volleyball adventure going. 

"We’re looking forward to is the possible addition of another team." Linda said. "We have more parents who are interested in getting another Chequamegon Lakers team going for next season!" 

Eau Claire Coaching Clinic Registration

Badger Region and Eau Claire Volleyball are excited to present the 2013 Eau Claire Volleyball Coaching Clinic July 20, 2013 at the McPhee PhyEd Center. With an experienced cadre of clinicians, this event promises to be an educational, exciting day. Click here to view the clinic flyer and register. 

Badger Region Alum will Compete in NCAA Final Four

The 2013 Men's Volleyball NCAA Final Four kicks off tonight at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion. The first semifinal features No. 2-seeded UC Irvine against No. 3-seeded Loyola-Chicago . The second semifinal will pit No. 1-seeded BYU against No. 4-seeded Penn State.

Of the final-four teams, three squads carry Badger Region alum on their rosters (Loyola, BYU and UC Irvine). We are SO proud of our guys and excited to cheer them on!

Read up on the guys here:

Peter Hutz (Whitefish Bay/West Allis Lightning) is a freshman setter at Loyola. Click here to read his bio.

Trevor Novotny (Waukesha/West Allis Lightning) is a freshman outside hitter at Loyola. Click here to read his bio.

Nicholas Olson (New Berlin/West Allis Lightning) is a freshman middle blocker at Loyola. Click here to read his bio.

Phil Fuchs (Menomonee Falls/North Shore) is a sophomore outside at BYU. Click here to read his bio.

Jeremy Dejno (New Berlin/West Allis Lightning) is a junior outside at UC Irvine. Dejno garnered All-MPSF First Team accolades in 2012. Click here to read his bio.