Standouts from the Snowball Classic
The Sunday Snowball Classic held at Liberty High School in Liberty, Missouri had a display of athletes genuinely passionate for volleyball. The 17s age group included Northland STATIC 17 2s, Impact VBC 17 1s out of St. Joseph, Missouri, Zoom…
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Continue ReadingThe Sunday Snowball Classic held at Liberty High School in Liberty, Missouri had a display of athletes genuinely passionate for volleyball. The 17s age group included Northland STATIC 17 2s, Impact VBC 17 1s out of St. Joseph, Missouri, Zoom VBC 17 1s and Olathe VBC 17s out of Olathe, Kansas. Zoom VBC 17 1s ended up taking the championship by defeating Impact VBC 17 1s. Throughout the day, there were a few players who stood out not only for their passion and drive for the sport, but for their consistency, and communication.
Tyler Ringel (Zoom VBC 17 1s) Tyler never stopped communicating. She was consistently calling seams in serve receive, communicating about what the other team was doing, and encouraging her teammates. Despite the highs and lows of the matches her and her team faced, she remained consistent in her communication efforts. This level of communication enabled her to be a dominant force when it came to serve receive. Her communication and intrinsic drive to better the ball is something I think all liberos should embody.
Riley Wilcoxson (Impact VBC 17 1s) Riley picked apart teams throughout the entire tournament by showing off her short serve. Being able to serve aggressively short presents a whole new obstacle for opposing teams. At any age or skill level, serving short hinders receiving teams from being in system, or being able to execute a quick and aggressive offense. Riley was able to do just this the entire day and it became a real issue for the opposing teams.
Two overall thoughts I took away from the Sunday Snowball Classic were 1. Coaches can define their ideal team culture, but the players are what embody their coaches vision. This is an idea that I have experienced throughout my volleyball career, but even at club tournaments I have noticed coaches who are all in, and players who are or players who aren’t. At the Snowball Classic, the passionate teams were the ones that persevered.
Another takeaway for me was that passion can’t be coached. Transitioning from playing to coaching, I have developed a deeper appreciation for the passion and energy girls have when they are playing. To be honest, it makes coaching and the game that much more enjoyable. Throughout the tournament, I was able to see how this drive wins matches and gets players noticed.