USAV Nationals Recap: Legacy makes some history, Michigan Elite leaves its mark
The 2019 club volleyball season came to an end this past week in Indianapolis with the USAV Girls Junior National Championships. It was a tough few weeks for top programs, as they competed in the AAU finals in Orlando just…
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Continue ReadingThe 2019 club volleyball season came to an end this past week in Indianapolis with the USAV Girls Junior National Championships.
It was a tough few weeks for top programs, as they competed in the AAU finals in Orlando just the week prior, but Michigan had some standout performances in Indianapolis, including a little bit of history in the 14 Open. Here’s a recap of what went down in the USAV nationals.
17 Open
Legacy 17-Elite reached the Open gold bracket quarterfinals to finish tied for fifth, as it did at the AAU Nationals. Legacy started well, winning its first three matches of the event, including a pair of three-set battles. Some tough losses in the days to come wouldn’t keep it out of the gold bracket, where it was topped by TAV 17 Black in the quarterfinals, 26-24, 25-10. TAV would go on to win the national championship. Setter Alexa Rousseau earned Open All-Tournament honors for her play. The future Northwestern Wildcat has had a strong prep and club career thus far and got a chance to showcase her skills on the biggest stage for all to see. She enters the fall as one of Michigan’s top 2020 players. Ellie Ruprich, Kendall Murray and Kennedy Dolmage also had standout performances for Legacy during the week.
In the 17 USA division, MVA 17 National Black reached the gold bracket quarterfinals. MVA was 4-5 for the week in Indy.
16 Open
After reaching the quarterfinals of the AAU Nationals Open gold bracket, Michigan Elite 16 Mizuno finished 18th in the USAV Nationals 16 Open this week. A stacked field saw Michigan Elite go 4-6 during the event, with two losses coming in three-set battles. An 0-3 start put Michigan Elite in a hole early, but it would find its stride in the later days and finished runner-up in the bronze bracket after a loss to Premier Nebraska 16 Golf, 25-21, 25-19. Julia Bishop and Charlie Atiemo had great showings once again. Bishop is the top setter in Michigan’s 2021 class while Atiemo has really established herself as a top middle in the class over the last year. Olivia Kowalkowski also was a standout for Michigan Elite this week as a DS. The Notre Dame Prep product has always been steady with her serve receive and digs and has plenty of big-match experience already.
In the 16 Patriot Division, Unified 16-2 finished third overall with an 8-3 record for the week.
14 Open
The young Legacy 14-Elite squad followed up their fifth-place finish at the AAU Nationals by finishing tied for third in Indy last week. After opening the 14 Open with a loss, Legacy would go on to win eight straight matches, including a gold bracket quarterfinal against Alamo 14 Premier. In the semis, Legacy lost a highly competitive match to Tstreet 14-Carson, the eventual national champion. The two played three sets, with Tstreet getting the 25-27, 25-19, 18-16 victory. The third-place medal is the first USAV Nationals medal for any team from Michigan in the Open since 2003. Harper Murray had another fantastic week. The 6-1 outside has definitely established herself as one of the top incoming freshmen around the country. Erin Kline, the setter, also continued to shine and kept Legacy’s attack running smoothly throughout. Rebecca Apsey helped in that as well, establishing herself on the right as a great compliment to Murray.