Some Love For The Fellas!

<p>We think it's easy to forget sometimes...boys play club volleyball too! While the St. Louis area has been playing high school for years, the KC area is starting to get up to speed after having an inaugural season in 2019.  Of course, a pandemic broke up that momentum in 2020. However, the boys club scene is alive and well, in fact, there have already been some tournaments this fall. We put out the ask for info to some of the clubs. We will update more as they come in but today we preview a couple of the Mavs teams. Send boys info to prepdigmo@gmailcom</p> <p><strong>Mavs Boys 18 Red</strong></p> <p>This squad returns several from the defending 16 USA 2019 National Championship team. Most were members of the team when they earned an 18 USA bid last year and will strive to repeat or improve towards the first-ever open bid for a Kansas City boys team. There are many who will be able to play at the next level. Libero <strong>CJ Raines</strong> (2021) has committed to the Univesity of Charleston. 18 Red has a nice mix of juniors and seniors, along with returnees and new additions. The team features great size and athleticism and expect many players to play different roles and positions than they've played in the past. The team will compete in the St Louis Ladder Series, Winter Volleyball Championships (Indianapolis), DLNQ (St. Louis), Tulsa Boys Tournament, and Nationals (Kansas City).</p> <p><em><strong>Roster: Wyatt Axmann, Aiden Bolton, Billy Bottcher, Ross Deeken, Ryan Griffel, Joseph "Joe" Hernandez, Issac Hickman, Elias "Eli" Laurent, Wyatt Leutzinger, Curtis "CJ" Raines, Ben Ratliff Becher, Parker Stone</strong></em></p> <p><em><strong>Head Coach: Adam Brester; Assistant: Aaron Peltier</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Mavs Boys 17 Red</strong></p> <p>All 9 on this roster played together last season. The familiarity and comradery will help them be successful and will help surprise their competition this year. Though undersized, they are scrappy with full of heart. Their effort alone will help win some sets. They will beat some teams bigger than them with consistency and opportunistic play. They will play in the Winter Volleyball Championships, DLNQ, Tulsa, and various local tournaments. </p> <p><em><strong>Roster: Marcos Alvarez, Nicholas Cordova, Jackson Hiesberger, Joseph Leggio, Kyle Miller, Ben Rangel, Jacob "Jake" Sanders, Jack Slaughter, Sam Tyler, Noah Webber</strong></em></p> <p><em><strong>Head Coach: Austin Isham;  Assistant: Tom Slaughter</strong></em></p>