Florida Fest Wrap Up
The first boy’s bid tournament concluded Monday with some of the top players in the country vying for the first bids into the Open and USA Division at Nationals in Kansas City in July. Teams from Colorado, Maryland, Virginia, Texas,…
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Continue ReadingThe first boy’s bid tournament concluded Monday with some of the top players in the country vying for the first bids into the Open and USA Division at Nationals in Kansas City in July. Teams from Colorado, Maryland, Virginia, Texas, Georgia, and Pennsylvania came to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando to compete in the three day affair. The commonwealth sent a dozen teams to play this weekend, for many it was their first tournament of the season. Coastal Virginia Volleyball Association (CVVA) is our PrepDig Elite Performing Club for the weekend. The CVVA teams had one of two teams from Virginia finish in the Gold bracket with a 4th place finish. Their 18 Will Team in the USA division took 7th overall and the 17 Open team finished runner-up in Silver and 6th overall. Old Dominion Volleyball Academy (ODVA) is an honorable mention with their highest finish being their 16 National team which finished 5th in the 16 Open division.
The 18 Open division was stacked with Division 1 commitments and players on the Youth National Team Prospect Pipeline. Virginia had 4 teams competing in this division which saw a range of finishes for Virginia teams. CVVA 18 Scott (4th), Coastal Hampton Roads (7th), ODVA 18 National (11th) and Richmond Volleyball Club (RVC) finished tied for 15th to round out the finishers. Here are some of the players to watch from the 18 Open division.
Corey Martin (CVVA 18 Scott) is a 6’5 Opposite for CVVA. He had a dominant performance in the semifinals but fell to Arizona fear in the match. He is an incredible athlete with a tremendous vertical leap and impressive terminating skills. He touched 11’5 with his incredible leaping and powerful arm swing. He is still somewhat raw but could definitely develop quickly at a high level college program.
Drew Barfield (ODVA 18 National, pictured left) is a 6’5 lefty opposite who is an extremely powerful point scorer for ODVA and James River High School in Chesterfield, VA. He is extremely efficient on out of system and high ball situations and is an able defender and blocker. He is a junior and continuing to get stronger and could play at any level.
Mitchell Schuler (RVC 18-1) is a 6’2 Outside Hitter with a tremendous offensive toolbox including a hammer of a spike. Mitchell can attack from anywhere and isn’t afraid to take the big swing with the game on the line. He is a great passer and relentless defender. He could be a solid contributor at most any level despite his modest height for high level teams. He has a great vertical, a high volleyball IQ and is extremely competitive.
CVVA 18 Will took 7th in the USA division with strong performances by several players. Setter Jagger Ogle ran a very efficient offense with solid defense and ball control from 5’10 Libero Connor Spencer. Middle Hitter Jonas Sosnowski was solid at the net offensively and blocking with solid play from Outside Hitter Collin Murray.
Coastal Hampton Roads finished 7th but had stellar performances by Libero Ray Green and Utility Hitter Benji Wiechert helped them almost make the Gold bracket. Green averaged 3.1 digs per set with exceptional passing on the weekend. Wiechert hit .401 on day one of the tournament.
The 17 Open division featured the top teams from RVC and CVVA in the Open Division. RVC 17-1 finished 9th with CVVA 17 Jason finishing 6th, falling in the Silver bracket finals. RVC’s Pin Hitters Caleb Collins and Michael Cummins are players to watch on the RVC program. Libero Andrew Burmeister and Outside Hitter Landon Brinkley are two top prospects from CVVA’s 17 Jason squad. Burmeister is a solid defender and reads well. He has good feet on serve receive and isn’t afraid of standing in versus hard hitters. Brinkley is a 6 rotation Outside Hitter with a fast arm and solid serve receive skills.
The 17 USA Division ODVA 17 East Coast and RVC 17-2 programs. RVC finished the weekend in 7th with ODVA finishing in 9th place. RVC’s Setter Luke Ward form Cosby High School is a player to watch. ODVA’s Utility Hitter Armani Hinman is a very raw but athletic player who is becoming a college prospect.
The 16 Open featured the ODVA 16 National team and Ocean VBC 16-1 (Virginia Beach). ODVA’s players to watch include OH Edwin Barrack, MB Reed Bonkovsky and Setter/Opposite Andrew Onuscinich. They are an aggressive group offensively with solid ball control and defense. OVC’s players to watch include Setters Donovan Velazquez and John Broccoletti, Middle Bryce Lovell and Libero Nicholas Santos.