Jonesboro, 2023!

Jonesboro Ice Breaker 2023 started early and ran until late, providing a variety of challenges for the players for Premier GVC Memphis.

The best? 17/18s placed 2nd in the 17/18 Division, entering the finals with only a loss in one set. This was a great ending for a team in the midst of rebuilding with only 3 returning players.

The 16/17s struggled as they were pushed up into the 17/18s division but this is to be expected for a young team, seeking to bond as they learn new things in a tough age group, hampered by losing a player to serious injuries during the tournament. Praying for a complete and rapid recovery!

15s, 14s, 13s and 12s were met with tough competition but for the most part hung in there to the bitter end. There is a lot of potential in each of these age groups and we look forward to seeing them all improve greatly as many experience club volleyball for the very first time!

Looking forward to the next tournaments and seeing the improvements in each of our players!

Jumping for Joy in Jonesboro!

An excellent showing was made by each team at the first tournament of the season. With all Premier teams participating in the Jonesboro Icebreaker on January 15, 2022, the expectation to bring home a trophy was high! At the end of the day, FOUR trophies were earned by the 8 Premier teams! The results are as follows-

17s-1 Undefeated Gold Bracket Champions
16s-1 Gold Bracket Runner-up
15s-1 Participated in the Gold Bracket
14s-1 Participated in the Gold Bracket
14s-2 Won the Silver Bracket
13s-1 Participated in the Gold Bracket
13s-2 Participated in Silver bracket
12s-1 Runner-up in the Silver Bracket

Coming up-

Memphis Challenge for 12s-14s

13th Annual Music City Block Party for 16s-17s

Keep up the good work! Good luck to all teams!

Volleyball Tournaments 101

Welcome to Club Volleyball! As our first real tournament is fast upon us it seems an appropriate time to share some basic tournament information and tips.

TOURNAMENTS

Tournament information- Information will be hyper-linked on each team’s page under the specific tournament as it is received.

The tournaments in which we play are usually 1-day or 2-day.

1-day tournaments start early and run late, beginning with pool play and following with bracket play later in the day. These can run really long.

2-day or multi-day tournaments begin with pool play followed with bracket play on the following day(s). These days are usually shorter than one day. Generally, the higher the placement in pool play, the earlier the team will play in bracket play.

Pool play- Generally, 3 or 4 teams will be placed in a pool. Each team will play each of the other teams for two sets. Sometimes there is a tiebreaker if it is split but not always. Some work on win/loss, while others take total points into account, so every point is important! Placement in brackets is determined by results of pool play. Poor pool play puts a team at a lower position in the brackets.

Bracket play- Tournaments will have different levels of brackets- Gold, Silver, etc. When looking for a team’s place in the brackets use the pool name (A, B, C, etc.) and the placing in the pool (1-4) to find the spot in the brackets. Teams will also need to look to see if they are listed to ref prior to playing and/or after their match. All players are expected to be available if the team is listed to ref.

Entrance fees- these are sometimes 1 day or multi day bracelets. Cost will be varied, and price is usually available ahead of time.  Sometimes they are required to be purchased early.

Seating- some facilities will allow personal chairs to be brought in. Larger tournaments will provide all seating needed but having a chair in the car isn’t a bad idea!

Snacks- concessions are not always to be counted on to be available. Having snacks for the day is a good idea but please be aware many facilities ban or limit the snacks that can be brought in. If parking is close by, having a cooler in the car is an option if you will be there all day. Drinks to help your player stay hydrated are also a good idea.

Schedule– Always be aware of when your player is to play next. The beginning of pool play and bracket play are usually hard and fast. Subsequent play is rolling (will start right after the previous play is completed.) This means that you will need to know what time your coach wants you to be where. THIS IS THE PLAYER’S RESPONSIBILITY!

GAME DAY BAG-Having a dedicated bag for tournaments is helpful.

Here is a list of some items to include in your bag-

Jersey- Always include both.

Uniform shorts (SOLID BLACK)- an extra pair if you have them

Socks- two pair

Knee pads

Shoes

Braces

Warmup

Underclothing

Hair necessities- headbands, hairbands, brush, etc. 

Snack

Water bottle

Volleyball -with your name and phone number on it (if your coach requires one)

Cards, small game, etc. for in-between-time entertainment.

Personal items- as needed

Item player may want- pillow and/or blanket, particularly if it is a 1-day tournament

Items parents may want- small first aid kit

VOLLEYBALL ETIQUETTE-

  1. If your team is NOT playing, please move back so that spectators for the teams playing can sit closely to watch.
  2. When your team IS playing it is acceptable to ask if you may have the seat of someone whose team is NOT playing.
  3. It is against USAV rules for spectators to speak to the line judges, refs, and the table. Your team can be penalized if the rules are broken, and the spectator may be required to leave the facility.
  4. As players and spectators always remember that we are representatives for the Premier GVC family. The actions of one reflect on the group. Being positive goes a long way, for the players and the club.

Looking forward to a great season!

Click here for a printable copy of this post

Online USAV Training

ATTENTION! Holiday homework!

All players are required to review and/or complete the preassigned training with USAV before January 1st. Each athlete will be required to work during tournaments during the team’s scheduled work times. These are the teaching modules.

Here is the way to find it-

  1. Go to your Sports Engine account.
  2. Sign in to your family account.
  3. Click on “household”.
  4. Select your child’s profile.
  5. Click on “details”.
  6. In the upper right corner select “USAV Academy” tab.
  7. Select “Continue to Dashboard”.
  8. Complete BOTH per-assigned scorer and referee training. Each module must be viewed in completion.
  9. Check in the right hand column under the tab “Certificates” to make sure both are listed. If not, please go back and make sure the last module was watched to the end.

Thanks!

Season starts and Premier Gear

Our girls are off to a great start! November is a month of reinforcing basic skills and getting a bunch of conditioning in our practices.

Some side notes:

-We are entered and registered in all the events listed for the teams on their pages. Events might be added, but shouldn’t be taken off at this point. Please double check those dates and make plans this month to travel and attend or send your player with another parent. If you won’t make it to an event at all, your daughter’s coach needs to know asap.

-Our first installments on player fees were due earlier this month. If you haven’t made that payment, please contact Coach Bell to make arrangements for making it. Uniform payments are also due already, and it needs to be paid so our uniforms and practice shirts can be ordered.

-Teams will practice on usual days and times next week (week of Thanksgiving) with the exception of our practices on Thursday, of course. Please watch your team’s GroupMe for changes and other information regarding Thanksgiving week.

The Premier Gear page is up (with our first link to one of our vendors) for you to shop. Please work directly with vendors on your questions and orders.

16s and 18s Compete for Silver in Franklin, TN

Our two oldest teams competed this weekend in the Music City Meltdown in Franklin, TN.

While the weather changed plans for competition on Sunday, both made silver brackets in their age divisions, and 16s won in theirs. Congrats to a great showing in Nashville, girls!