AZ
Sky 12-Twisterz
Team Members:
Samantha Allen, Alexandra Anderson, Savannah Bridges,
Morgan Drew, Abby Hornacek, Elizabeth Keig, Jessica Michael,
Brittany Rhodes, Sarah Sponcil, Allie Teilborg. Head
Coach Sean Parchmann, Assistant Coach: Denise Nasser
|
AZ Sky Earns
Three-Peat in Region’s 12’s
Twisterz stop “That
Team” in
Anticipated Finale.
The
AZ Sky 12-Twisterz, coached by Sean Parchmann and Denise Nasser,
won their third Region title in a row with a 25-14, 26-24
win over the Arrowhead 12-That Team coached by Leaven Eubank
on Saturday, April 8th at Glendale Community College.
With
the win, Parchmann and Nasser completed their own triple crown
with three straight Cactus Classic titles, three straight
Region titles and three straight JOVC bids. With regard to
the amazing consistency of success, Parchmann said, “I
finally feel that it wasn’t a fluke!”
The
Twisterz undefeated region-match streak from last year to this
year came to an end at the hands of this same “That
Team" earlier in the season. It vaulted “That Team” to
the number one ranking, the first time in three years Parchmann’s
bunch hadn’t been at the top. “This is a caring
bunch of young ladies” Sean says. “I remember
when we suffered our only region loss and the girls were
more upset that they
broke the coaches winning streak.”
“
The personalities on this team are all over the board. They range
from shy and quiet to wildly dramatic but they all get along
and they support each other when it counts.” Parchmann
lauds, but adds proudly, “They are not afraid to work hard,
most of the time they welcome a good challenge. It all probably
seems a little much for 10 through 12 year olds but I think we
strike a good balance of hard work and fun. All of the girls
seem to like coming to practice and that is how I measure success.”
The
Twisterz foray into the NQ territory took them to the Colorado
Crossroads tournament in March. “We have a fairly small
team,” Sean says, “and
the look on the parent's faces when they saw the size of the other 12's
teams was priceless. If you haven't been to a National Qualifier,
it’s hard
to imagine the concentration of giant young ladies all in one convention
center. I heard a lot of ‘she can’t be twelve’ and ‘can
we check birth certificates?’ There was a little uncertainty
in the girl's eyes too. It only took a couple of games for
them to realize that they were
the ones that the other teams had to beat. We went in ranked 5th in the
Nation and left ranked 4th. I couldn't have asked for a better
experience for them.”
Parchmann
and Nasser, now veterans of the Regional finals, worked to
keep his girls aggressive no matter the competitive
level. “All season the team's
serving percentage was around 90% and this day was no different.” Parchmann
said of his teams goals. “We had to face Arrowhead in the championship
match. They were the team who we lost our match to in mid-season. The
second game was too close for comfort. Both teams battled and made
great plays. I
held my breath as one of my girls went up to hit a beautiful set on
match point. The spike hit the floor on the other side of the net and
the team exploded
with excitement. Arrowhead has a great team. They pushed us and made
us play our best all season. Good competition creates better teams
and they made us
better.”
For
Leaven Eubank, the
victory wasn’t
in the scoreboard, but the progress his girls made through
a tumultuous
season. “Two
tournaments ago we had a player go down with an ankle injury.” He
recalls. “We all know how adversity can sometimes play havoc
on a team, especially a young one. I called a time out right after
the injury and explained
to the team they would be ok, they just needed believe in each other.
We changed our offense and defense during that time out and the girls
ran like we had practiced
it for months. That is one of many things that have impressed me about
this team all year.”
 |
Arrowhead 12-That Team
Team Members: Janine Abraham, Seah Bowser, Vanessa Eubank,
Kristen Hostetler, Cherynne Lara, Natasha Lucero, Ashley Palmer,
Noel Pauga, Haley Pierce, Angelie Tarango
Head Coach Leaven Eubank, Assistant Coach Lea Lara |
Eubanks’s
team consisted of only four players returning from a year ago
and the rest of the team had never played club before. “I
try to get the athletes and the parents to understand the last
tournament is really the
one that matters.” He says. “We were number one in
the region for a couple weeks and after the injury we weren't able
to keep the momentum, dropped
two matches in one day and dropped out the top division for the
first time all year. The young ladies were focused to get back
to where they knew they
belonged in the first division.”
After losing 2 matches several weeks ago this team came out and
won their next 8 straight matches (only losing 1 game during that
run).
At the
Regional tournament,
the 7th seeds upset a few teams that had beaten them earlier. “We
did not accomplish our ultimate goal of winning the region but
these girls, parents
and other teams in the region know they are very good team that
you will see more of them over the next few years.” Eubanks
says proudly.
Eubank’s
girls chose the name "That Team" because they felt
they had the potential of being the best or one of the best and
they showed that time and time again with respect for everyone
they played. “I have
had the opportunity to coach some pretty special athletes/volleyball
players over the last 23 years, Eubanks says, “But this
team impressed us everyday with the skills they developed and
how they are understood the game.”
“I just want the athletes to understand this is for them and their growth
as a player and a person. There is nothing that makes me happier than to see
a young athlete accomplish a skill they have struggled with. You can just see
it in their eyes, the sense of accomplishment. Our philosophy is simply we do
it for the young ladies, it is all about them and how we can help them grow and
develop as athletes and people. It is a privilege to get to coach young people
and we need to ensure we are not stumping their growth, but in fact helping speed
it up.”
Well
put Coach.
April 13, 2006
USA Volleyball and AVCA Hosts NCAA Men’s
Championship Coaching Clinic
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Volleyball and the American
Volleyball Coaches Association will conduct its NCAA Men’s
Championship Coaching Clinic on Saturday, May 6, at Penn State
University’s Rec Hall in the South Gym prior to the finals
of the NCAA National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Championship.
The clinic features USA Volleyball Men’s National Team
Head Coach Hugh McCutcheon, Penn State University Head Women’s
Volleyball Coach Russ Rose, AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer,
Rutgers-Newark Head Men’s Volleyball Coach Sean Byron and
University of Maryland Head Men’s Volleyball Club Coach
Shang Hsiung.
More
>>>
April
2006
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