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Regionals Review: 18 Open

Hesse Leaves Rest of Region Seeing Red….AGAIN!

Joe Hesse isn’t getting too used to this.

For the fifth time in the past six seasons, Hesse’s Club Red 18’s won the Arizona Region’s 18’s Open division with a win over the Black Mountain Juniors 18-1’s squad from Cave Creek.

Winning 5 of the past 6 region titles, (with the only blemish a third place finish with a 17-1’s team in 2002), solidifies Hesse as one of the Region’s brightest coaching stars. But he doesn’t necessarily see it that way.

“ Our success comes from several factors.” He says. “First, the support from our Club Red administration, Steve Crook and his staff, and from the parents is vital.  Second, we have high expectations for our athletes, and finally, and perhaps most importantly, talent.  Club red has been very fortunate to attract the valleys premiere players.”

The elite talent seems to know a juggernaut when they see it. Only Arizona Republic Player of the Year Tara Mueller returned from last year’s team and Hesse wasn’t dealt a pat hand. “We had to combine several club philosophies and many "odd" personalities to try to find something that worked.”

“This was the first time in my career that we had girls miss practice.” Hesse said of the growing trend of high school athlete’s crossing over into other athletic ventures. “We had track runners and basketball players, so our main hardship was trying to create a level of commitment.”

But Hesse and his assistant coach and his former setter, Marina Mercer, now a sophomore at ASU didn’t dwell on the negatives. His coaching ideals wouldn’t let him. “My philosophy is a constant work in progress. I try to create an environment that is both challenging and rewarding.”

  He is also adamant about getting his seniors signed to play in college. It’s one of his major goals each and every year.  “Goals for our team change from year to year.” He says.  “We will talk about goals at the beginning of each season.” 

For next year though, he understands the vortex he has created for himself and his team and their expectations.

“The bar however has been set.”

Regionals Review: 16 Open

AJ’s Continues Master- “Ing” of 16’s Open

Bernie Ing’s reign over the best 16’s teams in Arizona continues once again.

Ing’s A.J.’s 16’s have won the past two 16 Open Region Championships in a row and finished in the top 3 in 2003 & 2004.

And would you believe, he hates to scrimmage.

Assistant Coach Barry Hayes says this year’s squad was incredibly athletic. “We had a really exceptional group of freshman last year, and we got a pretty good group of freshman this year, so they turned out to be a really good group.”

Hayes has coached with Ing for the past 10 years, and while he isn’t always a fan of Ing’s methods, it’s hard to knock the results.

“Bernie slows everything down and teaches skills.” Hayes notes. “Bernie’s philosophy is when the game gets tight, the team with the best skills wins. If you‘re playing a team that is just as athletic as you, Bernie says you have to use your skills and they’ll pull you through. It really works well with him.”

Ing’s practices are slow and methodical. “He does everything for a purpose, everything for a reason.” Hayes adds.

This year’s team spent half of the season in the Open Division 1, with the best 18’s Arizona had to offer having lapped the 16 Open squads in the first two tournaments.

And the secret of Ing’s success? “Usually Bernie’s teams’ ball control isn’t the greatest, but we block and we hit.” Hayes observes. “As far back as I can remember, he’s always been about the offense; you know, PAC-10, power outsides, run the middles quick, power! This team was a bit different as our defense was amazing at times. We changed ball control in the middle of the season so we weren’t running into each other and very, very seldom now do we have a serve that no one touches.” Those kinds of tweaks are what make Ing so effective.

The future looks bright for this squad, but it’s not known yet if Ing will be back with them. “It would be nice if he’d move up with them, because they really, really like him.” Hayes muses. “It’s funny because it’s always like that. He’s so dry and he works them so hard. Not physically, but mentally and man, they love it! They always come back”

Regionals Review: 18 Club

AZ Primitive Embraces Game and Region Championship  

Coach Aaron Payne believes that every one of his girls should embrace and love the game of volleyball the way he does.

“My philosophy is just to enjoy the game all around. Enjoy it when you get blocked, enjoy it when you get hit in the face, if you can enjoy that, then you love the sport enough to make it.”

His team obviously loves the sport and they DID make it… to the top of the heap in the 18-Club division with a win over the West Valley 18-Jennifer squad from Buckeye.

“These girls all play at Mountain Pointe HS, and have been playing together for years, so they trust each other.” Payne said about his special group that spent nearly the entire season at the top of the division. “They never get scared. We weren't the tallest or most skilled team, but we just never quit. There were plenty of times I thought we were done, but these girls just don't care what the score is. They want to win.”

Payne took the team from a coach that had been with this squad for a few years. “We have different coaching styles, and different personalities, so there was a feeling out period.” Payne remarked. “After that, I couldn't ask for a better season.”

“Just play!” He says about his coaching philosophy. “I love this sport so much, when I'm coaching I feel like I am out there with them. I'm sure I look a little eccentric, jumping around, screaming absurd things that only my team knows the meaning to, but I think passion for the game is the most important part of becoming a great player. My girls seemed to absorb that.”

In high school, Payne played with now U.S. Men’s team staple Reid Priddy and remembered how in the Arizona Boy’s State Championship’s, Priddy was being heckled by fans because he had lost a scholarship to play at USC.

“He was smiling the whole time. He just loved the sport and the competition. When I talk to him now, after 13 years of playing volleyball, we still get just as excited talking about the game.”

Payne’s passion carries into his training ideals. “My goal is to have every player in our club have the ability to pass, set, hit, block, serve, and play defense. I hate to see a typical team that says, ‘You’re the tallest, so you’re the middle blocker. That means you don’t have to set, serve, pass or play back row, just hit, and block.’ I think if we teach all the skills of the game, not just the skills for the position, we are improving the future of our players.”

When Payne took his squad to the Southern California Qualifier, he explained to his team that they were going to see some of the county’s best talent.

“The first team we saw was Summit out of Utah with 6 foot 6 outside hitter Kayla Walker.” Payne says smiling. “The look on my freshman's face was priceless. I thought she was going to run out of the gym. We played against former Arizona player, and USC Volleyball Alumni great, Alicia Robinson and her team. She spoke with some girls on the team. I think it helped them realize that Arizona club volleyball is a gateway to a college career, and that they can go somewhere in this sport out of our state.”

With his success this year and only losing two starters, Payne’s Primitive squad stands on the threshold of repeating as Region Champs. “I am really looking forward to see who comes out for our try-outs next season. Hopefully, our success this season will bring some new faces to the club.” Payne hopes. “There are some great club players that we faced this year that I would love to see with our team. The goals for next season remain the same. I want to improve all of my players, continue to grow as a club in AZ, have fun, and win.”  

Regionals Review: 16 Club

AVA’s 16-Black Tops the Club Division

AVA’s 16 Black team finished off its competition in the 16’s Club division, and then got the call. Come play Open next week.

Two Regional Championship tournaments in two weeks are a bit daunting, even for the 16 Club Champs, but Coach Evan Sedillo’s squad never balked.

“This was a very special year for AVA 16 Black.” Sedillo says excitedly. “I was excited for this group from the first week of the season. We were able to make progress, while being competitive. That is very hard to do with such a broad range of experience.”

“This team was special for several reasons.” He explains. “Mainly it was their desire to succeed, and learn to play well. We had a wide range of talent, from the experienced, to completely new to the game. They all worked really well together, which made my job much easier. When you are teaching a new game to a few girls, its nice to know you can rely on the experience of others to get the job done. The way we run practices really allowed me to focus on the new girls that much more.”

  As is becoming harder and harder for coaches of all sports as athletes want to participate in more than one sport, it was tough to get a full team together for any tournament. But it happened at Regionals for Sedillo. “We were always having to move a player from one spot to another. Finally we would just have girls train at different positions during practice. Then they would at least have an idea as to what they need to do in each position.”

Sedillo’s coaching philosophy is simple, but effective. “I try to help the girls understand what is going on during all aspects of the game.” He explains. “I'll try to find a way to describe a technique, so they can identify a feeling with a technique. Naturally we focus on technique in practice. I also worked their techniques in matches. Once they knew what was expected of them in matches, we could focus on the strategy of the game. That was when we really started playing well, solidifying our position as a top 16 club team.”

The AVA Black squad spent most of the season in division 1 and was clearly one of the favorites going into Club Regionals. “We were able to stay in the top division of club except for one tournament.” Sedillo recalls. “We got the short end of the stick on a three-way tie. When we went back up to division one, we were able to win that tournament due to another three-way tie.”

Sedillo’s team came into the Open Regionals seeded 12 th out of 24 tough teams, but they held their own. “They started that tournament right where they left off the week before. As the day wore on the girls wore out. Only having 1 substitution available all day, over five matches took its toll on the girls. But they fought all the way to the end, and I am very proud of their efforts.”

Regionals Review: 14’s

AZ Sky ONE Serves Up Finale for Coach

Ed Martell and his Az. Sky 14-ONE team must have thought it was déjà vu. For the third year in a row at the 14’s Regionals Championships, they were playing the Foothills 14-1’s squad in the semifinals.

The previous two years, it had spelled disaster for Martell and the team, losing both times. But this year, he looked at it as if it was the finals, and it paid off. “It was a big monkey off my back.” Martell said. “The fact that we lost the first one and were switching sides, I was like, ‘You have got to be kidding me, not again!’ Then I changed a couple of things in the offense. And it worked. That was the big difference right there.”

They beat Foothills in three and beat East Valley’s 14-1’s to win the Regional Championship, capping off a 54-4 season with titles in the Cactus Classic, the Grand Canyon State Games and an impressive second at the Crossroads National Qualifier in Denver.

The secret to Martell’s team’s success lies with the girls themselves. “They never gave up; they competed with themselves to get better. And when they came together, no one stood a chance against them.”

Martell’s success was painted on the service lines as well. “Our service was amazing. They hit probably 80% of the zones I told them to. Points out of service was big time our game. When a team would come back in a match, we would smack them down again.” He says emphatically.

But Martell’s celebration was short lived. The day after winning the Region title, he drove across country to Wisconsin were he and his family are relocating.

Any regrets from Coach Martell?

“It was a great closure.” He says solemnly. “I regret I was not at the end of season party. But to have this core group of girls for two years and to take these girls who were so raw and skinny and goofy and crazy and watch them became players in front of my eyes… it was really good.”

Martell calls himself a “Chess Coach!”

“I move my chips around and it’s not necessarily my best girls on the court, but I move them to beat the other team. If the other team has a strong offense, I’ll bring in my best defense and if they have a good defense, then I’ll bring in my strong offense. I move the chips around until the group is working.”

Martell will be taking his chess mentality to Division III School Wisconsin Stevens Point where he will be an assistant coach under Stacey White and hopefully a spring board into a career coaching in the NCAA.

Martell also is grateful for his assistant coach the past three seasons, Robyn Nasser. “She became an amazing mentor to the girls, a teacher, a coach and a best friend. Robyn worked with the setters and handled all “girl’s issues”. This winning season (as well as last year’s) couldn’t have happened without her.”

While no one knows if Martell will be back in Arizona down the road, he will always carry fond memories of this special group of girls. “Our victory was possible due to our team becoming ONE. They bettered other teams with team work and perseverance. I will tremendously miss my girls, Robyn and the families that form part of this unforgettable team. I love them all…”

Region Beach Blasts Off!!

The first week of the Junior Beach Program started with a bang as the three year old program is struggling to handle the onslaught of growth.

With another 30% increase, the program is now over 370 athletes strong and growing every tournament. Program officials are meeting next week to try and develop a strategy to keep the quality of the program high and accommodate all those wanting to play.

Tuesday’s first tournament for the 12’s and 16’s divisions featured 51 teams!

On Thursday, the 14’s and 18’s divisions featured 54 teams!

On Saturday in Flagstaff, several teams battled the chill and extremely windy conditions to compete amongst the pine trees and mountain air.

SUMMER CAMPS

Check the Arizona Region site at www.azregionvolleyball.org and check out the Camps link to find links to several volleyball camps going on around Arizona and surrounding areas.

Goldwater Boys Camp

This is the only BOYS ONLY camp in the valley!

WHO : Any boy 7th – 12th grade interested in playing volleyball
WHEN : Monday, June 19 – Thursday, June 22, 2006
1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
WHERE : Barry Goldwater High School Main Gym
COST : $120 (includes t-shirt). Tax credit is available. Please bring the appropriate form with you if you are interested.
COACHES : Mike Wall, Arizona State University Assistant Volleyball Coach
Eric Hodgson, Zia Athletic Club / Arizona Region USA Volleyball
Jody Cecil, BGHS Head Boys’ Volleyball Coach
REGISTRATION : To attend, please first e-mail Coach Cecil jlcecil@msn.com, including your name and phone number. For more information and to download registration forms go to www.goldwatervolleyball.com. All registrations MUST be received by Friday, June 16, 2006 . A minimum of 20 boys must register or the camp will be cancelled. All money will be refunded if the camp must be cancelled.

Arizona’s First Annual Women’s Collegiate Beach Doubles Tournament

If you are entering college next fall, having graduated college in the last year, or are in the middle of your collegiate career, we want you to come out and show us what you’ve got!

Where: Victory Lanes Sports Complex
22603 N. 43 rd Ave. ¼ mile south of Pinnacle Peak on 43rd Ave. right behind Water World
When: Sunday, June 4
Registration is from 5-6 p.m. Play begins at 6 p.m.
If you are late to registration, you run the risk of being left off the draw.
Cost: $10 per player
Format: Pool play followed by a playoff bracket.
Every team is guaranteed 4 matches

Players that are not USAV registered for the 2005-06 season will need to fill out a waiver upon registration

Medals will be awarded to the winners.

Come show us what you’ve got, what you are going to have, or what you have left. Enjoy the best game in the world under the Arizona desert sky.

For more information, e-mail Eric at erichbke@msn.com

High Performance

The Arizona Region High Performance Camp is this week, and there is still spots that remain. To find out more information or to register for this special clinic, go to http://www.azregionvolleyball.org/juniors/girls/hp/HPCampInfo.html and follow the instructions. Walk Ups will be accepted.

Even if you already have a medical release form filled out from your club team, you will still need to download this and fill it out.

For questions, contact erichbke@msn.com

Calling All Parents!!!

We want to hear from YOU!!!

The Arizona Region has put on its website a survey, the purpose of which is to gather information from parents on a variety of topics in an effort to improve the information available to parents, both new and experienced to club sports, when making a decision about which club might be best for their son or daughter. 

The Junior Division of the Arizona Region of USA Volleyball is interested in your opinions concerning the type of information that is available to parents prior to the beginning of the season.  This survey should only take a few minutes but your participation is key to help make the kinds of changes to continue to improve the Region for all of the members.  Please help us by filling out the survey here.

Thank You.

Harold Cranswick
Commissioner
Arizona Region of USA Volleyball

Coaches Clinic for IMPACT Recertification Scheduled

The Arizona Region has scheduled an IMPACT recertification clinic in conjunction with the High Performance Camp scheduled June 2-4th.

Coaches will be shown the training and technique used at the National team levels by High Performance National Youth Team Coaches Erikka Gulbranson and Melissa Wolter. Also in the schedule is better training practices, how to “run a court” and how to get the most from your athletes.

The clinic will be on Saturday, June 3rd from 12:30- 2 p.m. and Sunday, June 4th from 12:30-3 p.m. In the off time, coaches may be asked to observe and even participate. The cost for the four hour clinic is $60 which included a Kaepa coach’s polo shirt.

Only 24 coaches will be accepted into this clinic. If you are not sure of your IMPACT status and need to know if you are due for recertification next season, contact the region office by e-mail.

To register, go on the region website at www.azregionvolleyball.org and click on the Coaches Corner tab at the top of the page.

Election Results for the Arizona Region

Elections were held over the past month at Regionals sites across the valley. The following results were posted:

AVP Brings Opportunities and Clinics to Valley

Clinics, employment and tons of sand and fun followed the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball tour into Tempe’s Beach Park over May 5-7th.

Over 100 Region athletes who had pre registered were treated to a free 2 hour clinic by Dane Selznick, Elaine Youngs and Rachel Wacholder to name but a few of the AVP pros and Coaches that were on hand.

In addition, several of the Region’s athletes and their families volunteered to be ball kids, scoreboard operators, scorekeepers, etc. to keep the event moving. Over 150+ volunteers were needed for the three day event.

Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor won their fourth straight Tempe Open and Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers won their first AVP event together on the Men’s side.

 

 

 

Boy’s Club Information

Boy’s Club Information should be posted August 1st for September 1st tryout dates. Please continue to check with the Region website for Boy’s opportunities throughout the summer and info on the 2006 Boy’s Club Season.

 

 

Feedback!!!

Please let us know what you think of this newsletter and any ideas you have for future e-newsletter stories or suggestions. Also, what did you think of the Region’s newsletter Covering the Court that was mailed to your home last week. Please send feedback to erichbke@msn.com Thank You.

If you are interested in advertising in the Quick e set Arizona Region e-newsletter, contact Eric at erichbke@msn.com