Lava Flow 2015 - Taylor Jones - #14

LAVA FLOW #14 – April 21, 2015
Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome back to the LAVA Flow! We’ve got a great report for everyone
today, as LAVA teams from all age divisions competed in the Junior National Qualifier in Los Angeles over
a pair of April weekends: April 11-13 (Sat-Mon) was the 12’s-15’s age groups and April 17-19 (Fri-Sun)
included the 16’s-18’s age groups. There are excellent successes to report, beginning with ...
#14
WEEKEND ONE ...
LAVA West 14-Adidas ... won the 14 USA Division! The squad won nine straight matches for an undefeated weekend, earned a
qualification bid to the Junior National Championships in New Orleans, took first place overall in the tournament, and won the gold
medal! The team won a battle match against Wave 14’s in the semifinals, dropping the first game 24-26 before winning game two handily
to force a down-to-the-wire third game that saw the squad victorious at 15-13. The team then beat Seal Beach in three games for the
championship. Coach Trevor Julian reports, “It was a magical weekend that saw our girls fight hard, battle through adversity, and win gold
in dramatic fashion. Major kudos go to our libero Angela Crosetti, who was stellar all three days. Not a ball hit the floor in her vicinity. She
was a consistent game-changer for us on a weekend that saw each player on the team have impactful success.”
LAVA West 14-Black ... Coach Georgia reported, “Team went 4-4 and finished 35th in 14 American. Robin Valtchev was mvp day 1 with 8
kills, 7 aces and 3 blocks. Rayna Grant led the way day 2 with consistent serving and defense. Bella Kranz-Finn was mvp day 3. The team is
showing a ton of growth and is performing above pre-season expectations.”
LAVA South 14-Adidas ... Coach Julianna reported, “3-0 on day 1, 2-2 on day 2, and 1-1 on day 3 (Overall 6-3 for the weekend) to finish
tied for 15th overall in American division of So Cal Qualifier. Stellar performances by Jaida Hodge-Adams, Lily-Jane Kanigher, Rhiannon
Boddy, and Sophie Barr. The team did a great job of coming out with a lot of energy, enthusiasm, and team spirit; and as a whole we took
care of business at the service line.”
LAVA North 15-Black ... went 3-3 in pool play. Coach Sia said they went 0-3 on day one and 3-0 on day two. Unfortunately, they lost in the
first round of bracket play for flight two.
LAVA South 12-Adidas ... Coach Rachel reported, “The South 12-Adidas team had a phenomenal tournament, entering as #26, and truly
peaked with the best and most consistent high-level volleyball across all three days of the tournament. The team went 3-0 on Day 1 with a
magnificent upset of the eventual #5 ranked Rage Fatima in three games culminating with a thrilling 19-17 victory in game three. Day 2
saw the team in a three-way tie for 2nd in the pool, and handing #11 ranked Commerce Crush their only loss of the day. After winning the
first playoff game, the team lost the final playoff landing us in 3rd place and headed for the Bronze Division on Day #3. After winning the
first Bronze Bracket Round, we lost a tough match in 3 to Bakersfield. Final ranking: tied for 23rd! Stand out performance goes to Ann
Nelson who stepped up in her service game, posting more aces in this tournament than the rest of the season combined, and only missed
one serve all weekend!”
WEEKEND TWO ...
LAVA North 16-Adidas ... Coach Mary reported, “LAVA North 16 Adidas went 3-0, 6-0 the last day winning Flight 3 bracket. Morgan
Thompson finished with 35 kills, Rachel Caruthers 22 kills, Nina Hernandez 7 aces, Brooke Massie 74 assists, and Maddi Utz 49 digs.”
The Affiliates of the Los Angeles Volleyball Academy ◦ “Volleyball Done Differently”
LAVA North ◦ LAVA South ◦ LAVA East ◦ LAVA West ◦ LAVA Coast ◦ LAVA Islands ◦ Locals Volleyball Club ◦ LAVA Lite
Kern River Volleyball Club ◦ Revolution Volleyball Club ◦ SMBC Boys ◦ Mardico ◦ Crescent Beach Sand Volleyball Club
LAVA North 18-Adidas ... won seven matches en route to the semifinals of the gold bracket before settling for an excellent Top Four
finish.
LAVA North 17-Black ... went third on the first day, third on the second, and then won their flight Sunday. Good job ladies.
LAVA North 18-Black ... Coach Zach reported, “Lava North 18 Black went 4-4 on the weekend finishing by moving up a few places winning
their first round day three match. Mackenna Basore had a strong weekend in the middle posting consistently high hitting percentages.
Recent Occidental commit Meighan Mahoney also had a strong showing at libero and DS.”
LAVA West 18-Adidas ... finished the tournament with a 3 win and 4 loss record. Coach Brad reported some statistics, “Armonee Hunter 39 kills, 20 digs, 2 blocks. Brianna Finch - 26 kills, 15 digs, 8 aces. Christina Varnell - 23 kills, 56 digs, 8 aces. Paris Dosch - 20 kills, 30 digs, 8
blocks. Shelby Smith - 64 assists, 10 aces. Hailey Yates - 64 assists. Emily Stienberg - 80 digs, 8 aces.”
LAVA West 16-Adidas ... was another Top Five finisher in the Gold Bracket of 16 USA. The squad won four matches en route to the gold,
taking out the #2 overall seeded team (Forza 16 Asics Red) in three dramatic games on Day Two. It was an excellent showing for the team,
with Coach Trevor Julian saying, “We turned the corner this weekend, finally healthy and in full force, showing what types of competitors
we are capable of being. Our passing was spot-on and the play of middle blocker Ally Wilder was stellar, particularly against Forza when
she took over the game both offensively and defensively. We head to Reno next weekend for more great play!”
A Lesson from Taylor ... An important topic that I want to bring up this week is rest and recovery. Rest and recovery are so important
when being a part of a competitive volleyball team. As much time as you spend in school, volleyball and other extracurricular activities,
your body needs time to rest and get back to being your best. The rest that your body needs is not just getting 8 hours of sleep like
everyone says. Don’t get me wrong, you do need a good night’s rest but what does good rest entail? I am going to explain a few important
things about rest and recovery that I have learned from being in school and sports.
I think that getting a good night’s sleep is vital to performing well the next day. This does include getting a significant amount of hours, but
also preparing your mind and body for sleep. Not getting on your phone right before sleeps can help your mind to rest better. Also, not
eating right before bed can also help your body get more adequate rest.
Before and after volleyball games I think that clearing your mind is important to performing well. Before games, there will be a time when
you can prepare and get focused. But sometimes players will actually psych themselves out if they overthink about their playing strategy. I
think after volleyball games, this is just as important. There can be a few minutes for reflection about the game, but after that you need to
clear your mind and let your mind rest.
The most important thing about recovery is stretching. You can prevent injury and extra muscle fatigue just by stretching well before and
after practices, conditioning, and games. I made a good habit of stretching before bed and when I woke up in the morning to make sure
that my body was getting what it needed. This can help warm up and loosen your muscles, which will in turn make you more flexible and
less likely to have injuries.
Another thing that I have found personally important in recovery is nutrition and hydration. Putting the right foods in your body and at
the right time can really affect your performance. I think the MOST important thing for an athlete is to drink enough water. This doesn’t
just mean when you feel thirsty. You should be drinking at least half of your body weight in ounces each day.
Overall, there are many things that your can do for rest and recovery that are best for you. Listen to your body and learn to cater to your
own personal needs. You will thank yourself in the long run!
By Taylor Jones
The Affiliates of the Los Angeles Volleyball Academy ◦ “Volleyball Done Differently”
LAVA North ◦ LAVA South ◦ LAVA East ◦ LAVA West ◦ LAVA Coast ◦ LAVA Islands ◦ Locals Volleyball Club ◦ LAVA Lite
Kern River Volleyball Club ◦ Revolution Volleyball Club ◦ SMBC Boys ◦ Mardico ◦ Crescent Beach Sand Volleyball Club