Read more - XCELERATION VOLLEYBALL CLUB

Issue #10
2014
XCELlent News
In the News…
• AAU Nationals, Orlando
• Junior Nationals, Minnesota
• Jim Ross Speaks…
• Summer Clinic Schedule
July 7 – August 14
• We’d Like to Get Your Feedback
• Where are They Now? Alumni
Profiles: Mariah Boelk & Emily
Caples
Special Post-Season Issue!
Xcel Blues Enter AAUs and
JNs to Face Nation’s Best
15s and16s Finish Strong in Orlando;
17s and18s Finish in Gold and Silver in
Minnesota, 5th place for 17s ties club
record for highest finish ever at JNs
(Orlando, FL – June 20-24, 2014 and
Minneapolis, MN – June 29-July 2, 2014)
To conclude the 2014 season (and for some
their club volleyball careers), four Xceleration
teams ventured to the Midwest and Southeast
to test their mettle against the best in the
nation at the AAUs in Orlando and at the
USA Volleyball’s Junior National (JN)
Championships in Minneapolis. Xceleration
could not be more proud of these four teams
that entered the season-ending tournaments.
Xceleration Volleyball Club
552 Maureen Lane
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523
Club Owner & Founder
Jon Segall
Club Director &
College Development Director
Jim Ross
Coaching Director
Andy Schroeder
College Development Directors
Jack Cowden Paul Harrison
July 2014
Who’s the Leader of the “Bunch”?
After the Opening Day ceremonies and parade
of athletes, M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E greeted
participants at the 41st Annual AAU Girls’
National Volleyball Championships at ESPN’s
Wide World of Sports Complex.
The 15 and 16 Blues first took the courts,
playing at either the ESPN Wide World of
Sports Complex or the Orange County
Convention Center, and made a good run
during the AAU tourney.
The 15 Blue competed in a 94-team pool
and finished at 7-4, the 24th best record in
the pool. The team was one of only 31
teams that finished above the .500 mark,
thanks to a string of five consecutive wins.
Continued on page 3
2014 XCELlent News
Page 2
Jim Ross Speaks…
Dear Xceleration Families,
As long as the club volleyball season is, it truly does feel like just yesterday that we
were holding tryouts and putting our teams together. As we now put a bow on the
2013-2014 season I first and foremost want to thank all the of players and parents for
the tremendous support the club received from all of you this year. We truly could not
be the club we are without the countless hours and dedication that all of you put into it.
Personally, I would like to thank all of you for letting me participate with all of you this
season. Players, I found all of you a pleasure to be around and I very much enjoyed
watching you grow. Parents, you can all be proud of the young ladies you are raising.
They are great examples of what a youth athlete should be. Working with all of you is something I take very seriously and I am
constantly looking for ways to make your experiences even more successful. We will continue to work as hard as we can towards the
development of our players, not just as volleyball players, but as individuals who are on their way to being young women.
As to how things went “on the court” we were very pleased with the development of the teams and the development of our players over
the course of the season. As coaches, we always use the “progression” of our teams as a bit of a gauge on the success of a season. I can
honestly say that all our teams were playing their best volleyball at the end of the season. There certainly were highlights for each team
throughout the course of the season, but I was extremely pleased with the level of play I saw from all of our teams at season’s end. It
has been fantastic to watch the development of our program over the past 5 seasons. I think the word is out that when you see an
Xceleration team across the net from you, you know you are in for a tough match.
The 2013-2014 season is over, but work has already begun on the 2014-2015 season. I have been meeting with all our coaches going
over the past season and what we can learn from it, as well as looking forward to the next season and how it will shape up. Our coaching
staff for next season is almost finalized and will be announced shortly on our website. It will be filled with coaches who will continue the
tradition of player development. Our summer open gym clinics are underway and we hope that you are taking advantage of them. For
only $10 per two hour session with quality coaches, you are hard pressed to find a better opportunity in this area. Our Fall open gyms
will resume again on Sundays in late September. Keep an eye on our website for details.
As we continue to develop our product and our club, understand that we want serious volleyball players in our club. Keep in mind,
serious volleyball players come at all levels of ability so we are not saying that we only want the best players in the area. We want
players who WANT to be the best players in the area! We want players who WANT to be great teammates. We want players who WANT
to work as hard as possible to achieve goals. Keep in mind that on most non-tournament weekends our Concord gym is open on
Saturdays for lessons and for players to get extra work. We will always get coaches to work with our players who want to put the work
in. In the meetings I am having with our coaching staff, I am asking them to ramp up their own commitments to the program even more
than they have in the past. I expect this of them and we are demanding it from them. We will never rest on our successes. We will
always push to give even more and do give our families more. We will be asking the same from our players next season. If you are
serious about becoming a better volleyball player we will be there for you.
Thanks to all of you for giving me so much to be proud of as a part of Xceleration. And know that I am extremely proud of ALL of you.
From our newest 12-year olds who grew so much this past season, to the 12 High School seniors who ALL are fulfilling their dreams of
playing in college. I appreciate the trust you place in me and know that I will always be working to do what is best for our families.
See you in the gym soon!!!
Jim
2014 XCELlent News
Page 3
Continued from the front page
The 15 Blue also toughened up at the end of the tournament, with
four of their last five games going to a deciding third set, and they
won three of four matches during the process.
The 16 Blue opened with a narrow three-set loss and managed to win
a few and lose a few games for the rest of the tourney, finishing with
a 5-6 record.
41st AAU Girls' Junior National Volleyball
Championships
June 20-24, 2014
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and
Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL
About a week later, the 17 and 18 Blues then had their turn in the
American and National Divisions, respectively, at JNs. The 17s were
challenged immediately, losing their first two games, but then went
on a tear winning six consecutive matches to reach the Gold bracket
where they finished in the quarterfinal round and a #5 finish! “This
Continued on the next page
Xceleration’s
2014 Summer Clinics
July 7 – August 14, 2014
Starting July 7th through August 14th, Xceleration will
be opening the Concord Facility gym for the 2014
Summer Clinics.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE CLINICS ARE BY
RESERVATION ONLY... Please use emails listed below
to contact the appropriate parties to reserve your
space. Clinics are limited to 15 athletes per time slot.
17-18's
7:30 - 9:30 pm Tuesdays and Thursdays
3:00 - 5:00 pm Sundays
Contact: Andy Schroeder at [email protected]
15-16's
5:30 - 7:30 pm Tuesdays and Thursdays
1:00 - 3:00 pm Sundays
Contact: Jon Segall at [email protected]
We Value Your Feedback!
So, why is it important to seek feedback?
•
Identify our strengths and weaknesses;
•
Compare the feedback with our own assessment– to make sure we
are on track and realistic with our own self-appraisal;
•
Learn from a situation where things went wrong – or got it right
for next time;
•
Identify problem areas that need action; and
Price: $10 per athlete/session.
•
See how our team is performing.
CONCORD FACILITY
3911 Laura Alice Way
Concord, CA 94520
Xceleration would like to hear from you to get an appraisal of the
season, so we can learn and improve. All responses received will be
held in the strictest confidence and used to make the Xceleration
Volleyball Club more efficient. Please complete the Xceleration
Feedback Form by clicking here.
13-14's
5:30 - 7:30
Mondays and Wednesdays
11:00 - 1:00 Sundays
Contact: Jon Segall at [email protected]
2014 XCELlent News
Page 4
2014 Girls’ Junior
National
Championships
June 29-July 2, 2014
Minneapolis
Convention Center
Continued from the prior page
tied the club record for the highest finish ever at JNs,” said 18 Blue
assistant coach Jeremy Swann.
The 18 Blue jumped out of the gates, winning six of their first seven
games including a streak of four in a row to open the games. The
team then ran into Arizona’s Club One Platinum and Louisville’s
Mid-American Volleyball Academy to close out their 2014
Xceleration season to finish 13th out of 48 with a 6-3 record.
Top: The 18 Blue take one final group photo before they head off in different
directions across the country to play for their respective college teams.
Bottom: The 17 Blue and the entire entourage in one hotel room!
“
Xcel teams doing well in Orlando! 15 Blue
finished the tourney 7-4 and 16 Blue is at
4-5 with one day to go. Playing great teams
from across the US and competing very hard.
Congrats, girls!!”
Jim Ross
July 1… “After two tough days, Xcel 17 Blue
finished second in their pool of 6, to remain in
medal contention. We have a tough day
ahead of us, but our girls are playing
tremendous! I'm so proud of them.”
July 2… “Xcel 17 Blue moved up from 29th
to finish 5th at JNs in Minneapolis. It was an
incredible run, and thanks to the entire Xcel
family for the love and support.”
Todd Travis, 17 Blue Head Coach
“
Thanks to Lo Utchen's teammates for their
great passes, defense, and effort over the past
week. I'm so proud Lo was named AllTournament at Nationals today, but we all
know an individual’s award really occurs
because she is surrounded by great teammates
and dedicated coaches. Thank you to everyone
involved in the 17 Blue team. Lo, yo momma
loves you!”
JJ Utchen, 17 Blue Parent
2014 XCELlent News
Page 5
Who’s Got it Better Than Us? Nobody!!!
“Who's having more fun? The players or the parents? You decide,” said JJ Utchen.
Top photos left to right: Lo Utchen gets a congratulatory hug from Mom JJ after receiving her All-Tournament Award. The 17 Blue pose for their team photo
and will look to return to JNs next year in their last season with Xceleration.
Bottom photos clockwise: (1-3) Cooling off at Lake Calhoun after a great week at Nationals. (4) Parents during third set of qualifying match. (5) Channeling hit
out of bounds – good block! (6) On the tennis court for a tournament – they didn't believe in rain delays!
Photos courtesy of JJ Utchen and Caroline Van Remortel.
2014 XCELlent News
Page 6
EMILY CAPLES
University of Dallas
Irving, TX
Height: 6-2
Year: Junior
Hometown: Walnut Creek, CA
Position: Middle Blocker/Setter
Last School: Carondelet
At University of Dallas: Totaled 967 kills through junior year...
Named Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC)
Volleyball Offensive Player-of-the-Week three times... selected AllConference 2nd Team by the Southern Collegiate Athletic
Conference announced in 2012 and 2013, Honorable Mention by
the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA). Of
note, Caples was named to the 2011 All-SCAC Third Team in her
freshman campaign. Emily came to UD in the fall of 2011 and
immediately earned a starting spot in the middle for the Crusaders.
Her freshman campaign was cut short when an ankle injury
knocked her out for the final third of the season. Even so, she put
up impressive numbers, knocking down 257 kills, averaging 2.52
kills/set. Emily hit a robust .321 for the year, ranking her fourth in
the 12-team SCAC and earning her Honorable Mention AllConference honors… Majoring in Math / Chemistry with a possible
career interest in Chemical Engineering.
MARIAH BOELK
San Diego
Christian University
El Cajon, CA
Height: 6-0
Year: Senior
Hometown: Walnut Creek, CA
Position: Middle HItter
Last School: Berean Christian
Prior to San Diego Christian: First team All-Diablo
Valley Athletic League (2009 and (2010)… two-time Contra
Costa Times Star of the Week… School record for blocks in a
season (2010)… Member of four Diablo Valley Athletic League
championship teams… Ran track in addition to volleyball at
Berean Christian High School…Liberal studies major with a
career goal of becoming a teacher.
Led the team in 2013 by starting in 35 of 41 matches, 138 sets, 403
kills, 2.92/set, 1050 attempts, and 108 blocks… 142 assists, 32
service aces, 206 digs. Caples holds the Top-10 SCAC rankings in
kills (third), blocks (fourth), blocks per set (fifth), kills per set
(seventh) and total attacks (eighth). Additionally, she has 458.5
points (third), 3.6 points per set (third), 15 block solos (third), 87
block assists (fourth) and a .241 hitting percentage (ninth).
Join our Facebook group and
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Xceleration Volleyball Club.
By John B. David

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