The Metro 18 Team competed in the 5th Mid Atlantic Power League on May 17th & 18th in Greensboro, NC.  They won first place in the morning pool on Saturday with wins over RVC 18N, Triangle 17 Black and NC Elite 17 Open.

All first place teams played against each other in the afternoon pool.  Once again, Metro tried to pull off a win against Coastal 18.  In a close game, Coastal took the first game 28-26.  Metro bounced back and dominated Coastal in Game 2 with a 25-15 win.  But we were unable to keep the momentum and lost the deciding match 13-15.

The next match was against long-time rivals, VA Elite.  Our players were focused and enthusiastic. They beat VA Elite in two games, 25-21 and 25-17.  Our last match in the pool was postponed until Sunday morning, giving the girls a much-needed rest after being in the gym for 12 hours straight.

Our first match on Sunday morning was against Triangle 18 Black.  With 6 girls over 6’ including the 2  6’5” Katies, Triangle promised to be a difficult match.  Despite their intimidating warm-ups, they did have weak spots.  Our team was able to shut them down and win in only two games, 25-20 and 25-21.   By game percentage and point percentage, Metro finished first in the pool.  By Power League rules, tie breakers are decided by head-to-head results, giving Coastal 1st place and Metro 2nd.

All four teams went to Gold-Silver crossovers.  Metro faced the most difficult match against RVC 18N.  All four teams won their crossover matches and returned to face each other in the Gold bracket.  In semifinals, we played VA Elite.  The players on both teams showed signs of fatigue, especially in service errors.  Metro fought hard but lost the match, finishing 3rd in the Gold bracket.

The South Atlantic Championships were not your usual tournament for 18-1 Third Degree.  The usual tournament format was not followed and the team found itself facing a required 10 matches over 3 days.  On the board would be matches against both RVC 18N and Coastal VA VBC 18N.  The second day of the tournament began with a grueling 34-36 loss against TCA MD 18, but culminated in a long-time coming victory over Coastal VA VBC 18N, a replay of the Capital Classic final.  Beginning the final day of tournament play with a 7-1 record, Third Degree still had gold in their sights.  The only obstacle was the RVC 18N team.  The girls came out fighting, going point f or point with RVC and while the team had beaten RVC twice in the Power League tournament the previous weekend, and did push RVC to a third game, a third victory wasn’t to be.  The team went on to beat its final two opponents to finish the tournament with an 8-2 record and 2nd place firmly in their grasp.  A grueling three days to be sure, but with the decisive victory over Coastal, that silver medal had a golden sheen.

The Metro 16 Travel team volunteered their time at the DC Special Olympics Summer Games that were held at Catholic University on May 20th.  The girls participated in the opening ceremonies as well as traditional and adult unified volleyball.  The mission of the Special Olympics is to provide sporting opportunities for persons with intellectual Disabilities with the goal being to showcase the athletes abilities to all people throughout the District of Columbia.  The girls were proud to represent the Metro American Volleyball Club at this special event and hope to participate again next year.

Metro 16-1 wins the Gold Championship at the third annual , 3 day, South Atlantic Championship in Richmond. This tourney is sponsored by the RVC.  Metro won the championship over NVVA LN 16 Black in a tight game 27-25 and 25-16.  This is the first time a Metro team won GOLD in a multi-day tournament.  Congratulations!

Metro American 16 Central won the Silver Bracket this weekend at the MVSA 16 Invitational.  The team struggled early, losing a few disappointing close matches in pool play, before coming out strong for a decisive victory in the first round of the silver bracket playoffs.  In the finals they faced the strong and athletic E-PAN Sudden death team.  Metro played a great match with contributions from all members of the team to grab the win.  It was a wonderful display of teamwork and determination; 16-Central has continued to improve and compete at a higher level each and every week!

14 North-Magic took second place in the bronze bracket of the CHRVA Regional tournament.  The team battled for second place to get off their net, 4-2.  After beating the first place team from the other pool, they faced Columbia in the finals.  Although they fought hard, Magic was unable to beat Columbia.  However, the team is very excited to receive their first trophies of the year!

For the second tournament is as many weeks, Metro Intensity (17 South Red) came away with a Silver Medal at the NVVA 17s Tournament.  Intensity played tough all day to amass a 5-1 record in pool play to take first on their net. In semi-finals, the team quickly defeated SAYC in 2 games (25-11, 25-12). The team faced the Carroll County Vipers team in the finals.  Intensity started very slowly, committing 11 unforced errors, losing 15-25.  In game 2, the team cleaned up their play and turned things around to win 25-15. Game 3 was played very well, trading points the entire way but eventually fell 15-17 to take second place overall. As the season is winding down, the team is looking good as it gets ready for the South Atlantic Championships in Richmond at the end of May.

Congratulations to Metro American 18 Third Degree team for receiving an American bid to the Junior Olympic National Championships in Dallas at the Chesapeake Region 18 Open Regional tournament Sunday, April 20th.

MAVBC 17 South White Crush won the Silver bracket of the MVSA 17's Invitational on April 20th.  The day began with a fiercly competitive pool in which the Crush lost only to the two teams that played in the Gold bracket final (MAVBC 17 South Red and NOVA Phoenix), with the Crush showing poise and mental toughness in a hard-fought three-game match against the eventual tournament champions, NOVA Phoenix (25-16, 28-30, 14-16).  The playoffs featured consistent, determined play as the Crush refused to lose and rolled through the bracket with an undefeated record, starting off with a decisive 25-9, 25-19 victory over Spiders 17's and finishing with a solid effort against NVVA FX 17 Black (25-23, 25-22) for the Crush's first gold medal of the season.  It was a rewarding experience for everyone and the Crush look to continue elevating their level of play as the season progresses.

After a few disappointing tournaments, Metro Intensity (17 South Red) got back on track taking home the Silver Medal in the Gold bracket at the MVSA 17s Invitational.  Playing short-handed, the team went 3-0 in match play (only losing one game in pool play) to take first in their pool and overall.  In the play-offs, Intensity won game one 25-16 against Favor Phantoms but then fell behind 20-12 in the second game only to come back with a gritty performance to win 27-25.  In the finals, the team played tough but could not pull it out eventually falling to a strong NOVA Phoenix team.  The team was excited to get back into the medal round and now has it's expectations high as they prepare for the next few weeks and the South Atlantic Championships.

15 Travel had an impressive showing at the final Power League Tournament of the year. Going undefeated in pool play the girls won a long tough semi final against their biggest rival MVSA. In the championship match the team played well but ended up with a silver medal. All and all it was a long day in the gym but well worth the time spent. The girls are looking forward to having a good showing at Regionals next weekend.

Neve Margaret O'Connell, daughter of 17-1 Travel assistant coach Jessica O'Connell, arrived Friday, April 11th at 4:49 am, weighing in at 8 lbs 13 oz and measuring 21" long.  Looks like she'll be competing at the middle blocker position in no time!  She can't wait till mom takes her to her first tournament.

Metro 17-1 were champions of the Maryland Jrs Invitational 17-18's at Atholton HS on April 13, 2008.  They proved unbeatable throughout the day never dropping a game.  Metro 17-1s finished first in their pool, winning matches against NVVA Fairfax 18 Black, CDJVC 18-1 and TCA Baltimore 17.  They went on to beat Liberty Belle 17 Blue in semifinals and MVSA 17-1 in finals and captured the Gold.

Metro 18-1 played in the MVSA 18’s Invitational at Victory on April 13, 2008.  United as a team they stayed undefeated throughout the day.  Third Degree finished first in their pool, winning matches against MVSA 18R, EPAN 18-1, and Delaware Juniors Destroyers.  They went on to beat Columbia Comets 18-1 in semifinals and MVSA 18-1 in finals and captured the Gold.

Metro 16 South White "Insanity" took the silver medal at the Seahawk Invitational at St. Mary's College on March 9.  With 5 players missing, the team was grateful to borrow a player from their sister Red team.  The Insanity made an impressive showing, finishing 8-1 in pool play.  They prevailed over Metro 16 Central in the semi-finals, and took the first game in the finals before running out of steam and losing to the very solid Charles County Raptors.  Although it wasn't the gold they wanted, silver was a nice consolation for a team that has been steadily working its way up this season.  The Insanity started the season tying for 2nd in their pool and losing in a play-in game, moved up to finish 2nd in their pool and lose in the semi-finals, and now finished 1st in their pool and lost in the finals.  Next stop:  Gold!