U17 Girls Win Gold
February 6th, 2012

This past weekend the U17 Interclub girls team battled with an injury filled line up to capture gold after being knocked out of the Championship division in the previous U17 tournament weeks earlier. Missing their captain, Zoe Starkman, and starting leftside, Nikki Nathanielsz, the girls looked to U16 Interclub middle blocker, Kathleen Gannon to fill the large void left with their absence.

Without missing a beat the girls finished first in pool play for the third straight tournament and sailed through their quarter final game with consistently strong play from Jenna Adams and an injured Winnie Zhao. Heading into their semi final match the girls' energy levels were dropping but with clutch serving from Jacquie Gigan and great defensive plays by Amber Urbshas and Hilary Bate the team came away with a thrilling three set victory and found themselves in the finals for the first time this season.

Physically and mentally drained the girls had an opportunity to rest while watching the end of the other semi final. Luckily, the girls' parents rushed in with some snacks for quick energy leading into the final - it did the trick as all the girls stepped up in gold medal match while Mia Shabsove lead the way, effortlessly delivering the ball to her attackers and chipping in with a few kills of her own.

Coaches Maverick Hatch and Jamie Broder were thrilled to see their girls succeed through the less the ideal situation; missing two key players and dealing with two separate injuries. "All the girls stepped up at different key moments throughout the day and demonstrated that they all have the ability to achieve greatness" the coaches said, "we've been working really hard all season and it's a weight off our shoulders to finally achieve a result that reflects the improvements we've made over the course of this season".

Congratulations on your first gold medal girls!

Interclub’s U17 girl’s Volleyball Team Prepping for Season Opener
Nov. 11, 2011

November 26th will be the first test for Interclub’s U17 girl’s team. Although the size of the team is small, at nine, there have been big improvements in a short amount of time. Although some may think nine athletes is not ideal, the girls on the team have embraced this creating a stronger team bond then head coach, Maverick Hatch, has seen from any of his previous teams. “I’m extremely proud of and impressed with what the girls have shown thus far. Their learning curve has been steep and their ability to implement what assistant coach, Jamie Broder, and I have been teaching them has been extremely satisfying.”

With nine athletes, the amount of player-coach interaction is higher then your “normal” team of 12-14 athletes. Both coaches are current beach national team members and come from very successful indoor careers allowing them to draw on their own personal experiences; also, at 24 and 26, deliver those experiences in a unique way connecting with their athletes on a level that facilitates a quicker learning process.

Leading into the season opener the girls will have had two full months of practice, strength training, and a few practice matches under their belt. There’s no doubt about it, they won’t be the biggest or the most physical team in the U17 category this year but there is no doubt they will be one of the hardest working. The coaching staff is certain the girls will be able to answer the call come game time both cruising and grinding their way to some exciting wins this season.

With a strong focus on their new blocking/defensive systems, the girls will look to play a very disciplined game en route to achieving their season goals. Every girl will be looked upon to lead the team in one way or another and “once we find our rhythm I am confident success will soon follow.”

Call For Content

Do you have some good photos or a tournament summary that you would like to share. Please send all info to Steve Turner at pvbcoach@gmail.com.