2 Teams Take 1st & 2 Take 2nd in Blues City Classic
Metro teams played well in the Blues City Classic tournament hosted by Memphis Metro on Feb. 20th. With 16 National finishing 1st and 17 National finishing 2nd in 17's division. 12 Elite finished 2nd, and 13's finishing 1st!
Front row: Rachel Janssen, Jessie Peel, Claire Eason, Sarah
Shochat, Allison Blankenship Back row: Jessica Montesi, Jessie Swain, Molly McCaskey,
Cidney Simmons, Zuzanna Wojtas and Coach Bryan Winther
Metro's 17 National team and 16 National both came out as the top 2 teams in the 17's division pool play. The teams faced off in the Championship match! It was an exciting game with both teams making plays to keep their team close. The first game went into extra points with Metro's 17 National team coming out on top. Metro's 16 National team came out strong in games 2 and 3 winning the championships with a score of 25-18 in game 2 and 15-8 in game 3. Congratulations to both teams for a great finish!
Metro's 13 National team took 4 games in pool play to move them into the championship bracket. Matched up with Metro's own 121 team, the 13 National team defeated them to move on to the Championship match. Metro came out very strong in the first game of the Championship match defeating MJVA's 132 team with a score of 25-10. In game two Metro pulled out the win with a score of 25-21 defeating MJVA to win the tournament! Congratulations!
Metro 12 Elite team took 2st place in the 12's age division, after playing tough all day the team went up against Rock City Jrs. Giving Rock City Juniors their toughest match yet Metro team barely came up short Championship game falling 24-26; 20-25. Congratulations to the girls for a great tournament!
11 National Red Team Takes 2nd
Memphis Metro's 11 National team took their first road trip this weekend to St. Louis, MO to compete in the Mayors Cup 11 & Under division. After a day of play, the team finished a strong 2nd in their first out of town tournament! Congratulations to Metro's 11 National X-TREME!
Metro Team in the News
The 16 All-Star team from Memphis Metro Junior Olympic Volleyball club won first place in the Valentine's Day Bash tournament in Birmingham, Ala. The team went undefeated the entire weekend to win first place in the Gold Bracket while playing in the Power Division. Team members are Sarah Bradley (front, left), Rebecca Maury, Kristina Headrick, Allison Fetz, Megan Thornton, Kelley Little, coach Sarah Jett (back, left), Harley Strayhorn, Kaitlyn Peperone, Allison James and Hanna Smyth.
Metro Athlete Receives National Award
Kristina Headrick, 15, daughter of Kathy and Aaron Headrick of
Bartlett, earned the Five Year National Award from the National Guild
of Piano Teachers.
She performed 10 memorized pieces each year for five years in
Germantown's Piano Guild Auditions where she earned superior ratings.
She received the Guild's five-year pin and a porcelain bust of
Beethoven from her teacher, Benita Pepper of Lakeland.
Kristina is a 10th-grade student at St. Benedict at Auburndale
School, and she serves as a volunteer at local retirement homes during
the school year. She played soccer for two years, but her primary
athletic interest is volleyball. She plays on the Memphis Metro 16 All Star National team and also the St. Benedict varsity volleyball team, where
she was honored as Rookie of the Year.
Kristina has studied piano for eight years and performed in five piano recitals, and she is learning to play the guitar.
Her hobbies are playing volleyball, singing and spending time with
her friends. After high school, she would like to study photography at
the University of Michigan or Xavier University and continue playing
volleyball on the college level. She plans a career as a professional
photographer.
Metro Teams in the News
The Memphis Metro 13 All Star National team defeated the Memphis Juniors 13 National team to advance into the Gold Division Championships where they defeated the Cajun Elite National Team from Louisiana, earning first place at the Memphis Metro MLK 2010 Volleyball tournament held at the Memphis Cook Convention Center. Team members are Kendall Seering (front. from left), Sydney Janeski, Sydni Anderson, Kate Kheradvar, Brooke Rutherford, Anna Stavrum, Katie Paine, Olivia Howell, Lindsey Farrell, and coach, Katie Hybnerova; Cecily Gable (back row, left), Roxanna Wood.
The Memphis Metro 17 National All-Star team were winners in the "18 Open Division," of the 2010 Memphis MLK Volleyball Tournament. An Elvis impersonator presented the trophy to the Metro team after they defeated the Memphis Juniors 18 National team in the championship game. The girls wore pink and white warm-up shirts in support of the "Dig Pink" tour in its fight against breast cancer. Team members are Rachel Schuman (front row, from left), Lindsey Purvis, Meredith Wright, Megan Pulido of Cordova, Sarah Schuman; coach Marko Majstorovic (back row, from left), Christine Blythe, Allie Williams, Kirsten Rousseau, Elvis, Katie O'Bar, Scarlett Gable and Hannah Kurtz of Bartlett.
2 Metro Players in Volleyball USA
The latest issue of Volleyball USA (V:37, #4, p.23) listed 33 players who participated at 2009 U.S. Girls' Select Holiday Camp in Colorado Spring, CO. Two players from Memphis Metro 14 All Star team, Grace Hardin and Devan Porter, experienced coaching from the top U.S. volleyball coaches and will have a chance to compete for a spot on the roster of U.S. Girls' Youth National Team next year. CONGRATULATIONS!
Metro Teams Excel In Valentines Day Bash
Two metro teams took first place in the 14 Power and 16 Power Gold Divisions this past weekend at the Birmingham Valentines Day Bash Tournament. Both teams pulled out close exciting wins. The 14 All-Star National team took Delta Force to 3 games and in the 3rd game came out victorious! The 16 All-Star National team played a nail biter with Pensacola Volleyball in the first game of the Championship match with a score of 29-27. In the second game Metro was down 21-15 and came back after a time out and outscored their opponents 10-1 to finish the game 25-22! Congratulations to both teams!
The 13 All-Star National also had a great appearance finishing 2nd in the Gold Division. They made great runs through both days finishing well in their pool, and going undefeated in the Gold Bracket play up to
the Championship match. The girls finished 2nd in a tough weekend of play! Congratulations!
Metro's 14 Elite Red also had a great performance finishing 2nd place in the silver bracket in the 14's age group.
Blues City Classic 2010
The Results from Blues City Classic on February 20, 2010 are available online on the Tournament page under Blues City Classic link.
Metro In the Memphis Business Journal
Friday, November 27, 2009
MEMPHIS METRO VOLLEYBALL EXPANDS INTO BARTLETT SPACE TO HANDLE LEAGUES, TRAINING
Memphis Metro Volleyball, an 11-year-old local volleyball league and training center, is expanding into 30,000 square feet of space at the former Brother International distribution facility in Bartlett.
Metro Volleyball has been operating in 17,000 square feet of space at a facility on Appling View in Bartlett, where it had four volleyball courts. Jitka Okolicany, founder, president and CEO of Metro Volleyball, says the group’s 27 teams and 270 players needed more space.
Okolicany, who was a member of the Czech Republic’s junior national volleyball team, founded Metro Volleyball in order to supervise her daughter’s volleyball skills. Her daughter, Katie Hybnerova, who played for the United States Junior Olympic Volleyball team, is now marketing director for the business.
Metro Volleyball also hosts the Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational Tournament, held annually in January at the Memphis Cook Convention Center. The 2009 event drew 120 teams from around the region on 15 courts at the Convention Center. About 1,400 players and family members were in attendance.
“We started in a high school gym and rented courts from churches, but as we grew, we were also the first ones to be bumped out if there was a function,” Okolicany says. “We outgrew our old space in five years.”
The new space is being leased from generic pharmaceutical manufacturer TopRX.
Okolicany says the new facility offers greater visibility for Metro, and if it outgrows this space, another 30,000 square feet is available for lease as well. In addition to a build-out allowance from TopRX, the non-profit Metro Volleyball invested $150,000 in renovations.
The new space will include five courts, spectator space, locker rooms and concessions. Cameras are being installed to record games and tournaments, and Metro will offer DVDs of the action for sale.
Okolicany says the new space will allow for year-round leagues and training. The regular volleyball season runs from November to May, while national tournaments run through June. During the offseason, Metro Volleyball hosts training clinics and camps to “bridge the gaps” between middle school, high school and college players.
Clinics typically cost about $35 a day, while camps can cost $120 a week, depending on size of the group. Hybnerova says the more money Metro Volleyball raises, the more it can put back into equipment and facilities.
“We’re looking to provide more training for what we’re doing,” Hybnerova says.
The 2010 MLK tournament, which will be held Jan. 29-30, could attract up to 200 teams on 22 courts. Okolicany says the new facility could eventually host city, state and regional tournaments.
Malvin Gipson, national sales director of the Memphis Sports Council, says the 2010 event expects to have participants from up to eight states. He says the tournament could expand to two weekends.
“That’s our goal,” Gipson says. “What the continued success of this does is to open the door for a national event. Jitka’s well connected to the USA Volleyball Association in Colorado Springs and they are attracting top level talent.”
MLK TOURNAMENT RESULTS
A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL PARENTS, PLAYERS AND TEAMS WHO MADE IT TO MEMPHIS DESPITE THE BAD WEATHER! WE COULD NOT MAKE IT A SUCCESS WITHOUT YOU! AS WELL WE APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT OF MEMPHIS METRO FAMILIES AND BUSINESSES WHO HELPED US RUN THE TOURNAMENT SMOOTHLY AND ON TIME!
Congratulations to all of Metro's Teams for GREAT finishes at the tournament!
12's: Gold 121 second; Silver 123 second
13's: Gold 131 first; Silver 132 third, 134 fourth; Bronze 133 second
14's Club: Gold 142 second
15 Club: Gold 152 second; Silver 154 second
15 Open: Gold 151 fourth; Silver 141 first
16 Open: Gold 161 second
17 Club: Silver 172 first
18 Open: Gold 171 first; Bronze 181 first
Click HERE to see updated MLK 2010 final pools/brackets/and results!
