Photo courtesy of SWMN JO Volleyball The Southwest Minnesota Juniors 18U volleyball team poses for a photo after taking first place at the AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships on June 24 in Orlando, FL. Front Row (L to R): Meeghen Dahlager, Sydney Schwitters, Ellie Thein, Miah Kunkel and Erica Jones. Back Row (L to R): Assistant coach Mike Dalager, Lydia Sussner, Lexi Ferrell, Whitney Schwartz, Ahlea Wright, Maddy Guetter, assistant coach Emma Thomssen and coach Tyler Boddy.

MARSHALL – The prep volleyball calendar may start in 48 days, but for many players around the area, they’re already in mid-season mode.

Marshall’s Erica Jones, Whitney Schwartz, Paige Andries, Bria Morris, Mia Schnaible, Logan Sherman and Leann Stensrud, along with several other players from around the surrounding area, are members of the Southwest Minnesota Juniors volleyball program who recently participated in the AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships in Orlando, FL.

Jones and Schwartz were on the 18-and-Under team while Andries, Morris, Schnaible, Sherman and Stensrud all were on the 16U team that both took home the championship on June 24 and 28, respectively.

The annual tournament, which showcases more than 1,000 JO teams that vary from the 10U to the 18U division, is played in Orlando at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex as well as the Orange County Convention Center.

Phased,

but not fazed

After a strong regular season, the SWMN 18U team entered the tournament looking to make some noise in the 78-team field. When Southwest Minnesota was awarded with the 42nd seed, however, the team decided to use the seed as motivation. And it showed in their first match.

“It definitely motivated us. Our first game we played the No. 4 seeded team and it got us fired up to prove that we can play our best game and we should have gotten a better seed,” Jones said. “We came out strong and that really carried our momentum throughout the entire tournament.”

That win against No. 4 seed Prime Time Blue of Illinois set the tone for SWMN. After dispatching their opponent with a hard-fought three-set match (25-23, 22-25, 15-7), Southwest Minnesota dominated the rest of the field, sweeping the rest of its matches before coming from behind to take down COA-Red of Indiana in another three sets (23-25, 25-16, 15-10). In total, SWMN finished with an undefeated tournament record of 13-0 and dropped just two of its 28 sets.

SWMN 18U coach Tyler Boddy said despite the challenges that lay ahead of them, he was pleased with how his team maintained its focus throughout the tournament on its way to achieving their ultimate goal.

“We went into the tournament with the idea that we could win a National Championship. That was our goal and we had set those goals two weeks prior and came up with a major list of things that had to get done prior to that happening,” Boddy said. “I think our group had a good focus through that process and truly wanted that to happen. A good chunk of this group has been together for three years playing through the club, so we had a good core of players and then we had other people play roles into that as well.”

Boddy decided during the first day of the tournament to break the four-day volleyball extravaganza into separate phases. Those phases quickly became a key theme to Southwest Minnesota’s success in Orlando.

“We had a running joke that we were going to achieve our goal in four phases. We said there were three sections to every phases with our matches, and when we got done with Day 1, I said, ‘Phase 1 complete,’ and we all laughed,” Boddy said. “Then we went into Phase 2 and were able to take down a couple of teams that day and that became the rolling joke. We didn’t talk for very long after we won the championship because everybody had a lot of things they wanted to do after that. Someone then said, ‘Ok, Phase 4?’ and I said, ‘Complete’. It was a cool ending to it.”

Joining Jones and Schwartz on the 18U team were: Meeghen Dahlager (Yellow Medicine East), Alexis Ferrell (Luverne), Maddy Guetter (Wabasso), Miah Kunkel (Adrian), Sydney Schwitters (MACCRAY), Lydia Sussner (Minneota), Ellie Thein (MACCRAY) and Ahlea Wright (Canby).

Jones said it was great to see the camaraderie of the team shine on and off the court and they wanted to show that they could play with the bigger clubs in the nation.

“You could just tell that we practiced hard and were prepared and we didn’t give up. Some of us have been playing on this team together for a few years now, and we just know where each other is on the court,” Jones said. “We were able to show how big volleyball is in Southwest Minnesota and that we can play against some of the bigger clubs.”

Jones added her favorite part was the games they played on the final day, and when it was over, was ready to celebrate.

“My favorite part were the games on the last day. We played some really good teams and we came out ready to play,” Jones said. “I think our experience and our team unity helped us on that last day and with winning it all. The smile on everyone’s faces after it was done was something we won’t forget.”

The 18U team also had a few individuals make the All-Tournament team, as Ferrell, Guetter and Schwitters all being named. Guetter was named the MVP.

Experience shines through for 16U

The 16U team had just as much success as its 18U counterparts, going 15-0 in its matches, including sweeping 14 of them. They also dropped only one set the entire tournament, ultimately taking home the title with a sweep of Arkansas Juniors Storm (25-22, 25-19) in the final match.

Sherman said it was a great experience for their team and it took a group effort to come away on top.

“It was a really great experience and I was glad to be a part of it,” Sherman said. “Everyone played at a higher level and it took every one of us to win the national championship.”

The road to the championship wasn’t easy for the 16U team either, as they were a part of a 183-team field.

SWMN 16U coach Mike Dalager said he was happy with his team’s performance and resiliency throughout the tournament, especially with not having Andries on the court due to an injury.

“The kids were all super excited,” Dalager said. It was challenging, especially without Paige there, but I’m happy with how we played. We’re not an overly tall team, but we hang our hats on having a good defensive presence and pass/serve aggressively. We didn’t drop a set until the last day and we believed that we could play with the top teams. When we do that, we’re successful.”

The 16U team had a strong core returning, as all but one player came back from last year. For Dalager, having that experience from his players made his job both easier and challenging.

“It was great. It certainly makes my life as a coach easier but at the same time it’s challenging to find new ways to keep them motivated and getting better,” Dalager said. “We want them to try and become the best volleyball players they can be and they’re all a really great group of girls. They all get along and it makes it fun.”

Joining the Marshall players on the 16U team were Kalleigh Carr (Russell-Tyler-Ruthton), Alyssa Groves (Murray County Central), Madison Hinz (Yellow Medicine East), Sophie Johnson (Hendricks), Natalee Rolbiecki (Minneota) and Charlotte Wright (Canby).

The 16U team also took home some additional honors, as Schnaible, Sherman and Groves all made the All-Tournament team, with Groves being named the MVP.

Sherman said she was honored to be named to the All-Tournament team, but added any of her teammates could’ve made it.

“I was honored to be chosen, but it could’ve gone to any of my teammates,” Sherman said. “They were All-Stars and played at a high level for us.”

Sherman added her favorite part was coming together at the end to celebrate the final point.

“My favorite part was the group celebration after the final point. We all came together and it kind of symbolized our season,” Sherman said. “It was emotional and it was great to experience it with a great group of girls.”

Sherman said the support from their family was incredible and the team was able to feed off of the crowd’s energy.

“We had a lot of family there and the support was awesome,” Sherman said. “There was a lot of energy in the gym from both us and the fans and I think that energy helped us play well.”

This isn’t the first National Championship for the SWMN program. They took home the title four years ago, with then-future Southwest Minnesota State University volleyball players Taylor Reiss, Kaylee Burmeister and Megan Larson leading the charge.

The program, which has been running for over 20 years, begins its season in February and competes in tournaments in the spring around the Midwest before going to play in the national tournaments.

Boddy said it’s fun to watch the players see their hard work during the season pay off with a pair of championships, and is excited to see what’s in store for the players going into the fall.

“We talked about just the pride that we have of our club and it’s cool for our kids to have that experience,” Boddy said. “It’s fun for them to be able to work as hard as they do for half the year and be able to reap the benefits of that. We’re excited for them to go into their high school seasons and hopefully continue to have success.”