As most of us know, the WEVA Bid Event held at the Pinnacle Athletic Campus in Victor, NY on April 29 and 30th, 2017 was very important to our club in many ways. Our teams have been practicing for months to achieve a number of individual and team goals, most of which were to make the cut for this tournament.

NFVB had more teams than any other club in the region make top 8 spots in their respective age groups. Each squad that participated was doing whatever it took to win a bid to the 2017 USAV Girls Junior National Championships in Minneapolis from June 25 to July 4.

This is the second year that the WEVA region was awarded a BID at both the National division and the American division for age levels 13-17 at USA Nationals. Regional winners participate in the National Division while 2nd place finishers at respective age groups have the option to attend and compete in the American Division.

NFVB 13 Navy had a strong performance on Saturday, April 29th, going undefeated with a 10-0 set record to secure their place as the 13U WEVA regional champions. All players played a pivotal role in the day’s success with Courtney Kurkowiak, Anna Kubiak and Jordan Hummel, leading the charge. They are looking forward to continue their success in the tournaments ahead. In the final match the Navy team had to play our own NFVB 13 Red team. The bitter-sweet match up saw scores dominated by the Navy squad, 25-18 and  25-9.

NFVB 13 Red did what they set out to do. Entering the tournament as the fourth seed out of five teams, they convincingly knocked out second seeded VFx Mystic 25-11, 25-20. Finishing second in the pool was all they needed in order to qualify for a berth in the American Division. They then faced their practice court partners, NFVB 13 Navy, in the playoffs.

After putting in a lot of hard work at practices the past few months it all came together for the NFVB 14 Navy team on Saturday. Growing pains early in the season against perennial foe VFX Conjure forced the squad to show their true mettle. They played as a team and fought hard for each point in their 25-17, 24-26, 15-13 victory over VFx Conjure in the final. Nationals here they come!

On Sunday, May 1 the NFVB 15 Navy team didn’t disappoint as they strolled through pool play undefeated with all team members contributing to the team’s success. After winning an intense semi-final match against our own 15 Red team 25-22, 25-12, they finished off Volley Fx Chant, 26-24, 25-19 in the finals to earn their well-deserved trip to Minneapolis. The sets from Olivia Alessi and attacks by Jenna Hugenschmidt and Jordan Taylor proved to be indispensable.

Peaking at the right time, the NFVB 16 Navy team proved to the region that they’ve been working just as hard as the rest of the top club teams. Following an undefeated effort in pool play the squad eliminated top seeded Paradigm Rebellion in two sets, 25-22, 25-18 during the semis. A hard working VFx Mantra team pulled out the win in the final match, 25-19, 25-20. However, the road to the finals earned them an American bid at Nationals.

Other notes on the tournament include the NFVB 12 Navy team who went undefeated in pool play to meet the NFVB 12 Red team in the semis but came up short in the finals against VFx 12 Wish with scores of 25-18, 25-18. WEVA does not offer an American bid in the 12U division for 2nd place finishers.

The NFVB 17 Navy team, plagued with injuries, fell short of earning a bid despite their strong play against some of the top teams in the Midwest at previous events. This team will however, be traveling to sunny Orlando, FL to compete in the 44th AAU Junior National Championships.

Pool play results from both days of the tournament can be found HERE
Playoff bracket results can be found HERE

So, congratulations to the following five NFVB teams that will represent WEVA in Minneapolis, MN come late June at the 2017 USA Girls Junior National Championships:

13s Niagara Frontier 13 Navy and Niagara Frontier 13 Red
14s Niagara Frontier 14 Navy
15s Niagara Frontier 15 Navy
16s Niagara Frontier 16 Navy

Niagara Frontier is proud of all qualifying teams that had an opportunity to play in the BID event  since not all teams are accepted. We are sure that all teams participating at Nationals will play with heart and pride representing NFVB and the WEVA region to the best of their ability.

Lets be sure to follow our teams results via Advanced Event Systems as well as on Twitter @NFVBjuniors and Instagram during nationals and make sure to root for the other clubs listed below, representing the Western Empire Region. Make us proud and best of luck to all!

Congratulations to the following teams for earning the National BID by placing first at the BID Qualifier:
17's - VFX Rapture
16's - VFX Mantra
15's - NFVB 15 Navy
14's - NFVB 14 Navy 
13's - NFVB 13 Navy
12's - VFX Wish

Congratulations to the following teams for earning the American BID by placing second at the BID Qualifier:
17's - Octane Terrors
16's - NFVB 16 Navy
15's - VFX Chant
14's - VFX Conjure 
13's - NFVB 13 Red