USAV Club Volleyball Junior Nationals

With the 2012-2013 high school season of club volleyball winding down, preparation for the 34th annual USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championships held this year in Dallas is in full force.

Prime Time Volleyball Club, which operates primarily out of Parkland College, is sending three teams to Dallas this year, the most out of any previous season. Among members of those teams are two Urbana athletes, junior Alayna Jackson and senior Cate Hummel. For the two MVPs of Urbana’s 2012 volleyball season this level of competition is nothing new. Their individual teams both qualified for Nationals last year as well, as the top 16 and 18 year old Prime Time teams; and this year the top 17 year old team has also earned a spot.

“I was extremely confident in our team’s abilities…I knew from the get go we had plenty of talent and skill,” says Hummel, who plays on the top Prime Time 18 year old team. “But I was worried about how well personalities would mesh. However, after the first couple weeks of practices and our first tournament I knew our team was bound for success!”

Jackson was equally sure of her team’s chances. “I knew almost for a fact that we were going to qualify,” she says.

To achieve the bid for Nationals you must get first place in the league your team is in, which is achieved over the course of an entire season and many tournaments. To make it to Nationals this year each Prime Time team won the Windy City Power League for their respective age division.

While both Jackson and Hummel agree that their team’s determination, drive, and common goal to make it to Nationals pushed them to reach Dallas, coach Ron Hoppe says the way (italics) his team plays led them to succeed.

“My team, more than any other team in the club, really buys into the team defense concept we try to instill in everyone. We don’t beat and compete with good teams because we’re huge [my tallest player is only 5’10], it’s because we play such tenacious team defense,” says Hoppe, who coaches Jackson’s 17 year old team and is also the Mahomet-Seymour High School head volleyball coach.

For a majority of volleyball players, club volleyball is preferable to school volleyball. Many favor the competitiveness and the mutual commitment shared by all players.

“Many girls in school were not as dedicated to volleyball as I was…But I don’t have that problem in club because all of the girls are devoting a lot of time, money, and effort to volleyball because they are extremely passionate about it, just like me,” says Hummel, who has played both school and club volleyball for six years.

Jackson, who has played school and club volleyball for four years, agrees, saying “Club volleyball is by far a more comfortable and caring environment than school. Girls join volleyball clubs because they care for the game and care about if they win or not.”

As to the outcome destined for the three Prime Time teams headed for Nationals this year, that is unknown. Hummel, Jackson, Hoppe, and every other player and coach going to Dallas is entering confident, and no matter what happens can pride themselves on getting this far in this years’ club volleyball season.