AirVorne Volleyball is very proud to announce the biggest event for this year in the Atlanta volleyball community…since the AVP is no longer on the sand, I found the next best thing that involves us interacting with the #1 team in the world…Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser.  I hope you guys enjoy this event.

Welcome to Red Bull’s Second Annual – Spiked Challenge, where players from around the Southeast will compete against each other in a Coed 4’s Sand Tournament to qualify for TWO spots in the final tournament to be held in Atlanta, Georgia on September 25^th at the Active Oval at Piedmont Park.  There are six cities (South Florida, Orlando, Tampa, Wilmington, Nashville, and Atlanta) involved with this challenge to compete for a trip to Atlanta, Georgia and play against the #1 team in the world – Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser.

Here are the details regarding the Qualifier on Saturday, September 11th to be hosted at Atlanta Beach:

1. Even though this tournament format is a Coed 4’s Tournament; the Qualifier will be using the ‘new rules’ set forth by USA Volleyball and FIVB:
   1. Short court will be used:  26’-3” x 52’-6”
   2. Net Height will be set at Men’s Height:  7’-11 5/8”
   3. Lines for the court will be 2” wide
   4. Antennas will be required
   5. Balls used for all Qualifiers are to be uniform…example:  Wilson AVP or Mikasa FIVB.  The Spalding / Wilson 18-panel leather ball will not be used for this event.
2. The number of teams set for registration is based on how many courts I have access to…well, there are alot of courts at Atlanta Beach.
3. Records of all games/matches will be used to help in creating a ranking system for all cities involved for the Final Tournament on September 25^th.
4. Registration for all local events must be filled out completely and emailed to each tournament director by the 5:00 PM Wednesday, September 8th.  All emails will be acquiring information for registration will be sent to redbullspikedatlanta@gmail.com.  Also you can copy djocson@airvorne.com and I will be able to follow up with you on this registration.
5. All teams are allowed to have no more than two subs on each team (one male / one female athlete).  But the final winning team will only be allowed to have 4 team members (two male / two female athletes) to travel to Atlanta.
6. All games played must have two male athletes and two female athletes throughout the entire tournament.  NO game will be played with less than (4) four players or no more than (2) two gender players on the court (for example:  3 male athletes/1 female athlete).  Any match/game not meeting these requirements will have to forfeit.
7. Information for the Final Tournament will be sent to the Local Tournament Directors and the teams that qualify for the September 25^th finals in Atlanta, Georgia.
8. Must be 18 and up to participate…

Here is the best part of the tournament:  IT IS FREE.  Yes – I said it is FREE.  All you need to do is email us and you will receive an application that will need to be filled out completely and return to us.  I will be reviewing all applications to make sure that all information is correct and filled out completely.  When was the last time you played in any event and there was no registration fee!!!  Red Bull has made this possible for the volleyball community to enjoy a full day of volleyball and have a great time.

As far as divisions, there are no divisions…no Open, AA, A, BB…it is one tournament – one division.

Now many of you are probably wondering about the prizes for the Qualifier…we are taking the top four teams of the Qualifier to advance to the Finals on Saturday, September 25th.  From there, you play against the other teams from the Southeast area.  If your team gets to the Finals, you play against Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser in a full match 2-on-4.  Think you can beat them?  Red Bull will award prizes for the winning team.

So as you can see, there is no excuse as to why you can’t play in the Qualifier on Saturday, September 11th.  Look forward to seeing you guys out on the sand courts…

Dennis Jocson

AirVorne Volleyball

This is the last updated for all active AVP members. Look forward to seeing you guys on the courts…for any questions/concerns about your membership, please feel free to contact me. Thanks.

Last Update: 08.12.2010
Members = 198

Dennis Jocson
djocson@airvorne.com
AirVorne Volleyball, LLC.

First	Last	Member #	Gender	Membership Date:
Rudy	Abarca	00JDX	Male	4/16/2010
Chibuzo	Aguocha	00J00	Female	4/12/2010
Chris	Allemand	00TH5	Male	6/19/2010
christian	allemand	00R9M	Male	6/3/2010
Erin	Armstrong	00FQF	Female	3/5/2010
Rocco	Avellino	00KX2	Male	4/27/2010
Lisa	Bachkosky	00HQC	Female	4/8/2010
Albert	Baker	00SGR	Male	6/11/2010
Jonathon	Barbaree	00RHT	Male	6/4/2010
Justin	Barrett	00M69	Male	5/7/2010
Kelly	Basinger	00GTD	Male	3/30/2010
Raun	Bassett	00HXW	Male	4/11/2010
Mark	Baumbick	00T7N	Male	6/17/2010
Jon	Beck	00N3C	Male	5/13/2010
Lisa	bell	00GYJ	Female	4/1/2010
Tracy	Blair	00J1B	Female	4/12/2010
Steve	Bloesing	00GVZ	Male	3/31/2010
Clay	Boatman	00LWR	Male	5/4/2010
Robert	Boccolucci	00F67	Male	2/3/2010
Justin	Boling	00FQP	Male	3/5/2010
Jonathan	Booher	00NQV	Male	5/18/2010
Corey	Booth	00M4D	Male	5/6/2010
Chad	Borton	00PBL	Male	5/21/2010
Scott	Brown	00HDD	Male	4/6/2010
Neil	Browning	00HX3	Male	4/10/2010
Terrie	Bunch	00MSJ	Female	5/11/2010
Chris	Burney	00QVK	Male	6/1/2010
June	Burney	00QVJ	Female	6/1/2010
Jaime	Butler-Dawson	00GVH	Female	3/31/2010
Brittany	Byrd	00GW7	Female	3/31/2010
Megan	Byrd	00GVW	Female	3/31/2010
Courtney	Caldwell	00FQQ	Female	3/5/2010
Erin	Callahan	00TL5	Female	6/21/2010
Ross	Campbell	00F95	Male	2/1/2010
Erik	Carlson	00GW0	Male	3/31/2010
Tim	Carlson	00MCY	Male	5/8/2010
Michael	Carter	00M9X	Male	5/7/2010
patrick	carver	00L59	Male	4/28/2010
Lindsay	Casey	00K7B	Female	4/21/2010
Chris	Caswall	00MBF	Male	5/7/2010
Brina	Cervantes	00LPP	Female	5/3/2010
Frances	Chang	00N5V	Female	5/13/2010
Courtney	Clark	00GDV	Female	3/24/2010
Inar	Coach	00J3Y	Male	4/13/2010
Jon	Collins	00S1S	Male	6/7/2010
raymond	colon	00GXB	Male	3/31/2010
Katrina	Conrad	00MQZ	Female	5/11/2010
Courtney	Cron	00GHD	Female	3/25/2010
Kim	Dalimonte Wallace	00MRC	Female	5/11/2010
Kortney	Dalrymple	00GZH	Female	4/1/2010
Ben	Dashwood	00H3F	Female	4/3/2010
Amanda	Dashwood	00QRG	Female	5/31/2010
Jason	Davenport	00S5D	Male	6/8/2010
Robert	deAurora	00HLD	Male	4/7/2010
Dan	Deaver	00S3Q	Male	6/8/2010
Taylor	DeKalb	00LH5	Male	5/1/2010
Lucia	DePretto	00N83	Female	5/14/2010
Joe	DiNunno	00GSL	Male	3/30/2010
Amanda	Dobanton	00VLP	Female	7/7/2010
Shawn	Dobanton	00PCR	Male	5/21/2010
Steve (Scuba)	Dobek	00M90	Male	5/7/2010
michael	dolan	00J3P	Male	4/13/2010
CJ	Donnelly	00GY6	Male	4/1/2010
Patrick	Donnelly	00GJD	Male	3/26/2010
heather	dozier	00QJ0	Female	5/28/2010
william	dozier	00RL7	Male	6/6/2010
Bruce	Duesterhoeft	00H5X	Male	4/5/2010
Ed	Dungan	00NVD	Male	5/19/2010
Doug	Dunnavant	00VQD	Male	7/9/2010
Rachel	Ecke	00GF5	Female	3/24/2010
darin	edler	00NFP	Male	5/16/2010
Michelle	Edler	00NFN	Female	5/16/2010
bryan	enabnit	00VV9	Male	7/10/2010
Philip	Enabnit	00VQ9	Male	7/9/2010
Nikki	Farrah	00TQV	Female	6/24/2010
Joshua	Ferguson	00L0L	Male	4/28/2010
Wes	Fincher	00GDB	Male	3/23/2010
Kim	Fletcher	00LF6	Female	4/30/2010
Jacki	Flynn	00GZ5	Female	4/1/2010
Jason	Frizzell	00GDC	Male	3/23/2010
Janice	Fung	00LGT	Female	4/30/2010
Chad	Gallahan	00SDP	Male	6/10/2010
Sheila	Gatlin	00N7D	Female	5/14/2010
August	Gentry	00JF1	Male	4/16/2010
Bryan	Gibson	00LMR	Male	5/3/2010
Cori	Gilman	00KQJ	Female	4/26/2010
Derek	Gilman	00KQL	Male	4/26/2010
William	Goldin	00P97	Male	5/21/2010
John	Goodwin	00WNT	Male	7/30/2010
Greg	Graham	00H3H	Male	4/4/2010
Paul	Gugliucci	00FFH	Male	2/26/2010
Charles	Hall	00H3N	Male	4/4/2010
Sarah	Haskell	00NB0	Female	5/14/2010
Valerie	Haven	00SDV	Female	6/10/2010
Kristina	Hayes	00H0N	Female	4/2/2010
Nathan	Hegwood	00HX2	Male	4/10/2010
Yuri	Henry	00GTB	Male	3/30/2010
Ryan	Hojnacki	00GGX	Male	3/25/2010
Duane	Holben	00RKL	Male	6/5/2010
Ken	Holcomb	00JHL	Male	4/18/2010
David	Holcombe	00J63	Male	4/14/2010
Leah	Horan	00H6L	Female	4/5/2010
Maria A	Horstmann	00QLD	Female	5/29/2010
alison	jaynes	00NFQ	Female	5/16/2010
Dennis	Jocson	50761	Male	3/8/2010
Cynthia	Johnson	00N2G	Female	5/13/2010
bianca	julio	00TNN	Female	6/22/2010
Mike	Kemerer	00HB6	Male	4/6/2010
Johnathon	Kendrick	00HLX	Male	4/8/2010
Emily	Knight	00J01	Female	4/12/2010
Timothy	Kreiner	00JF6	Male	4/16/2010
Hannah	Kriscovich	00RD6	Female	6/3/2010
Garrett	Kuk	00M9Z	Male	5/7/2010
Holly	Lanier	00TMK	Female	6/22/2010
Michael	Lawley	00GF6	Male	3/24/2010
Mike	Lawley	00GDM	Male	3/23/2010
Scott	Lawson	00GHF	Male	3/25/2010
Ellen	Lewis	00NDG	Female	5/15/2010
Kelly	Lewis	00GHB	Female	3/25/2010
Kurt	Lewis	00GHC	Male	3/25/2010
Maita	Lopez	00H1N	Female	4/2/2010
Clay	Maloy	00GHT	Male	3/25/2010
Judy	Mar	00JC5	Female	4/15/2010
Josh	Marsh	00G5J	Male	3/17/2010
Bob	Massee	00VVC	Male	7/10/2010
Courtney	McCluskey	00LCS	Female	4/30/2010
Howard	Miles	00H1R	Male	4/2/2010
Donald	Miller	00J4J	Male	4/14/2010
Marc	Miller	00QLP	Male	5/29/2010
Bobby	Mitchell	00G5Z	Male	3/18/2010
Hal	Mobley	00FW3	Male	3/9/2010
John	Mockridge	00V88	Male	7/5/2010
david	moore	00LTR	Male	5/4/2010
Matthew	Morris	00LWT	Male	5/4/2010
Shane	Muffat	00V81	Male	7/5/2010
narayanan	nair	00JF2	Male	4/16/2010
nicole	nilson	00GT6	Female	3/30/2010
Richard	O'Keefe	00JGN	Male	4/17/2010
Tim	O'Neill	00M7X	Male	5/7/2010
David	Ottmann	00FRD	Male	3/5/2010
Melanie	Parinas	00LPS	Female	5/3/2010
Lindsay	Paroczai	00QNN	Female	5/30/2010
Lauren	Patterson	00N3D	Female	5/13/2010
Kyle	Peters	00GBB	Male	3/22/2010
David	Pitts	00R4W	Male	6/2/2010
tracey	pressley	00JG8	Male	4/17/2010
Deborah	Price	00THJ	Female	6/20/2010
Mallory	Price	00FFR	Female	2/26/2010
Nathan	Price	00Q8X	Male	5/26/2010
Chelsea	Proffitt	00HN4	Female	4/8/2010
Adam	Rahn	00FQG	Male	3/5/2010
Richard	Rainwater	00HVP	Male	4/9/2010
Amber	Ramga	00GXL	Female	4/1/2010
Devin	Ramga	00H3G	Male	4/4/2010
Kendall	Rawls	00PW3	Female	5/24/2010
Kendall	Reardon	00HSG	Male	4/9/2010
David	Rich	00GYG	Male	4/1/2010
Jesse	Ricks	00FQW	Male	3/5/2010
jordan	rooks	00R9N	Male	6/3/2010
jason	santos	00WN8	Male	7/30/2010
blake	sawtelle	00FNC	Male	3/3/2010
Liz	Schaab	00K5T	Female	4/21/2010
Melissa	Schmitz	00RHW	Female	6/4/2010
Philip	Schretter	00L0B	Male	4/28/2010
valeriano	serradilha	00MSR	Male	5/11/2010
Elaine	Sha	00H0Q	Female	4/2/2010
Laura	Shamp	00NXS	Female	5/19/2010
Laura	Shamp	00NZC	Female	5/19/2010
steven	shi	00GCR	Male	3/22/2010
Eric	Shipley	00TLX	Male	6/22/2010
Melissa	Sike	00GCC	Female	3/22/2010
Mike	Spence	00K6R	Male	4/21/2010
Dustin	Stapleton	00M2B	Male	5/6/2010
Geoff	Stephenson	00HMX	Male	4/8/2010
Tracy	Stevens	00NHK	Female	5/16/2010
Casey	Stoll	00MR2	Female	5/11/2010
jeremiah	swanson	00GVJ	Male	3/31/2010
RJ	Thaxton	00HWR	Male	4/10/2010
Zoe	The Destroyer	52256	male	7/13/2010
Eric	Topper	00M6Y	Male	5/7/2010
Matthew	Van Duyne	00H1P	Male	4/2/2010
Neil	van Helden	00G3V	Male	3/16/2010
Steven	VanDerMeid	00SFV	Male	6/10/2010
Viliamu	Vaofanua	00LWY	Male	5/4/2010
Wynn	Vinson	00J2F	Male	4/13/2010
Jocelyn	Waldern	00KBY	Female	4/22/2010
Chip	Wallace	00MRG	Male	5/11/2010
Stephanie	Wardach	00TQ5	Female	6/23/2010
Connor	Weiss	00GYF	Male	4/1/2010
Amanda	Welter	00MXG	Female	5/12/2010
Alison	West	00QWB	Female	6/1/2010
Joe	Whigham	00K9D	Male	4/22/2010
Alexandria	Williams	00NRC	Female	5/18/2010
Chad	Williamson	00L07	Male	4/28/2010
benjamin	wiseman	00WN7	Male	7/30/2010
David	woolsteen	00TYV	Male	6/30/2010
Jacob	Yates	00RKM	Male	6/5/2010
Kristen	Zschau	00T25	Female	6/15/2010

Lets talk about the team involved in the Final Four of the Grand Championship and how they got here:

The first qualifiers for the Grand Championship are Mike Lawley and Jon Collins.  This young dynamic duo came with alot of heart and passion for the game.  Diving plays and hustling to get to the ball made Mike and Jon a team to contend with.  During pool play of the Grand Championship, they lost all three games…but they did bring a very large supporting crowd to help them throughout the tournament.  Unfortunately, they lost their match against the #1 team from pool play.  The best thing about these guys is that they are young and what I would like to call “The Next Generation” of players.  And based on the crowd that cheer them on, leaders on the court and off the court.  Again, congratulations, Mike and Jon for getting here.  And special congratulations to Mike and Rachel on the recent wedding.

They fought hard through the league giving the birth into the Grand Championship and they are no strangers to the court.  Rich O’Keefe and Chad Borton qualified through the 7-week league and League Championship.  One word can describe this team:  determination.  You can see it on the faces when they are on the court.  Standing at 6′-9″, Big Rich is no stranger to pressure situations and big games.  Chad is probably one of the fastest defenders in the volleyball community and will always get the ball up using both arms unlike some players who only use one arm to stretch out for the ball.  With these skills, they are able to form a great combination of skill and experience.  During pool play, they had a rough start but eventually won a game.  In the semi-finals, it seems as if the little things just wasn’t going their way.  For the third straight time, they lost to the #2 team.  The most memorable moment with you guys is the finals in the League Championship winning the 3rd game to advance to the Grand.  Congratulation to Rich and Chad for a valiant effort and great sportsmanship throughout the entire season.

The surprise team of the League Championship came from Dave Woolsteen and Tracey Pressley.  Throughout the league season, I often wondered about the chemistry between these two.  Dave is a veteran of the game as well as a coach/teacher.  Tracey is a young, crafty player with a little attitude on the court.  So does the coach/teacher mentor the firey young player?  Throughout the league season, I began to notice this mentoring but it came with alot of excuses (yes – Tracey, you do have a tendency of having excuses – just ask Hal).  But I also notice alot of respect that Tracey would give Dave on the court.  I mean Dave has been playing this game for a long long time and still has many tricks that us veterans still can’t figure out.  What makes Dave an amazing player is his sense of awareness of his opponents and his unpredictable plays that gets opponents frustrated.  So did the mentor teach the student successfully?  Answer:  yes.  Seeded 5th in the League Championship, they came out of the League beating the top teams to advance to the Grand.  In the Grand, they continue to dominate the field with only one exception, Val and Shawn.  Congratulations to an amazing season for both Dave and Tracey.

There is not much to say when it comes down to Val and Shawn and their athletic skills on the court.  From the beginning of the league season, every team knew that this was the team to beat.  I remember the first time I met Val at the Virginia Highland courts.  The only memory I had back then was him hand setting outdoors and seeing the 2-4 rotations on the ball…to him, they were good sets…to me, are you kidding me?  The first time I remember seeing Shawn, he was still in high schoool, I think and was smaller back then but saw the passion for the game when he got on the court.  Today, they are a dominating force on the court.  How they got to the Grand Championship, they played in a qualifier against 14 other teams.  But the funny thing about their win, they would qualified in the League giving them a ticket to the Grand as well.  The motivating factor with their win in the Qualifier…Shawn wanted to travel to Cincinnati for another tournament that was scheduled on the same day as the League Championship…which he finished 5th up there in Cincinnati.  So what makes this team dominating…you can’t understand them when they talk to each other unless you speak Spanish…LOL.  Shawn eventually grew up and is now one of the feared players on the court due to his dominating block and huge vertical.  Val’s Brazilian ways and experience of the court has made him into a wanted player that everyone wants to play with.  Also, his attitude on the court is very calming even though he is from Brazil.  In pool play, they cruised into 1st place.  In the semi-final, they defeated the young team of Mike / Jon…(21-18, 21 – 12).  In the finals, they played against the surprise team of Dave / Tracey.  Unfortunately, I was not present for the final match to ref so I left the match in the good hands of Big Rich.  Game #1 as described by Big Rich:  “Dave had 3 [consecutive] beach digs on hard hits to get to 9-11, but Val & Shawn pushed to switch sides at 12-9 and rallied to win Game #1.  Val & Shawn served Dave mostly.”  Game #2 as described by Big Rich:  “At 15-8, Val Kong Block!!  DOMINATION.”  Val and Shawn won the Grand Championship…21-13, 21-10.

CONGRATULATIONS TO VAL SERRADILHA and SHAWN DOBANTON!!!

They are going to Chicago AVP to represent Atlanta and AirVorne Volleyball in the AVPNext Championship.

Thank you to all participants for supporting this series and AirVorne Volleyball.

Dennis Jocson

AirVorne Volleyball

Before I get to the Championship Match for the Women’s Series, I would like to explain how these teams got here and the process behind it.  As everyone is aware of, there was a league held this past two months to qualify for the Grand Championship.  8 teams registered to compete for 7-weeks and a final League Championship Tournament.  Two teams advanced from this league.  Since not everyone is able to make this weekly commitment, I then offered 2 Qualifiers for those who wanted a chance to get to the Grand Championship.  The winners of each of these Qualifiers made it to the Grand Championship as well.

The process was long but also difficult since all teams that participated needed to make sure there game was on.  Again, teams needed to finish 1st in the Qualifiers and 1st/2nd in the League…no other finishes will advance.  The following teams did just that:

Sunday, June 26th – Qualifier:  Winners – Amber Ramga and Amanda Dashwood

Sunday, June 27th – Qualifier:  Winners – Amber Ramga and Sheila Gatlin

Saturday, July 11th – League Championship:  Amber Ramga, Amanda Dashwood, Amanda Welter, Chibuzo Aguocha

Does anyone see what I see?  Yup – Amber Ramga dominated this season.  And is in my book, the MVP of the AVP/Barefoot Wines Series.  Not only is she an amazing athlete but also a great leader within the volleyball community.  From drills to workouts to teaching college players the sand game, Amber has become the female leader for the volleyball community.  Acceleration Fitness is her company and also trainings volleyball players there in conditioning.  CONGRATULATIONS, AMBER on a fantastic series.  For those who are interested in finding out more about Amber and Acceleration Fitness, click here for the website.

Now onto the Grand Championship.  Since there were only two teams competing for the Chicago trip, we decided to continue the League Championship and finish the bracket for the Grand Championship.  Amber decided to play with her original partner Ada for the Grand Championship.  Chewy and Amanda were perfect that day not losing one game in any of their matches.  The final match was a 2 out of 3 games to 21 points no cap and if necessary 3rd game to 15 points no cap.  It was very clear to see Chewy/Amanda’s game plan…serve Ada and that they did.  In the first game, it was tied at 16-16 when Chewy and Amanda went on a run scoring the next 3 points and switching at 19-16.  Could Amber / Ada make that spectacular come back?  After siding out, they decided to go for it and serve tough.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough as Chewy / Amanda won the first game…21-18.

In the second game, things for Amber / Ada went from bad to worse as Chewy / Amanda dominated the serving line.  At the 21 points side switch, the score was 14-7 Chewy/ Amanda.  Again, Amber / Ada went for it again…serving tough, hitting on two, etc.  But the deficit was too much.  Chewy and Amanda won the second game and the Championship…21-12.

CONGRATULATIONS TO CHIBUZO AGUOCHA and AMANDA WELTER!!!

They are going to Chicago AVP to represent Atlanta and AirVorne Volleyball in the AVPNext Championship.

Thank you to all participants for supporting this series and AirVorne Volleyball.

Dennis Jocson

AirVorne Volleyball

For the past few years now, Beth (pictured front row in the middle) has called San Diego, California home and has made a name for herself not only there in their local community but also on the AVP tour.  Knowing her friendly personality, she will be missed there in San Diego.  Her plan:  to come back to Georgia.  Hans Stolfus of the AVP wrote an article, “South Mission for Life” talking about San Diego’s beach volleyball community as well as Beth’s decision to come back to Georgia.

We here in Atlanta would like to welcome back Beth and wish her all the success as she pursues her Master’s Degree back at Georgia State as well as grow the sport of beach volleyball at Georgia State.  Let me know if you need a hand, Beth…

(Photo by:  Walker Scott Moore)

Dennis Jocson

AirVorne Volleyball

So who will go to Chicago from the Men’s Series??  Let me introduce you to the teams competing for the prize.

Sunday, June 13th – Qualifier:  Mike Lawley and Jon Collins.

Sunday, July 27th – Qualifier:  Shawn Dobanton and Val Serradilha.

Saturday, July 17th – League Championship:  David Woolsteen and Tracey Pressley.

Saturday, July 17th – League Championship:  Chad Borton and Rich O’Keefe.

So come and find out who will represent Atlanta and AirVorne Volleyball on Saturday, July 31st at the Virginia Highland courts.  Format is round robin where all teams will play each other in a full match.  Once the pool play is finished, playoffs will begin.  Seed #1 vs. Seed #4 and Seed #2 vs. Seed #3 for the Semi-finals.  Winners of those matches will continue onto the Final Championship match.  Good luck to all teams.  Play will begin at 9:00 AM.

See you on the courts,

Dennis Jocson

AirVorne Volleyball

The league started back in mid-May with the Women as 8 teams competed every Wednesday for 7 weeks straight to make to the League Championship.  Back on June 1st, the Men (8-teams) also competed for their chance to go to Chicago and represent Atlanta and AirVorne Volleyball.  It was very challenging with all leagues (not just this one) to be able to get out of work on time and fight the afternoon traffic to get to the scheduled games.  The Men played every Tuesday at Piedmont Park and the Women played every Wednesday at the Virginia Highlands.  Every team play against each other…one match consisted 2 out of 3 games to 21 points no cap with the third game if necessary to 15 points.  After 7-weeks of play, the following teams were then ranked and here is what came out of that:

Women:

1.  Chibuzo Aguocha  / Amanda Welter (6-1, +83 points)

2.  Amber Ramga / Amanda Dashwood (6-1, +57 points)

3.  Laura Shamp / Kim Wallace (injured most of the season) (6-1, +17 points)

4.  Nicole Nilson / Elaine Sha (4-3, +68 points)

5.  Liz Schaab / Jocelyn Waldern (2-5, -29 points)

6.  Terrie O’Keefe / Kristen Zschau (2-5, -43 points)

7.  Katrina Conrad / Casey Stoll (1-6, -74 points)

8.  Judy Baker / Alex Williams (1-6, -79 points)

Men:

1.  Val Serradilha / Shawn Dobanton (6-0, +101 points)

2.  Rich O’Keefe / Chad Borton (5-1, +37 points)

3.  Pat Donnelly / Steve Dobek (4-2, +27 points)

4.  Ryan Hojnacki / Jason Frizzell (3-3, +2 points)

5.  Tim Carlson / Donald Miller (3-3, -25 points)

6.  Tracey Pressley / Dave Woolsteen (2-4, +8 points)

7.  Wes Fincher / Will Goldin (1-5, -1 points)

8.  Gokul Nair / August Gentry (0-6,  -143 points)

The League Championship was the final determination on which two teams from each gender would move on to the Grand Championship on Saturday, July 31st.  The tournament was a double elimination format…meaning once you lose twice, you are out.  The tournament was held at the Virginia Highlands for both Men and Women.  Two teams from each gender had to drop out due to injury, schedule, or personal issues.  So we only had 6 teams for each gender and here is the summary of what happened that day:

Match #1:  #4 – Hoj/Jason defeated #8 – Gokul / August…21-6, 21-9

Match #2:  #6 – Tracey / Woolsteen defeated #5 – Donald / Tim…21-16, 21-17

Match #3:  #4 – Nicole / Elaine defeated #8 – Judy / Alex…21-6, 19-21, 15-8

Match #4:  #5 – Liz / Jocelyn defeated #7 – Katrina / Courtney (sub for the injured Casey)…21-5, 19-21, 15-10

Match #5:  #3 – Pat / Rich Rainwater (sub for Scuba due to work conflict) defeated #4 – Hoj / Jason…21-16, 21-17

Match #6:  #6 – Tracey / Woolsteen defeated #2 – Rich / Chad…21-16, 19-21, 15-12

Match #7:  #2 – Amber / Ada defeated #4 – Nicole / Ela…21-10, 21-12

Match #8:  Chibuzo and Amanda defeated #5 – Liz / Jocelyn…21-11, 21-16

Match #9:  #2 – Rich / Chad defeated #8 – Gokul / August…21-4, 21-5

Match #10:  #4 – Hoj / Jason defeated #5 – Donald / Tim…21-19, 21-16

Match #11:  #5 – Liz / Jocelyn defeated #8 – Judy / Alex…21-12, 21-10

Match #12:  #4 – Nicole / Elaine defeated #7 – Katrina / Courtney…21-15, 21-15

Match #13 (Winner’s Bracket Final):  #6 – Tracey / Woolsteen defeated #3 – Pat / Rich…22-20, 21-16…Congratulations to Dave and Tracey (pictured below) – they advance to the Grand Championship…

Match #14:  #2 – Rich / Chad defeated #4 – Hoj / Jason…21-19, 21-14

Match #15 (Winner’s Bracket Final):  #1 – Chewy / Amanda defeated #2 – Amber / Ada…21-12, 23-21…Congratulations to Chewy / Amanda (pictured below) – they advance to the Grand Championship…

Match #16: #4 – Nicole / Elaine defeated #5 – Liz / Jocelyn…18-21, 21-14, 15-11

Match #17 (Contender’s Bracket Final):  #2 – Rich / Chad defeated #3 – Pat / Rich…13-21, 21-15, 18-16…Congratulations to Chad and Rich (pictured below) – they advance to the Grand Championship…

Match #18 (Contender’s Bracket Final):  #2 – Amber / Ada defeated #4 – Nicole / Elaine…21-14, 21-14…Congratulations to Amber and Ada (pictured below) – they advance to the Grand Championship…

Congratulations to all teams that have advanced to the Grand Championship on Saturday, July 31st at the Virginia Highlands.  BUT WAIT…we have the results for the women’s division…how is this possible?  Find out more details on the next article for the AVP/Barefoot Wine Women’s Grand Championship – the road to Chicago.

Dennis Jocson

djocson@airvorne.com

AirVorne Volleyball

Back to the beach we go…well, not really the beach, but the place where Beach Volleyball began its journey for the Olympics back in 1996.  This was the biggest event so far that AirVorne Volleyball has done on the sand with 14 teams for the Men and 10 teams for the Women.  The competition was intense and enjoyable to watch as 24 teams compete for the last spots to the Grand Championship.  So lets start off with the Women shall we…

One spot for the Women’s Grand Championship has already been secured with Amber Ramga and Amanda Dashwood winning the last Qualifier…that doesn’t mean they can’t take another spot away from others.  But this time, they decided to partner up with different teammates.

Amanda picked up Courtney Clark, an amazing player that can play with the big boys and girls of course.  Their chemistry on the court was very enjoyable to watch.

Amber picked up the veteran and last year’s dominating player for AirVorne Volleyball – Sheila Gatlin.  Sheila made it to the finals in the last Qualifier and was determined to do it again with Amber.  For Amber, domination continued…

At the end of pool play, the final standings were as follow:

1.  Amber Ramga / Sheila Gatlin

2.  Chibuzo Aguocha / Amanda Welter

3.  Amanda ‘Ada’ Dashwood / Courtney Clark

4.  Krista Gyarmati / Karime Binkley

5.  Jola Graham / Melissa Schmitz

6.  Nicole Nilson / Elaine Sha

7.  Courtney Caldwell / Jenni Reynolds

8.  Terrie O’Keefe / Kristen Zschau

9.  Lauren Patterson / Amanda Dobanton

10.  Judy Baker / Janice Fung

Let the upsets begin…in the Quarterfinals, #2 – Chewy / Amanda faced #7 – Courtney / Jenni.  Chewy / Amanda has been very very well in the weekly  AVP/Barefoot Wine League.  But this Quarterfinal game was not their game…as they lost to Courtney / Jenni in a close game…25-23.  The newly form team of #3 – Ada / Courtney faced #6 – Nicole / Elaine.  The teamwork and longevity of Nicole / Elaine prevailed as they won…21-16. #1 – Amber / Sheila and #4 – Krista / Karime also advanced to the Semifinals.

Unfortunately, I just found out while gathering up the score sheets that the Semifinals were incorrectly matched up.  So the following matches were played for the Semifinals:

#1 – Amber / Sheila vs. #6 – Nicole / Elaine

#4 – Krista / Karime vs. #7 – Courtney / Jenni

These matches should have been reversed…my bad.  I guess that is what happens when I have too much on my plate.  But the upsets continued as #7 – Courtney / Jenni defeated #4 – Kristn / Karime…21-14.  #1 – Amber / Sheila also won their match against #6 – Nicole / Elaine…21-7.

So with these results, it was #1 – Amber / Sheila vs. #7 – Courtney / Jenni to play in a match for the final position of the Grand Championship.  Courtney / Jenni played like the Lindquist sisters and played dig defense with no block.

But unfortunately, Amber / Sheila took advantage of this and won the last spot in the Women Sand Series – AVP/Barefoot Wine Qualifier.  Congratulations to Amber (for her second spot) and Sheila for an amazing tournament!!!  So far this year, Amber has been taking the courts and dominating the games.

Now for the Men Sand Series…the competition was stiff and the players were definitely bringing their game on.  Out of the 14 teams we had, the top 8 teams advanced to the Qualifier for their chance to earn the last spot of the Grand Championship.  The following teams advanced and were ranked:

1.  Doug Dunnavant / Damien Scott

2.  Bryan Gibson / Bob Massee

3.  Val Serradilha / Shawn Dobanton

4.  Rich O’Keefe / Chad Borton

5.  Howard Miles / Donald Miller

6.  Chuck Hall / Jessi Ricks

7.  Pat Donnelly / Rich Rainwater

8.  Phil Enabnit / Bryan Enabnit

In the Quarterfinals, all top 4 teams advanced to the Semifinals.  Side note:  the closest game and potential upset came from #8 – Phil / Bryan playing #1 – Doug / Damien.  But Doug / Damien came through…21-18.  Phil injured his toe during pool play but played through the entire tournament.  We wish you well, Phil and hope that you quickly recover from that unfortunate injury.  Atlanta Beach was notified about the conditions of that court and will be addressed immediately.

The Semifinals were set: #1 – Doug / Damien vs. #4 – Rich / Chad and #2 – Bryan / Bob vs. #3 – Val / Shawn.  The competition with Bryan / Bob vs. Val / Shawn was intense and they continued to trade point for point.  But in the end, #3 – Val / Shawn came out victorious…21 – 16.  The same was true for Doug / Damien vs. Rich / Chad.  As I was watching this match from the sidelines, it was 16-16.  During this particular long rally and very crucial point,  Big Rich decided to hit the ball over on one to end the rally.  The hit over on one was very questionable but was called on Big Rich as an illegal hit.  Let the fireworks begin…the call stood after lots of conversation and arguing.  Unfortunately, that point cost #4 – Rich / Chad the game as #1 – Doug / Damien won…21 – 16.

The Finals were brought to you by our one match sponsor:  Vlassic Pickles.  #1 – Doug / Damien vs. #3 – Val / Shawn.  Again, the final is a 2 out of 3 game match.  In the middle of the first game, Doug began to cramp and this was the beginning to an end.  Damien tried to take it into his own hands with the sickest jump serve I have seen since the big court was reduced down.

But unfortunately, it wasn’t enough as the #1 seed fell to #3 seed of Val / Shawn giving them a ticket to the Grand Championship.  Congratulations to Val and Shawn!!!

To everyone who came out and played and watched, I thank you for your support and look forward to doing this again very soon.  This Saturday, July 17th, we finish up the AVP/Barefoot Wine League and find out who the other two teams are that will advance to the Grand Championship.

Have a great weekend and see you guys on the court.

Dennis Jocson

AirVorne Volleyball

Registration is now closed…if you would like to be place on the waiting list, please contact me at djocson@airvorne.com.

It is very important for those who are interested in playing to register online…please have your AVP Membership # ready as well as your partner’s information.

I will NOT be accepting any on-site registrations due to scheduling of the tournament.

Emails will be sent to all participants after 3:00 PM tomorrow so please make sure that I have your correct information.

Players,

Welcome to the last Qualifying Tournament for the AVP/Barefoot Wine Grand Championship. The winner of this tournament will move on to the Grand Championship at the end of July that will determine who the Atlanta representative is for the AVP/Barefoot Wine Championship to be held in Chicago in August.

(4) teams will be competing in the Grand Championship at the end of July:

Men’s:

The top two winners from the weekly league and that is determined by a League Tournament.

1st Qualifier – Mike Lawley / Jon Collins

2nd Qualifier – winner of the July 11th Qualifier…WILL THIS BE YOU??

Women’s:

The top two winners from the weekly league and that is determined by a League Tournament.

1st Qualifier – Amber Ramga / Amanda Dashwood

2nd Qualifier – winner of the July 11th Qualifier…WILL THIS BE YOU?

The winner of the Grand Championship will be the representatives for AirVorne Volleyball and Atlanta, Georgia in the Chicago AVP/Barefoot Wine Championship.

With that said, the registration fee has increased to $60/team. The format of the tournament will be round robin with each game to 21 or 25 points to determine the seed of each team. During playoffs, the semi-final and final (based on time) will be a 2 out of 3 match to determine the winner of the tournament.  If 12 or more teams register, the top half of the teams will play for the entry to the Grand Championship…the bottom half of the teams will compete for prizes.

All participants must be 21 and over to play and must have an AVP Membership.

No discount coupons will be used for this particular tournament…

Here is the list of teams registered (again, first come first serve especially if paid for):

Men’s:

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Women’s:

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If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me…see you guys on the courts

Dennis Jocson
djocson@airvorne.com
AirVorne Volleyball

This past Sunday, it was the women’s turn to find out who the first team would be in the AVP/Barefoot Wine Qualifier for the Chicago trip.  We had 8 teams total to compete for this entry into the Grand Championship.  Pool play consisted of one game to 25 points with no cap.  Here are the results after pool play was completed:

1.  Sheila Gatlin / Laura Shamp

2.  Melissa Schmitz / Jola Graham

3.  Amber Ramga / Amanda ‘Ada’ Dashwood

4.  Courtney Caldwell / Bianca Julio

5.  Elaine Sha / Kristen Zschau

6.  Judy Baker / Janice Fung

7.  Terrie O’Keefe / Nikki Farrah

8.  Erin Callahan / Stephanie Wardach

The first round of playoffs put #5 – Elaine / Kristen against #8 – Erin / Stephanie and #6 – Judy / Janice against #7 – Terrie / Nikki.  This was the first tournament for Erin / Stephanie who are college students home for the summer.  Erin Callahan (right) goes to Florida Southern located in Lakeland, Florida and plays middle for her team.  Stephanie Wardach (left) goes to University of Louisiana Monroe located in Monroe, Louisiana and also plays middle for her team.  These two are long time teammates from the A5 generation looking to learn more about the outdoor game.

Their opponents, veterans to the game of sand volleyball – Elaine and Kristen.  #5 – Elaine / Kristen won this game over #8 – Erin / Stephanie…25-12.  Side note:  one of the best moments for me throughout the entire day was seeing Erin / Stephanie play and having the veterans of the tournament teach them about this game we play on the sand.  This is what I look for in creating the next generation of players…to the veterans, I thank you.  Erin / Stephanie – look forward to seeing you more out on the courts.

The other playoff match put #6 – Judy / Janice against #7 – Terrie / Nikki.  This was the first time to see Nikki come out to the Highlands and compete against these girls.  It was great to see her come out and play with the big timers.  Hopefully, it won’t be the last.  In this particular game, it was about the team work that Judy / Janice has.  They pulled through this tough match over #7 – Terrie / Nikki…25-20.

Quarter-finals were set and ready for play…#3 – Amber / Ada vs. #6 – Judy / Janice and #4 – Courtney / Bianca vs. #5 – Elaine / Kristen.  Before playoffs began, there was a 3-way tie for second place based on their record (4-1)…so it went to points for the rankings.  #3 – Amber / Ada began their journey by defeating #6 – Judy / Janice…25-16.  #4 – Courtney / Bianca had a harder time in the Quarter-finals against #5 – Elaine / Kristen…throughout the game, it seemed like Courtney / Bianca were playing catch up and lost to the veteran team of Elaine / Kristen…25-14.

In the Semi-finals, two veteran teams were matched up #1 – Sheila / Laura vs. #5 – Elaine / Kristen;  and the newly formed team of #2 – Melissa / Jola vs. the determined #3 – Amber / Ada.  Let the games begin…

On the yellow court, #1 – Sheila / Laura are known for playing smart volleyball.  Last year, Sheila dominated the tournament series with any partner she had.  She was clearly the MVP of 2009 for AirVorne Volleyball.  Laura on the other hand is known for her solid play all around…her focus on the game and the ability to sideout point for point, keeps her a dominating player throughout the season.  Elaine usually plays with her normal partner Nicole Nilson but Nicole was traveling this particular weekend so she pick up Kristen was is no stranger on the court.  They have been playing well together all day, but the question is:  do they have enough to beat #1 – Sheila / Laura?  The answer:  #1 – Sheila / Laura win over #5 – Elaine / Kristen…25-15.

On the red court, Jola / Melissa were doing quite well together for the first time.  Last weekend at the Coed Sand Series, I mentioned to the both of them that they were both available to play for this Qualifier.  Who would have thought that this combination of youth and skill would do so well.  This was going to be a very tough game for #3 – Amber / Ada.  In pool play, Amber / Ada defeated Jola / Melissa by 6 points.  Would this be true for the Semis?  Back and forth, the teams sided out point for point until the end of the game.  #3 – Amber / Ada barely pulled through over #2 – Jola / Melissa…25-23.

The finals were set as we have two teams that know each other very very well…#1 – Sheila / Laura vs. #3 – Amber / Ada.  The final was a match…2 out of 3 games – 21 points for Games #1 and #2 and if necessary Game #3 to 15 points…win by 2 with no cap.  After playing a long Semi-final, fatigue came into play for #3 – Amber / Ada.  Game #1 went to #1 – Sheila / Laura…21-15.  But here is where ‘determination’ came into play.  In Game #2, Amber / Ada turned things around.  It seems as if Ada was beginning to run out of steam alittle…but Amber was determined to help her teammate out with hits on 2 and smart shots.  The play I remember most during Game #2 which I believe affected the #1 team was Amber setting over on 2 when Laura was serving.  The second time Amber did that…I remember seeing Sheila’s reaction and she was not happy at all.  It kinda scared me as the ref.  #3 – Amber / Ada pulled through with this game…21-14.

Game #3…what to expect.  Who knows at that point in time.  But I do know that it will come down to the wire and it certainly did.  But whose side?  After that win in Game #2, it seemed as if Ada was back on that high on knowing that she can pull this off…but it wasn’t easy.  Again, back and forth the teams exchanged point after point.  One thing I didn’t expect from this game at all was the #1 team beginning to lose their chemistry.  Communication seemed to break down with the Sheila / Laura.  One reason why – Ada’s serving.  Late in the game, Ada served one hell of a floater that got Sheila / Laura wondering whose ball it was.  Result:  an ace that led to an argument.  Ada continued to serve tough towards the end of the game.

In the end, #3 – Amber / Ada defeated #1 – Sheila / Laura in the 3rd game…15-12…to win the first entry into the Women’s AVP/Qualifier in July.  Congratulations to Amber Ramga and Amanda ‘Ada’ Dashwood for a fantastic finish and a great tournament overall.

For more photos on this tournament, please visit the Photo Tab above…

The last Qualifier for the AVP/Barefoot Wine Series will be held in July.  Please visit the calendar for the date and venue for this tournament.  I know that many of you are asking about this…I am currently working on this and will have the details by the end of this week…

Side Note:  are those matching suits on Amber / Ada hot?  Wonder what they will have in store for us at the Grand Championship??

See you guys on the courts…very soon.

Dennis Jocson

AirVorne Volleyball