2018-19: CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF BADGER REGION VOLLEYBALL! Badger Region Volleyball Association Volume 5, Issue 15 | March 28, 2019 THE BADGER BEACON WWW.BADGERVOLLEYBALL.ORG | [email protected] Wisconsin’s college club teams continue long tradition MVC 18-Phil FC Elite 18 Navy By Kristen Keller Special to the Badger Region When it comes to volleyball, a small percentage of athletes choose to play beyond high school, which means they go to play for a NCAA, NAIA or junior college for the next two to four years. Others want to continue their athletic career, but they don’t want the commitment that comes with playing for a team and being on a MVC 17-Jake Capital 17 Adidas scholarship. For those students, there are some opportunities to continue playing. Many universities Two weekends of #BRChamps2019 WVC to throughout the country of- fer club sports, which gives The first two weekends of the Badger Region Championships are now complete, students the chance to play crown a variety of sports, one of and the following teams came home with some hardware. Congrats to all. them being volleyball. In winners the state of Wisconsin, Boys 18s: Girls 18 Open over 40 schools offer this 1. MVC 18-Phil 1. FC Elite 18 Navy opportunity to continue 2. MVC 18-Brad 2. Sting 18 Black April 5-6 playing without the same 3. Capital 18-Adidas 3. Wisconsin Ice 18 commitment. National Through the Wisconsin Volleyball Con- Boys 17s: ference, those teams compete at a high level 1. MVC 17-Jake Girls 18 Club against each other in hopes of winning the 2. Sting 17 Adidas 1. Wisconsin conference championship. 3. Epic B17-Black Performance 18UA “It was originally set-up as a means to create 2. Crossfire VBC a varsity experience for men’s volleyball that Boys 16s: G18 Blaze didn’t really exist in the state of Wisconsin,” 1. Sting 16 Lightning 3. Sting 18 Silver said Scott Spiess, the alumni director of the 2. FVP B16-Blue WVC and former player at the University of 3. MVC 16-Jon Boys 14s: 3. Spike Milwaukee Girls 18 Badger Wisconsin-Whitewater. “A lot of the varsity, 1. Sting 14 Adidas B13 1. 1W Door 18-1 NCAA programs are west coast, down south, Boys 15s: 2. Sting 14 Lightning 2. Madison Elite 18 and those opportunities didn’t really exist back 1. MVC 15-Will 3. MVC 14-Jim Boys 12s White in the day around here.” 2. Sting 15-Adidas 1. Sting 12 Adidas 3. Lakeshore Storm Starting competition in 1992, WVC commis- 3. Southport Boys 13s 2. Spike Milwaukee 18 Blue sioner and former player Jason Smith began the B15-Blue 1. Sting 13 Adidas B12 organization to make competing a little easier for 2. Sting 13 Lightning 3. Sting 12 Lightning More results Page 2 See WVC Page 2 For photos of all winning teams, check out www.badgervolleyball.org. PAGE 2 — BADGER BEACON CELEBRATING 25 YEARS WVC from Page 1 play at some schools. But now, Wisconsin teams. most players organize everything When the conference first themselves, between travel, expens- started, there were 11 men’s teams. es, signing up for tournaments and Twenty-seven years later, the num- everything else necessary to make bers have grown tremendously, the season happen. now including women’s teams and And as these teams get ready multiple divisions for both men for the season, they will compete and women to compete. almost every weekend in tourna- Tryouts for most teams begin in ments both within the conference October, with some tournaments and throughout the country to pre- available for teams to compete. State and Century College. “The level [of club] is high,” said pare for the conference champion- Once January hits, the clubs pre- This year, there are 44 teams Holly Jablonowski, the women’s ships and the National Collegiate pare to travel for conference tour- competing in the conference and at division coordinator of the WVC Volleyball Federation’s national naments, national tournaments, the WVC Championships, which and former player at the Univer- championship, which will be in and, in some cases, dual matches, will take place April 5-6 at the sity of Wisconsin-La Crosse. “You Denver from April 18-20. which is when two or three schools Milwaukee Sting Center in Menon- see a lot of people that played All the teams in the conference that are close together compete monee Falls. competitively in high school and do not compete at nationals, but during the week. Although these teams are play- then just kind of get that burn out. some do. Throughout the confer- “Our season essentially kicks off ing for their school’s club team, the They don’t want that commitment. ence’s history, there have been 16 on January 1, but the first matches level of competition is high. Some You even see some girls who end national champions and 19 runner start when teams get back from players chose to play at the club up quitting the varsity team to ups across all divisions. break,” Smith said. “From there, we level at one of these schools instead play club because they want a little Now, these same players take the play until our tournament, which of playing for an NCAA school. more of a relaxed atmosphere even skills they learned and help them we call the WVC Championships, It gives many people the chance though they love playing.” get jobs upon graduation. Some which is always the first weekend to play their sport, regardless of One component that helps of these players even took their of April every year.” skill level. On some teams, there differentiate college club volleyball talents to the NCAA level, with six With the help of the universities, skill level ranges from former and intercollegiate volleyball is former players becoming Division current players and former players, the NCAA athletes to people who may that they have no coaches. These 1 coaches. WVC continues to grow. Although have played in high school and just athletes come together for the love “I am starting to see that this is most of the teams are from Wisconsin, want to have a good time. of the game to play the sport. as much about growing leaders as some schools joined that are not in the But at the end of the day, the During the history of the con- it is about volleyball,” Smith said. state including South Dakota State, competitive aspect is still present ference, some teams had coaches “The volleyball part is the way to Michigan Tech, St. Mary’s, Winona when playing the game. and even recruited to have people get there because it’s fun.” Results from Page 1 Girls 12 Badger Girls 17 Open 1. Wisconsin Blaze 1. Capital 17 Adidas 12 Black 2. FC Elite 17 Navy 2. Eclipse 12 Solar 3. Wisconsin Juniors 3. 1W Bay 12 White 17-1s Girls 11s Girls 17 Club 1. Milwaukee Sting 1. V-Hawk Xtreme 11 Gold 17-Adidas 2. Milwaukee Sting 2. Motion Volleyabll 11 Black 17 Green 3. Milwaukee Sting Capital 15 Adidas FC Elite 13 Navy 3. Capital 17-Navy 11 White Girls 16 Badger 15 Silver 13 White Girls 12 Open Girls 17 Badger 1. Eau Claire Air 16-1 2. V-Hawk Xtreme 3. Milwaukee Sting 1. Midwest Penguins The tournament 1. DASH VB 17-1 2. Capital 16 Red 15-Adidas 13 Black 12 Black continues March 30- 2. Southwest Spikers 3. 414 Milwaukee 3. Eclipse 15 Solar 2. Milwaukee Sting 31 at the Wisconsin P17 Elite 16 Blue Girls 13 Club 12 Gold Center in downtown 3. 1W Antigo 17-1 Girls 15 Badger 1. I AM VBC 13 3. Milwaukee Sting Milawukee with the Girls 15 Open 1. Capital 15 White 2. Capital 13 Navy 12 Black Girls 14 Open, 14 Girls 16 Open 1. Capital 15 Adidas 2. Madison Elite 15 3. Muskego Stars 13 1. Sting 16 Black Club, 14 Wisconsin 2. FC Elite 16-Navy 2. 414 Milwaukee White Blue Girls 12 Club and 14 Badger divi- 3. 1W 16-1 Elite 15s 3. Wisconsin Perfor- 1. Wisconsin Ice sions as well as the 3. Milwaukee Sting mance 15UA Girls 13 Badger 12WB Dale Rohde Memo- Girls 16 Club 15 White 1. 1W Central 13 2. Southwest G12 rial Boys Volleyball 1. Sting 16 Silver Girls 13 Open Blue Blue Tournament. Good 2. Capital 16 Navy Girls 15 Club 1. FC Elite 13 Navy 2. Capital 13 Red 3. Midwest Penguins luck and congrats to 3. River City 16 Black 1. Milwaukee Sting 2. Milwaukee Sting 3. WI Juniors 13 Select 12 Red all teams! PAGE 3 — BADGER BEACON CELEBRATING 25 YEARS Refs receive promotions; cards explained By Jim Arts spectators may be in order. Badger Region Ref Chair FROM THE Verbal warning: the R1 will give REF STAND a verbal warning to the captain of Congratulations are in order minor misconduct and that any for the following officials who escalation of misconduct will result obtained their USAV Regional are led by their R2, who was No. 3 in a higher sanction. Sometimes certification at the first weekend Abby and her handling of coaches, the Referee will give a visual “finger of the Badger Region Champi- players and her R2 responsibili- wave” warning to a coach. onships: Brynn Larsen, Jerry ties mirrored some of the better Yellow card: while technical- Schewe, Wesley Morioka and certified officials that I have been ly not a sanction, it is a formal Shane Hubred all passed with fly- able to work with.