SBVC 15s enjoy a terrific start to the season

Emma Harrah, left, and McKenna Goss combine on a block for the Santa Barbara Volleyball Club's 15-Smack team.

Three Santa Barbara Volleyball Club 15s teams opened their seasons in impressive fashion, with two of them earning byes in the second qualifying round in the Gold Bracket and the other going unbeaten in the Silver Bracket.The 15-Smack team steam rolled through its Gold bracket pool on the first round of the qualifying matches at El Camino College. Using six different lineups in its six games of the day, the team provided a versatile and solid performance all day. The day started with a win … [Read more...]

Montecito Volleyball Club sets tryout dates

The Montecito Volleyball Club will be staging tryouts for its girls age 13-14 teams on Sunday, Oct. 17 at 10 a.m., at Girls Incorporated, 4973 Hollister Ave.Tryouts for the 15-16 teams are scheduled for Nov. 6, and for the 17-18 teams on Nov. 13.The tryouts cost $25.Make-up dates are Oct. 23 (13s-14s) and Nov. 13 (15s-16s).A fall clinic for 9th through 12th grade players is planned for Oct. 29 at 4 p.m.For more information contact Erika Lilley, the club director, at … [Read more...]

Montecito Volleyball Club is off and running

Whether it be improving your skills, court awareness or fitness, the Montecito Volleyball Club aims to cover all facets of the game for local players.The club is in its first year of operation, and it’s received the assistance of Nabil Mardini from the successful Santa Monica Beach Club to help it develop and grow.“Santa Monica is known for having strong coaching and an excellent, organized management structure, and we are excited to use Nabil’s expertise to bring these things and … [Read more...]

SBVC teams complete season at Volleyball Festival

The Santa Barbara Volleyball Club's 16-Smack team won the contender's bracket at the Volleyball Festival in Phoenix, Ariz.

Four teams from the Santa Barbara Volleyball Club competed at the annual Volleyball Festival in Phoenix and two of them earned top-10 finishes in the national tournament.Coach Ed Gover’s 13-Smack team placed eighth and the 16-Smack team of Greg Novak finished ninth.After losing its opening match the No. 3-seeded SCVC 13-Roxy, the 13-Smack battled among the top eight teams for chance at the finals. The team beat Coast 13-2 but lost to Wave 13-Abra to drop into the consolation … [Read more...]

SBVC 17-Smack take 10th at USA Volleyball Junior Nationals

Santa Barbara’s 17-Smack finished the tourney in 10th place out of 48 teams in the American division.The team went 6-1 in pool play, but lost the challenge match to get in the top 8 to Saddleback Valley 17-Brian.In the Silver Bracket, the team beat both Nebraska Elite 17-Nemisis and Texas Eclipse 17-Green before losing to Rockwood Thunder 17-1s in a barn-burner 3-set match, 23-25, 25-18, 15-13, to finish 10th overall.“This is an outstanding accomplishment considering the high … [Read more...]

SBVC 18-Smack put it all together, win national championship

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 The 18-Smack team of the Santa Barbara Volleyball Club struck gold at the USA Volleyball Junior National Championships in AtlantaUnder the direction of coach Jason Donnelly, the 18-Smack went 11-0 in matches and dropped only one set to claim the American Division title."(Assistant coach) Courtney (Preston) and I knew heading into the tournament that we were going to have a chance to win it all,” Donnelly said “We challenged the girls to set their goals high and they … [Read more...]

SBVC 14-Smack wins five matches at Junior Nationals

Santa Barbara Volleyball Club's 15-Smack celebrate a victory at the USA Volleyball Junior Nationals.

After a rough start, the Santa Barbara Volleyball Club’s 14-Smack won five of its last six matches and finished 23rd in the open division at the USA Volleyball Junior Nationals in Atlanta.The team lost its first three matches in the tournament and suffered a blow when setter Lexi Rottman injured her ankle chasing after a ball.Santa Barbara turned things around on Day 2. Rottman returned to the lineup with a taped ankle and helped the team beat Ohio’s Circle City, Ka Ulukoa of Hawaii … [Read more...]

SBVC 15-Smack win bracket at AAU Juniors in Orlando

The Santa Barbara Volleyball Club's 15-Smack team captured the Red Bracket title at the AAU Junior Championships in Orlando, Fla.

 The first Santa Barbara Volleyball Club team to play in the AAU Junior Championships came home with a trophy.The SBVC’s 15-Smack captured the Red Bracket and finished 28th overall in the four-day, 62-team tournament at the ESPN World Wide of Sports Center and the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.Santa Barbara started out in the Gold Bracket and finished in a three-way tie for second place. That set the stage for a one-game playoff against Wildcats Jrs. … [Read more...]

SBVC 16-Smack rises 13 spots in So Cal finale

The Santa Barbara Volleyball Club’s 16-Smack team had its work cut out for it being seeded 32nd in the gold bracket of the final Southern California Volleyball  Association tournament of the year.The 16-Smack gave some of the top teams in Southern California a battle in going 0-3 in pool play — it took eventual tournament champion Laguna Beach to three sets. The other losses were to Saddleback Valley 16-Ki and Coast 16-Sato.“The incredible defensive skills of Emily Lunt, Izzy … [Read more...]

SBVC 14-Smack claim So Cal Regional Championship

The Santa Barbara Volleyball Club's 14-Smack team captured the Southern California Volleyball Association Regional championship. (Photo by Suzanne Rottman)

The Santa Barbara Volleyball Club’s 14-Smack will head off to the USA Junior National Championships later this month as regional champions.The team won the Southern California Volleyball Association Regionals, beating top-seeded Wave 14-Katie 25-23 in the final.“This is a tough team to say the least, but we stuck to our game plan and chipped away,” coach K.C. Collins said. “Never once did the team worry about the score, only about how to win the next point…”Santa Barbara … [Read more...]

SBVC 15-Smack place 13th at regionals

The 15-Smack team of the Santa Barbara Volleyball Club tuned up for the AAU Junior Nationals by going 4-3 at the Southern California Volleyball Association Regionals in Anaheim.The team went 1-2 in pool play on Saturday and came back to go 3-0 on Sunday before falling to SMBC 15-Brad to finish 13th overall.   “The team played with a lot of enthusiasm and consistency,” said Coach Jake Hong. “We hope to transfer this positive energy to Florida at the AAU National … [Read more...]

SBVC’s 18-Smack finish 13th in Gold Bracket at So Cal Regionals

The Santa Barbara Volleyball Club’s 17s and 18s team completed their regular season at the two-day Southern California Vollleyball Association Regionals.The 18-Smack competed in the Gold Bracket and finished 13th overall."As a team, we had a great tournament and can really use this as a stepping stone to Junior Nationals in Atlanta,” said coach Jason Donnelly.   The team placed second on Saturday, beating T-Street 17-Joaco and Orange County 17s, and losing to the overall No. 1 … [Read more...]