Sunday, June 18, 2006

Louisville volleyball clubs flourish

The Kentucky Indiana Volleyball Academy (KIVA) and the MidAmerica Volleyball Association (MAVA) will return to Louisville with three national titles and 25 All-Americans after a successful week at the AAU Junior Girls' National Championships in Orlando, Fla.

KIVA, which won three titles at this event last year, came away with just one this time but had 16 players named All-Americans, including: Coral Maybrier from fifth-place KIVA 12 Red; MVP Courtney Robison and Natalie Keck from national champion KIVA 13 Red; Deja McClendon, Lindsey Roth and Madison Hardy from third-place KIVA 14 Red; Whitney Craven, Emily Hayden and Alexis Bauer from national runner-up KIVA 15 Red; Morgan Springer from fifth-place KIVA 16 White; Sloane Donhoff and Stephanie Riley from third-place KIVA 16 Red; Sara Hayden, Rebecca Bloemer and Kirstie Brangers from national runner-up KIVA 17 Red; and Christina Kaelin from fifth-place KIVA 18 Red.

MAVA won the first two titles in the club's history and had nine players named All-Americans, including: Claire Gerwig and Jennifer Houserfrom third-place MAVA 13 Elite; Melanie Hicks and MVP Emily Juhl from national champion MAVA 14 Elite; Casey Garvey, Grace Krauser and MVP Kelsey Anderson from national champion MAVA 15 Elite; and Emily Lechleiter and Natalie Schonefeld from third-place MAVA 16 Elite.