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Head Coach

Metro VBC VJ Iannone - 15 North Head Coach - 2019

VJ Iannone

Assistant Coach

Metro VBC Ayanna Wells - 15 North Assistant Coach - 2019

Ayanna Wells

Metro 15 North Wins Maryland Juniors 15/16 Mixed Tournament

The Metro 15 North Warriors continue to prove themselves as a force to be reckoned with.   They entered the Maryland Juniors 15/16 Mixed tournament as the third overall seed and dropped only one set all day to take home the Gold Medal.   All but one match was against 16U teams.

In pool play, the Warriors defeated East Coast Elite 16 Cyclones (25-16, 25-14) and Platform Volleyball Club 15s (25-4, 25-10) before facing Metro 16 South-PW where they split (25-17, 18-25).  The one-point differential was enough for the Warriors to win their pool and make it to the Gold Bracket for the 8th time this season.

In the semi-finals, they defeated Platform Volleyball Club 16s (25-18, 25-19) earning them a spot in the finals against Metro 16 Central, who was undefeated all day.  The Warriors came out strong and took control of the match, executing a strong offense that Central was not able to contain.  They won the finals in two sets, 25-10, 25-14.

The victory was  true team effort.  With the Warriors playing without their starting Libero (due to injury), several players were forced to step into different roles, and Metro didn't miss a beat.  As a team, they tallied 28 aces and landed 93% of their serves in the court.  They earned 95 points on kills, with an overall hitting percentage of .329 on the day.  Defensively, they had 14 blocks and 80 digs.

This was the last regional match for the Warriors who will finish their season in Richmond at the South Atlantic Championships over Memorial Day Weekend.

Metro 15 North Takes Second at the Boardwalk Block Party in Atlantic City


Gold Medal Finals

After winning the CHRVA non-bid Regional Championship earlier this month, the Metro 15 North Warriors were eager to go on the road to Atlantic City, NJ to compete in the inaugural Boardwalk Block Party Tournament hosted by Zero Gravity.  The Warriors entered the tournament seeded third out of 30 teams and finished in second place at 6-1 after losing to Metro 14 Travel in the finals.

In Round 1 of pool play, Metro convincingly defeated East Coast Power 15 Flame (PA) (25-8, 25-11) and Dragon Warriors (NJ) (25-11, 25-18).  In Round 2 they defeated Metro 15 Central (25-10, 25-12) and Brandywine Backlash 14-1 (25-15, 26-24), solidifying their spot in the Gold Bracket and giving them a bye straight to the Quarterfinals.

The Quarterfinal match was against East Coast Power 15 Electric (PA), where the Warriors convincingly won the first set (25-16).  In the second set, some significant problems with serve receive made it impossible for them to execute their offense, and Metro found themselves down 18-8.   With a focused and concerted effort, the Warriors began to chip away at the deficit and managed to amass an electrifying comeback to win 25-23 and secure their spot in the Gold Medal Semi-finals.

The semi-final match was against the Number 2 seed, East Coast Power 15 True.  The first set was a close contest with both teams executing an aggressive offense and solid defense.  The teams went point-for-point for quite some time, with the Warriors eventually emerging victorious, 25-21.  In the second set, Metro once again struggled with serve receive and was unable to put their system together.  They found themselves down 19-10, and then delivered 8 unanswered points and managed to eventually tie the game at 20-20.  The impressive comeback was not enough to secure the victory, and Metro wound up dropping the set 25-22.  However, the Warriors wouldn't stay down for long.  The third and deciding set was all Metro.  With a fury that could not be denied, the Warriors unleashed an aggressive and solid offense that ECP just could not contain.  The final score was 15-6, earning 15 North a spot in the Gold Medal Finals against Metro 14 Travel, the top seed who is currently ranked 30th in the country.

The final match was a close contest with both teams exchanging leads throughout the match.  Metro 14 Travel won in two sets to take home the Gold Medal (25-20, 25-21).

The Warriors continue to deliver impressive team stats.  Over the course of the weekend, the Warriors landed 94% of their serves in the court and had 43 aces.  They scored 152 points on kills with a hitting percentage of .304 and they tallied 33 blocks and 160 digs.

Next up, the Warriors will play the Maryland Juniors 15/16 Tournament on May 12th before wrapping up their season at the South Atlantic Championships in Richmond over Memorial Day Weekend.

Metro 15 North Wins Regional Championship

Metro 15 North entered the CHRVA non-bid Regional Championships as the top seed this past weekend, and dropped only a single set all day to take home the Gold Medal.

The Warriors defeated Liberty Elite 15 Select and MVSA 15 Wild in pool play and then split with Titans 15 to win their pool and the earn the top seed for playoffs.

In the semifinals they defeated Premier 15 Wolfpack in two sets (25-19, 25-17) and then faced SMCJ 15 Blue for the final match, which they won in two sets (25-10, 25-20).

Metro served strong for the day, tallying 27 aces and landing 92% f their serves in the court.  Offensively, they had 117 kills with a hitting percentage of .293.  Defensively, they had 17 blocks and 145 digs.

Next on the schedule, the Warriors will travel to Atlantic City for the Boardwalk Block Party on April 27-28.

Metro 15 North Goes 5-0 to Win the MVSA 15 Open Tournament


Metro 15 north wins Gold at the MVSA 15 Open

Metro 15 North went 5-0 without dropping a set to win Gold at the MVSA 15 Open Tournament on Saturday.  This is their third tournament win of the season.

The Warriors were the top seed of the tournament and faced St. James 15 White, MVSA 15 Starz, and GoVolley U15 during pool play where they held all teams to 19 points or less and earned the top seed in the Gold Bracket.

They faced SMJ 15s in the semifinals where they won 25-13, 25-5.  They then went on to beat Liberty Elite 15 Select in the finals  25-18, 25-18.

Metro served strong tallying 46 aces and landing 90% of their serves in the court.   Offensively, they scored 93 points on kills with a hitting percentage of .288.  They also had a strong defensive game earning 22 blocks an 98 digs.

Next up, the Warriors will play in the CHRVA Non-Bid Regional Championships on April 7th.

Metro 15 North Ties for 3rd at the Columbia 15 Open

Metro 15 North competed in the Columbia 15 Open tournament this past weekend where they lost in the Gold Bracket Semifinals to tie for 3rd out of 8 teams.

The Warriors got off to a slow start in the opening set, but managed to come out ahead defeating The St. James 15 Navy in two sets with scores of 26-24, 25-15.  They dropped their second match to Liberty Elite 15 Open 25-21, 25-14 and then bounced back to beat NOVA Comets 15E 25-6, 25-11, solidifying their spot in the Gold Bracket.

In the semi-finals, they faced MVSA 15 Riot, where there was a close contest, but they eventually lost 26-24, 25-23.  MVSA Riot went on to beat Liberty Elite in the finals to take home the Gold Medal.

Team statistics were available for all but 2 sets.  Metro served 93% from the service line, tallying 18 aces.  Offensively, they scored 56 points on kills with a hitting percentage of .250.  Defensively, they had 12 blocks and 58 digs.

Next on the schedule the Warriors will compete in the MVSA 15's Open/Club tournament on March 23rd at the Discovery Sports Center in Germantown, MD.

Metro 15 North Wins 15 Patriot Division at the Capitol Hill Classic


Metro 15 North Celebrates Winning the 15 Patriot Division at the Capitol Hill Classic

The Metro 15 North Warriors arrived at the 13th annual Capitol Hill Classic in Washington DC with one goal: to defend their number 1 seed and come home with the Gold Medal in the 15 Patriot Division.  Mission Accomplished. 

The Warriors were seeded first out of 64 teams in their division and finished 10-0 for the weekend, dropping only one set in the finals to Virginia Venom. 

On the first day of pool play, they went 3-0 and held all of their opponents to 12 points or less.  They defeated Maryland Juniors Elite Yellow (25-10, 25-10), Marlton 15 White (New Jersey) (25-5, 25-6), and South Carolina Midlands 15 National (25-11, 25-12).  Metro served strong and executed an aggressive and well-rounded offense all day, tallying 32 aces and 59 kills with a hitting percentage of .520.  Defensively, they had 14 blocks and 31 digs.

On Day 2, the Warriors got off to a slow start in the first set against P3R Platinum (PA), where they struggled with ball control.  They came from behind to win 25-23 and then won the second set convincingly (25-8).  They also defeated EVO 15 Black Smack (VA) (25-8, 25-10) and Club Integrity (PA) (25-11, 25-13), bringing their overall record to 6-0 and placing them into the Gold Bracket.   Their serving game remained strong on Day 2, landing 94% of their serves in the court and scoring 27 points on aces.  The hitters collected 61 kills and on defense, Metro had 10 blocks and 71 digs.

Bracket play on Day 3 would prove to be more difficult as the field narrowed from 64 teams to the top 16.  In the first round, Metro played East Carolina Juniors (NC) 15 Purple (who were originally seeded second) and won 25-17, 25-17, landing them in the quarterfinals.

The Quarterfinal match-up was against Roanoke United 15 Red who also had not dropped a set all weekend.  Metro continued to play aggressively by serving strong (10 aces) and spreading their offense to score 24 points on kills with a .309 hitting percentage.  Their defensive game was just as impressive, with strong passing and defense (25 digs).  This team effort led to a 25-19, 25-15 victory and a spot in the semifinals.

The semifinal match was against AIM Volleyball 15-1 out of North Carolina, who also had not dropped a set all weekend.  It was a solid match-up with the Warriors coming out on top 27-25.  They then won the second set 25-17 to send them to the Gold Medal Finals against Virginia Venom who, not surprisingly, had also not dropped a set all tournament.

Venom considerably outsized the Warriors, and took a convincing lead early in the first set by unleashing a strong and aggressive offense that was difficult to contain.  It didn't take long for Metro to make some necessary adjustments, but it proved to be too late and they dropped the first set 25-16.  

In the second set, Metro was unflustered.  It was clear that they had figured out the formula for success, playing with a confidence and fierceness that could not be denied.  They took an early lead that they would not relinquish and with a strong and focused effort, they defeated Venom 25-16, forcing a third and deciding set.

Both teams executed well in the third set, which was marked by several long and intense rallies.  The score stayed close through the middle of the set with Metro leading 8-7 when the teams switched sides, and that was as close as Venom would get.  Slowly, but surely, Metro began to pull away, and this time it was their offense that could not be contained.  The Warriors were fearless and swinging aggressively, resulting in a .556 hitting percentage in the third set.  The final score was 15-10, and Metro defended their seed and took home the Gold Medal.

Over the course of the 3-day tournament, Metro landed 93% of their serves in the court and tallied 86 aces.  Offensively, they scored 209 kills with a hitting percentage of .327.  Defensively, they had 41 blocks and 204 digs.  They finished with a point differential of 1.76.

Two players were named to the All-Tournament Team; Libero Nareen Herrera-Davila (Best Digger) and Middle Hitter Isabel Koselak (MVP).

The next tournament on the schedule for Metro is the Columbia 15 Open on Sunday, March 3rd at the Gary J. Arthur Community Center in Glenwood, MD.

 

Metro 15 North Makes Gold Bracket and Finishes 7th at the NVPL 15/16 Open Tournament

If anyone was questioning whether or not Metro 15 North  would back down from a challenge, they now have the answer.    As the only 15s Club team in the Northern Virginia Power League's 15/16 Open tournament, the Warriors drew a tough pool of all 16 Open teams and battled to come off their net in second place with a high enough  point differential to earn a spot in the Gold Bracket.  They finished 7th overall in the 20-team tournament.

The Warriors started off strong beating Edge Elite 16 Black convincingly in two sets, 25-13, 25-7.  They then faced the top seed in the pool, Paramount 16s, where they lost the first set 25-13, but then rallied in the second set threatening to tie the match, but eventually losing 25-23.  In the final match of pool play, they split with EPAN 16 Gold (25-14, 11-25).  Their performance in pool play was enough to earn them a spot in the Gold Bracket as the 7th overall seed.

In the quarterfinals, they faced the very talented Virginia Juniors 16 Elite (seeded second), where they struggled to contain their opponent's offense and dropped the first set 25-8.  After making some adjustments for the second set, the Warriors once again rallied, showing fierce defense and a smart and aggressive offense, but eventually lost 25-21.  Virginia Juniors 16 Elite wound up making it to the Gold Medal Finals where they lost to Metro 16 Travel 25-23, 25-19.

Overall, it was an impressive showing for Metro 15 North, the only club level team to make it into the Gold Bracket.   The Warriors served 90% on the day, with 14 aces.  They delivered 58 kills with an overall hitting percentage of .204 and tallied 14 blocks and 56 digs over the course of the day.

Next up is the 3-day Mizuno Capitol Hill Classic which takes place February 16-18 at the Washington DC Convention Center.  The Warriors will be competing in the 15 Patriot Division.

 

Metro 15 North wins Gold at the MD JRS 15/16 Mixed Tournament

Metro's 15 North Warriors had an impressive showing at their opening tournament, going 5-0 without dropping a set to win the Gold at the Maryland Juniors 15/16 Mixed tournament.  All 5 wins were against 16s teams.

They had some convincing wins in pool play, holding two teams to single digits and earning the top seed for playoffs with a point differential of 2.34.  They went on to convincingly beat East Coast Elite 16 Cyclones in the semifinals (25-9, 25-12) and defeated a very talented Southern Maryland 16 Black in the finals 25-23, 25-20 to take home their first Gold Medal of the season.

Over the course of the tournament, Metro served strong, landing 88% of their serves in the court and tallying 65 aces.  Offensively, the hitters tallied 94 kills with a hitting percentage of .314 on the day.  Defensively, the Warriors had 98 digs and 14 blocks.

It was a well-rounded effort with all 13 players making substantial contributions to the team's success.   Next on the schedule, the Warriors will travel to the Virginia Volleyball Center on February 9th to play in the 15/16 Open Division of the Northern Virginia Power League.


Metro 15 North wins Gold at the MD JRS 15/16 Mixed Tournament