Our AVVC 18 Red team finished the GEVA season as they started it - by winning Regionals. As we have come to expect, Team Inferno pushed through an epic day to capture the title. And epic indeed it was. The day started with match #1 against RSVA. Team Inferno broke away late in the game with 5-0 run to take a convincing 1-0 lead (25-19). RSVA put up a fight and put us on notice that we would have to earn the victory. Capitalizing on our various errors they won the second set (22-25). The notice was well taken and Team Inferno pounced on them on the third set with an 8-3 lead. We never looked back and won the third set (15-6).
Match #2 was against NYC juniors, whom we haven’t seen all year. With the element of surprise on their side and an aggressive offense, NYC Juniors handed Team Inferno their first, and only, defeat of the day (18-25, 17-25).
That loss put us in the losers’ bracket and effectively had us on the brink of elimination. As if this was not challenging enough, Team Inferno had to face a very strong Academy team if they were to continue to the next round.  Against these odds Team Inferno got up on their feet, dusted off the previous loss, and played one of the best matches played at a GEVA junior regional tournament. It was a seesaw battle with both teams exchanging mega kill after mega kill, and the gym getting louder by the minute.  In the first set both teams exchanged punches till 9-9. We took the lead at 10-9 and never gave it back. We ended up winning the set 25-21. With their backs against the wall and facing elimination, Academy fought with all their might. Academy issued the first major blows on the set and led 8-12 a third of the way. Team Inferno kept grinding at the gap but Academy was not about to take their feet off the gas. They were five points (16-20) away from winning the set when we started to rally back, taking the lead 21-20. From that point on the fans were on their feet, biting their nails as both teams went at each other point for point, not conceding any inch to the other team.  At 28-28 Team Inferno mustered all the will and power necessary to take over this feisty Academy team, ending the set 30-28. 
Needless to say the game against Academy took a lot out of us. We were victorious but our energy level was critically depleted. Nevertheless we had to go on. We had won a battle but not yet the war. Between us and the finals stood a NY Creole team which was determined, as usual, to give us a run for our money. And that they did.  Being both emotionally and physically drained we were unable to defend against a persistent attack from an aggressive Creole team in the first game. They led wire to wire and won that set 17-25.  Creole may have thought they had this match in the bag but Team Inferno had other plans. Having caught our breath and begun playing smart volleyball to preserve our energy, we started the second set on a better note with a commanding 7-1 lead. We never relinquished that lead and won the set 25-20. We used the momentum we had in the second set to cruise in the third (15-8), and win the match.
This brought us to the finals of GEVA Regionals, facing NYC juniors one more time in one set to 25 to determine whether we get to play a second set for the title. Running literally on fumes we maintained our laser sharp focus to take on the team that handed us our only loss of the day. We were too much of a challenge for NYC to handle and ended up winning the set convincingly (25-18). Now that the title was on the line NYC regrouped in the final set of the tournament. They came out swinging for their life. At the midway point, NYC had an 11-16 lead, poised to win the match. However Team Inferno would not be denied the title. They dug deep inside calling for all the reserves they had and fought back. With a steady diet of tough serves, disciplined blocks, relentless defense, and aggressive offense we took the lead with an 8-0 run (19-16). As to be expected NYC was not about to let us roll over them.  They came back with their own mini runs to force us to a 26-26 situation. We prevailed with two solid aces to end the match 28-26…and it was time for euphoria!
With this title Team Inferno will go in the annals of GEVA as one of the few junior teams to have won the GEVA regional tournament back to back. More importantly, if there were any doubts that we had the heart of a champion, our girls put this to rest by their valiant effort.  Team Inferno’s fire will stay lit forever as a model of team work, resiliency, and success.