VELOCITY TAKES THE TITLE AT GEVA 15 OPEN!

Velocity had another great showing on the road over the weekend with a first place finish at the GEVA 15 Open. An early start and nearly 12-hour day didn’t stop Velocity from a perfect 5-0 record and the tournament title.

The tournament started off with Velocity taking two decisive wins in the first round against Performance Navy and Hangtime. In the first match, the girls not only came out with aggressive serves but also near perfect passing. Keyarah Newton stepped up and delivered on point passes in serve receive and defense allowing Jessica Ciandella to set up a stellar offense. Everything was flowing for Velocity and they were able to easily jump to a hefty lead, allowing them to work on their new play set with a slide and a rightside two. Lia Goldberg made her middle debut and pounded one balls, stunning the other team. Norma Jean Park’s continuous powerful presence as a middle hitter and blocker made her and Lia an unstoppable middle one-two punch all the way around.

Through the first match the team continued to build enthusiasm and momentum that carried into the second match and a second win. Serving was on point in the second match with several aces by Monika Nemeth’s soft touch. Courtney Cross added to the mix of Velocity with stellar all-around play at the net, in defense, and behind the service line. Everyone contributed to the team’s top finish in the first round that set Velocity up for a chance at the tournament title in the final round of pool play.

After being reseeded, Velocity had to face stiffer competition in All Starr, Performance White, and Cali. Although Velocity could have easily beat each team in just two sets, but they wanted a little extra volleyball since they drove all the way to Long Island! Eileen Anderson and Rachel Catena lead the way with their unstoppable outside attacks. Both also added to the team’s victory with consistent passing and high energy. In three, three set matches, Velocity clenched first place proving they were the best all around team at the tournament.

Although the team surely missed Shannon Pilsbury, everyone took an extra step up to fill her gap and play as team Velocity. If they can easily win with only eight players, just imagine what they will do at the Downstate Open with the entire team!