Brande: Balboa shines during summer tournaments

Each year, the United States Volleyball Assn. sponsors the National Championships and the Junior National Championships. Our local teams have always performed very well and this season was very successful for the Balboa Bay Volleyball Club.

The 2015 Open National Championships were held during the last week in May in Detroit.

Besides the Open Divisions that feature the best players in the United States and other countries, this tournament also has National Championships for older age groups for women and men.

The Balboa Bay Volleyball Club 45-and-over men repeated as national champions this season.

With head coach Sean Sheward directing and playing, Balboa won every match and lost only one game. Repeat MVP, Jud Buchler, led the attack with the assistance of Anthony Curci, Drew Sheward, Chris Knowles, Adam Horstman, Steve Friedman, Matt Murphy, Steve Blue and David Seidner.

In the finals, they beat a very good Brazilian team in three sets for the gold medal.

The next stop for the Balboa Bay 45s is Greece in October for the World Championships in the 45-and-over Division.

A special thanks to the Balboa Bay Club and Kevin Martin for their support of all of the Balboa Bay Volleyball Club programs.

The Boys’ Junior National Championships were held the last week in June in Columbus, Ohio. The Balboa Bay Volleyball Club has been playing in these championships for 40 years with great success. This year was no exception.

The BBVC 14 Asics team won the national championship with a straight set sweep of all of the teams in the 14s division.

Led by the hitting and blocking of Adam Flood, Dayne Chalmers, Nic Alacano, Matt Olson, Max Dunk, the setting of Joe Karlous, and the ball control of Cole Power and George Knapp, this team was on a mission all season long.

Middle blocker Grayson Breland who had started all season, had an unfortunate bout with the flu and was only able to cheer for his team. As a great teammate, Grayson was super supportive.

Coach Pat Eaton, assisted by his former high school coach, Jeff Uhrig, did a tremendous job of having this team peak at the national tournament.

The BBVC 16 Asics team finished second in a tough three-set loss to a team from Thousand Oaks. Led by Cole Pender, Spencer Lawrence, Cole Paxton, Trent Williams, Will Axton and Corey Taylor, Coach Rich Polk’s team was very close to winning it all. Polk was assisted by Mike D’Alessandro and Nic Amado.

The BBVC 16 White team medaled in the 16 Club Division with a strong showing, losing only in the championship bracket semifinals. Coach Sam Stafford relied on the play of Grant Shaw, Danny Rogers, Jake Pearson, Jake Meyer, Tyler Flood and Clay Dickinson.

The 17s Division featured a medal finish for Balboa Bay 17 Asics coached by longtime successful coach Andy Read and assisted by Scott Panaro who assists the Orange Coast College men’s program. Finishing third, Balboa featured Paul Castellana, William Hunter, Colin McCallister, Chase Moothart and Tanner Woods.

Also, enjoying success was the Balboa Bay 17 White team who were coached by Travis Turner, who is the head coach of the Orange Coast College men’s team. Finishing in the gold medal match, Balboa lost to a good team from South Orange County. The 17 White team featured Austin Cottrell, Shane Gooding who set brilliantly, Landon Monroe, Tyler Power and Mitch Haly who led the attack.

The Balboa Bay 18 Asics team was together for the last time with many players being a part of Balboa Bay for many years. Coached by Rocky Ciarelli and Bob Ctvrtlik, Balboa Bay finished third with a tough loss to the All-Star team from Pacific Rim. Balboa was led by the play of Kevin Fults, Augie Miller, Ryan Moss, Hagen Truninger, Reed Donenfeld, and Matt Ctvrtlik. This has been a highly successful cast of players both for their high schools and for Balboa Bay Volleyball Club.

The 15s Division was represented well for the Newport-Mesa volleyball community with the team from 949 winning the 15s. The 949 tem featured Pat Paragas, Brandon Browning, Patrick Wynne, and Kevin Kobrine. Coach Kari Pestolesi, former UCI outside hitter, coached the team who defeated a team from Manhattan Beach for the championship. MB Surf’s roster had Newport’s Ethan Talley as a middle blocker.

It is such an honor for these local athletes to have such national recognition in the volleyball world. It certainly is a tribute to the outstanding coaching and the players’ hard work.

CHARLIE BRANDE is a former head coach of Corona del Mar High, Newport Harbor and UC Irvine volleyball programs.