From Kristy Cox, USA Volleyball Events Senior Manager:

GJNC
Girls’ 18s will be held in Dallas, TX from April 26-28, 2019
Girls’ 11s-17s will be held in Indianapolis, IN from June 27 – July 6, 2019

BJNC
Boys’ will be held in Dallas, TX from June 30-July 7, 2019

Opens
Open will b e held in Columbus, OH from May 24-29, 2019

NCVF
NCVF will be held in Denver, CO from April 18-20, 2019

Girls’ National Qualifiers
2018 was the final year of USAV’ s partnership with Disney. USAV has decided to run the Qualifier internally in Orlando, FL beginning in 2019. The name of the Qualifier moving forward will be the Sunshine Volleyball Classic.

Boys’ Bid Tournaments
USA division was introduced by 6 out of the 8 boys bid tournaments in its inaugural year and has been well-received by the teams. A total of 24 bids have been allocated in the USA division in the 16s, 17s, and 18s age groups. This allocation process will continue to be reviewed for 2019 and further.

GIRLS (both American and National bids awarded this year for 13’s and up). If number of teams in division is 64 that represents the American Division and teams of 48 represents the National Division. 18’s in Anaheim, California and 11’s-17’s in Detroit, Michigan.

Age Division	Team Name	Record	Place
11s	NFVB 11 Navy	0-6	45 out of 48 – lost in semis of Flight 3B
12s	VFX Wish	1-7	45 out of 48 – lost in semis of Flight 3B
13s	NFVB 13 Navy	2-7	35 out of 48 – lost in semis of Flight 2A
13s	VFX Mystic	3-6	43 out of 64 – lost in finals of Flight 5
14s	NFVB 14 Navy	2-6	45 out of 48 – lost in semis of Flight 3B
14s	NFVB 14 Red	3-7	57 out of 64 – won Flight 9
15s	NFVB 15 Navy	4-4	29 out of 48 – lost in semis of Flight 1A
15s	VFX Chant	1-8	55 out of 64 – lost in semis of Flight 8
16s	NFVB 16 Navy	4-5	33 out of 48 – won Flight 2B
16s	VFX Mantra	2-8	54 out of 64 – lost in finals of Flight 8
17s	VFX Rapture	2-7	43 out of 48 – lost in semis of Flight 3A
17s	Xtreme Xplosion	0-9	64 out of 64 – lost in semis of Flight 10
18s	NFVB 18 Navy	1-5	37 out of 48 – lost semis of Flight 2B

BOYS – Phoenix, Arizona

Age Division	Team Name	Record	Place
13 Club	Pace 13-1	4-4	10 out of 22 – lost in semis of Silver
14 Open	Pace 14-1	7-5	13 out of 34 – won Bronze
14 Open	NFVB 14 Gold	2-9	33 out of 34 – lost in semis of Flight 2A
14 Open	LVC 14 Black	4-6	31 out of 34 – lost in semis of Flight 2B
15 Open	NFVB 15 Gold	4-7	11 out of 36 – lost in semis of Silver
15 Open	Pace 15-1	5-6	10 out of 36 – lost in finals of Silver
16 Open	NFVB 16 Gold	4-6	30 out of 40 – lost in finals of Flight 3
16 Open	Pace 16-1	5-5	29 out of 40 – won Flight 3
16 USA	LVC 16 Black	3-7	13 out of 24 - lost in quarters of Silver
17 Open	Pace 17-1	6-4	21 out of 40 – won Flight 2B
17 Open	LVC 17 Black	4-5	31 out of 40 – lost in semis of Flight 3
17 Open	NFVB 17 Gold	3-7	33 out of 40 – won Flight 4A
18 Open	Pace 18-1	3-7	19 out of 40 – lost in semis of Flight 1
18 Open	NFVB 18 Gold	3-6	19 out of 40 – lost in semis of Flight 1

Congratulations to all teams that participated at Nationals and represented WEVA with pride and passion. WEVA, clubs and families are all proud of your season culminating with the opportunity to represent the region at the highest level of competition! To seniors, good luck in your future endeavors. To all underclassmen, continue to work hard and see you next season as you pursue your dreams and goals!

WEVA, in conjunction with NOVA and USA Volleyball, announces the Great Lakes Open Qualifier (Juniors) as part of the USA National Beach Tour. The event takes place on Charlotte Beach on Sunday, June 27, 2018.

First place bid winners will have their entry paid for to the 2018 USA National Beach Tour Championships in Siesta Key, Florida set for July 19-24, 2018. WEVA or USA membership is required to participate (annual NOVA fee not required).

Great Lakes Open Flyer: HERE
Register for the Great Lakes Open: HERE
For more information regarding the USA National Beach Tour: HERE

USA Volleyball has long made the safety of our members a priority. We were one of the first NGB’s to implement background screening (commencing in the 2004/2005 season) and we furthered our resolve in 2010 with the creation of a Special Commission on Athlete Safeguards. We have always strived to provide a safe environment for members to report any concerns and we have investigated and acted if necessary.

Today, I am announcing that we are taking a further step to formally identify safety as a core strategic priority of USA Volleyball. Below, you will see the new language that has been added (in red) and it is not by coincidence that it is listed first. I made this recommendation to our Board of Directors yesterday and within hours received full approval (which exhibits their common passion for this important matter). It is incumbent upon us all be vigilant and ensure our members are afforded a safe environment at USA Volleyball.

The vision of USA Volleyball is to be a world-class leading organization in all aspects of volleyball and to engage and inspire our nation through a cultivated passion for the game and continued success at winning Olympic and Paralympic medals.

The mission of USA Volleyball is to lead, serve and grow all areas of the sport of volleyball - including beach, indoor and sitting - achieving excellence while providing a lifetime of opportunities for all to participate in a safe and positive environment.

In order to accomplish this mission, USA Volleyball has established five strategic priorities:

Safety First: Provide the resources, policies, tools and procedures to ensure that safety is a top priority for all USA Volleyball members. Foster a safe environment for members to report concerns and take the necessary appropriate action to address all claims in a timely manner.
Sustained competitive International, Olympic and Paralympic Success: As the USOC-recognized NGB, provide the opportunities and support necessary for our athletes at all levels of international competition, in beach, indoor and sitting, to reach the podium.
Participation, Program and Membership Growth: Provide the opportunities and resources through available programs which develop and retain a steadily growing participation base and a membership that is increasingly diversified.
Resource Optimization: Have a strategic and fiscally prudent financial plan that includes both resource cultivation and judicious allocation in support of our overall goals.
Marketing and Brand Affinity: Increase brand awareness while expanding affinity for USA Volleyball.

Congratulations to Zachary Schneider for making the 2018 U.S. Boys’ Junior National Training Team! The Boys’ Youth National Team will compete at the NORCECA U19 Continental Championship on June 6-10 in Costa Rica. The championship will be a qualifier for the 2019 FIVB U19 World Championship. The Boys’ Youth National Training Team will train at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs on May 25-June 4. The roster will be cut to 12 before the team heads to Costa Rica.

For more information, please click HERE.

This year is the third year that the WEVA region was awarded a BID at both the National division and the American division for ages levels 13-17 at USA Nationals in Detroit, Michigan. The competition was held April 28th and 29th at the BNCC facility in West Seneca. The families/spectators witnessed some awesome matches over the course of the two days from all participating teams! Some nail biter three sets matches that came down to the wire made it for some exciting volleyball!

Congratulations to the following teams for earning the National BID by placing first at the BID Qualifier:
17's - VFX Rapture
16's - NFVB 16 Navy
15's - NFVB 15 Navy
14's - NFVB 14 Navy
13's - NFVB 13 Navy
12's - VFX Wish

Congratulations to the following teams for earning the American BID by placing second at the BID Qualifier:
17's - Xtreme Xplosion
16's - VFX Mantra
15's - VFX Chant
14's - NFVB 14 Red
13's - VFX Mystic

WEVA is proud of all qualifying teams that had an opportunity to play in the BID event (not all teams are accepted). WEVA knows that all teams that will be participating at Nationals will play with heart and pride representing their club and region to the best of their ability. Good luck to all teams, have fun and enjoy the competition.

Congratulations to all the boys teams that were crowned champions at the 2018 Boys Regional Championships. The competition was held March 25th at various locations in the Rochester area. The families/spectators witnessed some awesome matches over the course of the day from all participating teams! Some nail biter three sets matches that came down to the wire made it for some exciting volleyball!

Champions by age group are noted below:
12s - Pace Bootlegger 12-1
13s - Pace Bootlegger 13-1
14s - Pace Bootlegger 14-1
15s - Pace Bootlegger 15-1
16s - Pace Bootlegger 16-1
17s - Lockport 17-1
18s - Niagara Frontier 18-1

Good luck to all teams at the USA Boys Nationals!

Registration for the 2018 Open National Championships closes on April 9th. If teams have any questions about this event they may contact our department by email at opens@usav.org or by phone at (719) 228-6800. Click HERE for flyer.

Information regarding the 2018 Adult Open Championships in Dallas, TX on May 25-30, 2018 and the associated deadlines is available.

For more information, please click HERE

​USA Volleyball will open registration for the 2018 Girls Junior National Championships Patriot Division on Wednesday January 24,2018 at 12:00 p.m. MST (2:00 p.m. EST)

In building your roster in AES, clubs should be proactive in running their AES imports. If there are any issues with their imports, contact USAV Region Services atmembership@usav.org.

Please note below the requirements for rosters at Girls Junior National Championships:

• The roster must identify the following: Head Coach and a minimum of six (6) players.
• Optional staff to be identified can be an Assistant Coach(es), Team Representative(s), Chaperone(s), and Team Manager(s), not to exceed the maximum of five staff including the Head Coach and Chaperone.
• The roster must be 100% verified via the USAV Import (Non-USA teams exempt)
• All coaches listed on the roster must meet the following eligibility requirements:
  - Register in an adult membership category with a USAV Region
  - Must consent to and clear a background screening
  - Must be current in SafeSport training requirements
  - Be a minimum of 18 years of age
  - Possess a minimum coaching certification level of IMPACT or equivalent
• Head Coaches only:
  - Have no head coach assignment with any other team concurrently
• All Adults listed on the roster must meet the following eligibility requirements:
  - Register in an adult membership category with a USAV Region
  - Must consent to and clear a background screening
  - Must be current in SafeSport training requirements
  - Be a minimum of 18 years of age

Teams only need the minimum of 1 head coach and 6 players in order to register. Club Directors are able to adjust rosters after they register. If a team’s head coach does not have all certification requirements fulfilled, teams may assign another adult member who meets the requirements of a head coach. Keep in mind, this will only work if that coach is not assigned as the head coach for another team in the event.

If teams have any questions and are having difficulties with their data import please have them contact membership@usav.org. All other event related questions may be directed to the Events Department at events@usav.org.

​IMPACT coaching clinics will be available in the Buffalo area (Buffalo Niagara Court Center) on:

• Tuesday December 12, 2017 from 6:00-9:00 p.m.
• Tuesday December 19, 2017 from 6:00-10:00 p.m.
• Thursday January 18, 2018 from 6:00-10:00 p.m.

To register, please go to the Services/Impact page of the WEVA web site.

​IMPACT coaching clinics will be available in the Rochester area (Otto Shultz Center at Nazareth College) on:

• Monday December 18, 2017 from 6:00-10:00 p.m.
• Monday January 8, 2018 from 6:00-10:00 p.m.

To register, please go to the Services/Impact page of the WEVA web site.

WEVA Clinic dates and locations:

​Buffalo/Jamestown Area:​

• Wednesday November 29th, 6​:00-​10​:00​ ​PM​, at Buffalo Niagara Court Center​
• Sunday December 3rd​,​ 8​:00 AM-​12​:00​ ​PM​, at Buffalo Niagara Court Center​

Rochester Area:​

• Saturday December 9th, 8​:00 AM-​12​:00 PM​ at Nazareth College

There will be a nominal fee paid to the clinician on those dates, so please come prepared.

Next I would like to thank everyone that has registered on the WEVA website, applied for the background check and taken the Safe Sport clinic on line. For those of you that have not completed the process, I would take this opportunity to impress upon you the necessity to do so as soon as possible. The season will start soon, December 17th the region has a Boy's Tournament, each individual needs to complete the registration process by January 1st, 2018. Also, John Newland would like to remind everyone to update their ARBITER availability!!!

Thanks to a scholarship fund supplied by Western Empire Volleyball Association, WEVA is pleased to announce the second annual Coaching Scholarship Program. The program will provide scholarships to aspiring coaches hoping to attend established coaching clinics and/or the AVCA Annual Convention. This opportunity will allow the scholarship recipients to explore the limitless networking and educational opportunities available. This is a unique opportunity to develop professional skills and learn about becoming a better coach and leader.

The deadline for 2017-2018 season is January 31, 2018. For more information, please go to the WEVA Coaching Scholarship page.

Effective for the 2017-2018 season, USA Volleyball will be requiring that a rostered adult must be provided as the second referee at the USA Junior Qualifiers and USA Junior National Championships.

As a result, WEVA will also require this at the Girl's WEVA Bid Qualifier events and the Boy's Pace Bootlegger Rochester Can-Am (a national qualifier) hosted in our region.

Please plan accordingly to have an adult on your roster that is certified as a second referee.

WEVA highly encourages all coaches to complete the concussion training offered by Heads-up (click HERE). The on-line course is free. Once completed print the certificate of completion.

Just as a heads-up for the upcoming season, all coaches who will be coaching at a tournament in the Ohio Valley region will be required to show proof of completion for a concussion course.

USA will be looking into requiring a completion of such a course in the future.

Let's keep our athletes safe by requiring your coaches to have this training! With this being one of the hottest topics for athletes in the medical field today let's do what we can do to be prepared to handle any situation that involves this!.

USA Volleyball is now offering the SafeSport training course, with a 2-year certification, via the USAV Academy. Please select HERE for more information.

WEVA, in conjunction with Niagara Frontier, present a Pre-Season Volleyball Clinic for Coaches and Players (Boys and Girls) featuring Jeff Ptak and 6 other clinicians with international experience. Visit the following site for more info and to pre-register: http://www.nfvbjuniors.com/camps-clinics

Coaches Clinic - Friday Night, December 1, 2017
6:30-9:00 p.m.
Led by Jeff Ptak and 6 other coaches from Indiana, Vancouver, Illinois and Miami - All have professional, international playing and coaching experience
2 hours of classroom session, on court drill demos followed by Q&A roundtable discussion
Ability to view Saturday players clinic free of charge
Portions of clinic will stream on www.thespikenet.com website
Post clinic event for adult attendees
Cost: $40 per coach - The first 50 clinic registrants who are current WEVA members will receive a full $40 reimbursement from the region.

Players (Boys and Girls) Clinic - Saturday, December 2, 2017
Ages 14 through 18 (JV and Varsity experience preferred)
Jeff Ptak will lead 6 head clinicians in drills and instruction assisted by 12 court coaches from various boys and girls clubs in the region
9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. with a break for lunch
4:00-4:30 p.m. Exhibition Match
6 courts, open to the first 120 players who pre-register
Streaming of selected portions of Player Clinic on www.thespikenet.com website
Cost: $100 per player

Clinicians:
Jeff Ptak- Brazil, Russia, US National Team, Puerto Rico, Greece, Bahrain…over 14 professional years
Jorge Ralat- Puerto Rico
Ivan Matos- Puerto Rico and currently under contact w/Yauco Cafeteros
Jodi Zbyszewski- Canada (beach)
Loren “Legend” Gerbert- Italy and USA (beach)
Matt Zbyszewski- Spain, Greece, Canada (beach)
Alain Arseneau- Canadian College Coach

Information regarding the 2018 Boys Junior National Championships in Phoenix, AZ on July 2-9, 2018 and the associated deadlines is available.

For more information, please click HERE

Information regarding the 2018 Girls Junior National Championships in Detroit, MI on June 25-July 4, 2018 and the associated deadlines is available.

For more information, please click HERE

Information regarding the 2018 Girls 18 Junior National Championships in Anaheim, CA on April 27-29, 2018 and the associated deadlines is available.

For more information, please click HERE

USA Volleyball is proud to announce site locations for three of its signature national championships events in 2019. Indianapolis, Dallas and Columbus, Ohio, will feature the top volleyball action in the country in 2019 for girls’, boys’ and adults’ national championships.

• 2019 USA Volleyball Open National Championships (Open): May 24-29 in Columbus, Ohio
• 2019 USA Volleyball Girls’ Junior National Championships (GJNC): June 27-July 6 in Indianapolis
• 2019 USA Volleyball Boys’ Junior National Championships (BJNC): June 30 to July 7 in Dallas

USA Volleyball will make separate announcements later this year for 2019 host cities for the USA Volleyball Girls’ 18s Junior National Championships and the USA Volleyball High Performance Championships.

USA Volleyball has provided a manual for Club Administrators on how to use WebPoint.

For more information, please click HERE

A collegiate coaches panel took place in conjunction with the Spring Collegiate Tournament hosted at BNCC. The collegiate coaches represented on the panel were from the following programs: Canisius College, Colgate University, Le Moyne College, Niagara University, SUNY Brockport, Syracuse University, & University of Buffalo. Please click HERE for a summary of the panel discussion.

It was a great event allowing players from the junior clubs in the area to watch some alumni club players and watch collegiate play for some programs that some of the athletes are considering or have committed to play at in the future. Some great volleyball was watched over the course of the day. Thanks to all WEVA members for their support shown for this event.

The Junior Committee of the WEVA Board of Directors has established serving standards for 12 and under competition. Please click HERE for more information.

The Education Committee of the Western Empire Volleyball Association (WEVA) is interested in providing resources for coach education in order to enhance general knowledge of the game as well as elevate the skill level of the junior players in our region.

This message is to invite your organization to host a WEVA Coaching Clinic at your practice or competition facility to benefit your club coaches as well as those from area high schools and other volleyball clubs. The goal of this clinic series is to educate coaches regarding technique training, skill development, drill structure, practice planning, strategy and other volleyball related skills desired by coaches. The WEVA Education Committee would like to see at least one or two clinics each month leading up to and throughout the season. The WEVA Board of Directors has approved a budget line to assist in subsidizing some of the costs involved in hosting these clinics in order to help compensate visiting clinicians, facility rental fees or additional clinic expenses.

Please look over the this information (INFO) which includes some ideas and recommended formats. Clinic schedules and topics can be unique to each club’s needs. If you are interested in organizing such a clinic in your area, please contact Rocco Lucci to discuss options and possible timelines.

Starting in the 2016-2017 season, ALL registered adults, affiliated with a junior club, will be required to complete the Safe Sport Certification Course. The course, and more information regarding the course are found HERE.

Team Travel Source has been named the official housing company for all USA Volleyball Championship events in 2017. Please click HERE for more information.

August 2016: WEVA is pleased to announce the addition of Lisa Siragusa as it's corporate attorney. Please click HERE for her bio.

W​EVA has updated the ​By-Laws. Please select HERE for more information.

W​EVA has updated the ​Tryout, Registration and Recruiting Policy. Please select HERE for more information.

USA Volleyball passed a major rule change regarding the Libero and fast-tracked its implementation to immediate status during its Rules Commission Meeting on Feb. 25 in Denver.

A motion was made and passed to change the wording of USAV Rule 19.2 to read as: “The Libero(s) must wear a uniform which clearly contrasts with the rest of the team.” A second motion was passed that made the implementation of the new rule immediate. The new rule replaces the "Solid Color Jersey" rule. Pati Rolf, chair of the USAV Rules Commission, stated that the new rule was approved in response to the concerns of the membership. "We strongly believe this rule change, which was strongly supported by the membership, will be less restrictive and more flexible,” Rolf said.

One key point in the discussions was to ensure that any team that currently had legal uniforms would still be able to use those uniforms. Paul Albright, USAV indoor rules interpreter, emphasized that training will start as soon as possible to get that message out to the membership. "Obviously we have a challenge to get the word out, but we already have people working to update our training materials, including the new jersey gallery on https://VolleyballRefTraining.com to explain the rule change,” Albright said.

USA Volleyball will also work to widely distribute the new rule to the clubs and tournament directors as the season is in progress. Any questions regarding the rules change can be directed to your local region referee chair, Fred Chase (fchase@rochester.rr.com) or to the USAV Rules Interpreter at vbinterp@usav.org.