The U.S. Center for SafeSport is excited to announce it today launched a 24-hour victim services helpline. The helpline offers confidential support services and is operated in partnership with RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization.

For more information, please click HERE for the official release.

USA Volleyball has secured the rights for USA Volleyball Member Clubs to put a newly-approved USAV Member Club logo on their team uniforms. USA Volleyball will need to put strict guidelines on this program in order to remain in compliance with the adidas agreement. For more information, please click HERE for the official release.

Available now on VolleyballRefTraining.com is a new multi-media module on uniform requirements for USAV events.

The presentation, built through collaboration with the USAV Officials Commission and regional leadership, provides the most current information and examples of pitfalls to avoid.

Website | Video | PDF

It is strongly advised that all teams and clubs that are looking to purchase uniforms for the 2017-18 season consult this resource before finalizing designs. A wise investment of 10 minutes.

Please forward any rules questions to the WEVA referee/officials chair, who will consult with the USAV Rules Interpreter as necessary.

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!

Both American (2nd place in region qualifier) and National (1st place in region qualifier) 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.

Age Division	Team Name	Record	Place
12 National	VFX Wish	1-8	39 out of 48 – lost in semis of Flight 5
13 National	NFVB 13 Navy	3-6	43 out of 48 - lost in semis of Flight 6
13 American	NFVB 13 Red	2-8	58 out of 64 - lost in finals of Flight 9
14 National	NFVB 14 Navy	3-6	39 out of 48 - lost in semis of Flight 5
14 American	VFX Conjure	3-7	53 out of 64 - won Flight 8
15 National	NFVB 15 Navy	3-7	38 out of 48 - lost in finals of Flight 5
15 American	VFX Chant	4-6	53 out of 64 - won Flight 8
16 National	VFX Mantra	2-7	39 out of 48 - lost in semis of Flight 5
16 American	NFVB 16 Navy	2-7	47 out of 64 - lost in semis of Flight 6
17 National	VFX Rapture	1-8	43 out of 48 - lost in semis of Flight 6
17 American	Octane Terrors	1-8	55 out of 64 - lost in semis of Flight 8
18 National	NFVB 18 Navy	4-4	33 out of 48 - won Flight 2A
18 USA	VFX Magic	2-5	37 out of 48 - lost in semis of Flight 2B

For full details, visit http://www.teamusa.org/usa-volleyball/events/indoor/girls/2017-girls-jnc

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!

Age Division	Team Name	Record	Place
12 Club	Pace 12-1	4-4	7 out of 16 – won Bronze
14 Club	Pace 14-2	5-7	29 out of 48 – lost in semis of Flight 2
14 Open	Eden 14-1	4-6	23 out of 36 - lost in finals of Flight 1B
14 Open	Lockport 14 Black	3-6	25 out of 36 - lost in semis of Flight 1B
14 Open	Pace 14-1	4-5	17 out of 36 - lost in semis of Bronze A
14 Open	Lockport 14 Black	3-6	25 out of 36 - lost in semis of Flight 1B
15 Open	Eden 15-1	0-9	35 out of 36 - lost in qtrs. of Flight 3
15 Open	Pace 15-1	5-4	5 out of 36 - lost in semis of Gold
16 Club	Eden 16-1	3-6	45 out of 85 - lost in qtrs. of Flight 2A
16 Open	Pace 16-1	8-2	13 out of 36 - won Bronze B
17 Open	Pace 17-1	7-3	13 out of 36 - won Bronze B
17 Open	Lockport 17 Black	1-9	31 out of 36 - lost in finals of Flight 2B
17 Open	Eden 17-1	5-5	23 out of 36 – lost finals of Flight 1B
18 Open	Pace 18-1	4-5	11 out of 36 – lost in semis of Silver
18 Open	Eden 18-1	5-7	33 out of 36 – lost in finals of Bronze

For full details, visit http://www.teamusa.org/usa-volleyball/events/indoor/boys/2017-bjnc

The 2017 USA Volleyball Open Championships were held in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 26-31. WEVA was well represented and congratulations to all who participated. The results were as follows:

Men's A
NFVB Crank Blasters finished 3rd out of 58 teams (3rd in Gold division)
NFVB Life Storage Rhinos finished 21st out of 58 teams (1st in Copper division)

Women's A
NFVB Notorious D.I.G. finished T31st out of 59 teams (T3rd in Flight 1 division)
NFVB Buffalo Beasts finished T33rd out of 59 teams (T5th in Flight 1 division)
NFVB Rage finished T57th out of 59 teams (T5th in Flight 5 division)

Women's BB
Buffalo Blizzards finished T15th out of 33 teams (T3rd in Bronze division)

Women's 40+
NFVB Life Storage finished 8th out of 10 teams (8th in Gold division)

For full details, visit http://www.teamusa.org/usa-volleyball/events/indoor/adults/2017-usav-open

USA Volleyball announced that Detroit, Dallas and Phoenix will host three of the organization’s signature national championship events in 2018.

The USA Volleyball Girls’ Junior National Championships (GJNC) will head to Detroit for the first time and will be played June 25 to July 4 at Detroit’s Cobo Center.

The USA Volleyball Boys’ Junior National Championships (BJNC) returns to Phoenix for the third time and will be played July 2-9 at the Phoenix Convention Center.

The USA Volleyball Open National Championships returns to Dallas with competition May 25-30 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. The USA Volleyball Annual Meetings will also take place in Dallas the week leading up to the Open.

For the full release, visit http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Volleyball/Features/2017/May/23/USAV-Awards-2018-Host-Bids-to-Detroit-Dallas-Phoenix

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.

This year is the second 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 Minneapolis.

Congratulations to the following teams for earning the National BID by placing first at the BID Qualifier:
17's - VFX Rapture
16's - VFX Mantra
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 - Octane Terrors
16's - NFVB 16 Navy
15's - VFX Chant
14's - VFX Conjure
13's - NFVB 13 Red

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.

NFVB 18 Navy earned the National BID at the WEVA 18's BID Qualifier event held at Pinnacle Sports Complex as a result of being crowned the champion of the event. VFX Magic was a finalist earning them the American BID for the region.

Shortly after the local BID event, VFX Magic earned a USA BID at the Nashville Qualifier. Congratulations to Magic for earning a BID at a National Qualifier event. This type of accomplishment does not happen frequently by teams in the region. The team played the best volleyball of their season at this event to earn the BID!

Good luck at the upcoming Nationals in Dallas Texas!
WEVA is confident that you will represent WEVA and your club well!

To all WEVA members: 18 years old by May 1, 2017.

WEVA is seeking nominations for candidates for the following WEVA Board of Directors positions: Vice President, Secretary, & Officials Representative.

Candidates will be running for election to a three (3) year term starting in October, 2017. Please send all replies to Fred Chase at fredref51@gmail.com by April 1, 2017.

Details
As we move forward in 2017 and beyond, it is critical that WEVA’s Board play a vital role in the growth and development of our Region. If you or someone you know possesses the background and skills to join the leadership of this 501c (3) membership organization, please respond to Fred by April 1, 2017. Once the Governance Committee has verified the willingness and good standing of the submitted candidates, a general election will be held of the WEVA membership of eligible voters from April 15 through May 15, 2017.

As stated in the WEVA By-Laws
Article III. BOARD OF DIRECTORS

• Section 3.01 Function / Number: The Board shall manage WEVA affairs.
• 01b) All members of the Board must remain in good standing throughout their terms of office with WEVA.
• Section 3.02 Nominations: Individuals who choose to run for a Board position shall submit their name to the Chair of the Governance committee. The Governance committee will ensure conformance by petitioners with the qualifications, per Sections 3.01b and 3.01c. The Governance committee will make every effort to ensure that there are no less than two (2) candidates nominated for each board position that is open to election. An appeal of an adverse decision by the Governance committee may be made to the total Board of Directors whose decision shall be final. A member may run for only one position on the Board per election.
• 02a) Current Members of WEVA, at least 18 years of age at the time of the election, in good standing are eligible to elect Members of the Board of Directors.
• 02b) Elections shall be conducted by the Board and shall be by a plurality of the votes cast. Board members shall hold office for a term of 3 years until the Annual Meeting of Members and the election of their respective successors. Ballots may be cast in person, by mail, by e-mail, or by website.

Officer Positions and Descriptions
Vice President:

• The Vice President shall chair all meetings of the Board in the absence of the President, and perform all the duties of the President in the event of the incapacitation, death or resignation of the President. The VP chairs the Governance Committee and the Ethics & Eligibility Committee. The Vice President shall perform such additional duties that may, from time to time, be assigned to him or her by the President

Secretary:

• The Secretary shall keep the minutes of the membership meetings and meetings of the Board. He or she shall publish the meeting minutes within two (2) weeks of the date of the meeting being reported on. He or she shall see that all notices of meetings are duly issued, and do everything that is usual and customary in connection with the function of a Secretary of a corporation. In general, the Secretary shall perform such additional duties as may, from time to time, be assigned to him or her by the President.

Officials Rep:

• The nominee must be a certified USA Volleyball official who has been so certified for the preceding 24 months prior to election.

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.

Thanks to a scholarship fund supplied by Western Empire Volleyball Association, WEVA is pleased to announce the first annual Coaches 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 2016-2017 season is January 31, 2017. For more information, please go to the WEVA Coaching Scholarship page.

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.

Congratulations to all the boys teams that were crowned champions at the 2016 Boys Regional Championships. The competition was held April 3rd at various locations in the Victor 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:
12's - Pace 12-1
13's - Pace 13-1
14's - Eden Mizuno Boys 14-1 Blue
15's - Pace 15-1
16's - Victor 16-1
17's - Pace 17-1
18's - Pace 18-1

Good luck to all teams for the remainder of their season and at the USA Boys Nationals!
WEVA Board

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.