Clarion Area’s Korrin Burns And Revolution Volleyball Club Teammates Finish Third At USAV Northeast Qualifier, Earn Spot In Nationals
(Thanks to Revolution Volleyball Club for the images) – Above: Revolution 18 Girls – USAV National Qualifiers: Front (L-R): Alexa Chapla (Baldwin), Kylie Barto (Montour), Tia Bozzo (Shaler), Sierra Ricci (Shaler). Back (L-R): Coach Jodi Burns, Coach Annie Bozzo, Julia Kratzenberg (Greensburg Central Catholic), Rachel Burton (North Allegheny), Elena Arnold (Eden Christian Academy), Korrin Burns (Clarion) Kai Herchenroether (Hampton), Mia Schubert (Shaler), Coach Dan LaBonte.)
The Pittsburgh Revolution Volleyball Club 18 White Girls Team competed in the United States Volleyball (USAV) Northeast 18 Girls National Qualifier at the Philadelphia Convention Center on Friday through Sunday, March 11th-13th, finishing third out of a field of fifty-seven teams.
With the third-place finish, Revolution earned a bid to the USAV Girls 18s Nationals which are scheduled for Friday through Sunday, April 22nd-24th, at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
Clarion Area’s Korrin Burns is a member of the Revolution team, and her mother Jodi is one of their coaches.
Revolution went 2-1 in the first day of Pool Play, on Friday. They defeated Allegro Black in two sets 25-16, 25-16 and followed with another two-set victory over Ceva 18 black 25-12, 25-12. They dropped the next match to Beach Elite 18B Adidas 23-25, 22-25.
Saturday’s Pool Play action saw Revolution going undefeated, winning all three of their matches in straight sets. They opened by downing Balboa Bay 18 Blue 25-21 and 25-22. Next, Revolution defeated Texas Tornados 18 Adidas 25-22 and 25-17. They closed out Pool Play with a 25-13, 26-14 win over Digs 18 Red, to qualify for Sunday’s Gold Bracket Playoff.
Revolution opened their play on Sunday with a straight set (25-11, 25-22) win over Paramount VBC. They followed that with a 2-1 (27-29, 25-18, 16-14) victory over Nova Juniors 18s Navy. They lost their Semifinal match to eventual Champion, Alliance 18 Ren (16-25, 13-25).
That moved Revolution to the match for third place, where they once again faced Texas Tornados. Revolution won the first set 28-26, then dropped the second set 20-25, setting up a rubber match, with Revolution winning 15-11, sealing the bid to Nationals.
Revolution Coach Dan LaBonte Had this to shared, “We are incredibly proud of the athletes’ commitment to themselves and the team. They are great ambassadors of Revolution Volleyball Club.
“Given the scope and importance of the NEQ, we can use the 18s to highlight some of the concepts we have shared at Rev over many years.
“The 18s competed in the USA division of this event. Out of a field of 57 teams from across the United States, the top three finishers earn a bid to nationals.
“The three-day tournament follows the same pattern you are familiar with at large events. To have a chance at gold, you need to finish in the top two in your pool on Day 1 and again on Day 2. Our 18s finished 2 – 1 on Day 1 (2nd) and 3 – 0 on Day 2 (1st). This result put them into the gold playoffs on Day 3.
“It is difficult to describe – in words – the emotion of these events. These events start with a buzz of anticipation. With each match and day, the pressure increases. The stakes are high, and every team understands them.
Our 18s played some incredibly competitive points…points where every person and every skill was needed (serve receive, set, attack coverage, block, transition). There were some “oxygen tank” moments when a heavy-hitting rally crossed the net six or seven times.”
Korrin shared her delight in her team’s great accomplishment, “It was a great experience playing with all my teammates. We worked so hard to earn that bid. It took a lot of effort, but in the end, it was so worth it!”
Her mother, Jodi was very impressed with Revolution’s tough play and teamwork. “Watching this team work together to earn the bid was a thing of beauty. It was mentally and physically grueling at times – and it was super cool to watch their grit and determination. It’s rare to have a group of young people who are all onboard to accomplish their collective goals and have fun in the process. I’m thankful I was able to witness it.”
It took a lot of hard work for Revolution to attain this bid to Nationals, much of it that no one but the team sees. Coach LaBonte shared these inspiring words about his team’s hard work and the great results.
“Shadows,” “Spotlight” and “Empty Gym”
“This is the ‘Spotlight of Competition.’ You may not have seen the ‘Hard Work in the Shadows’ of practice and the lessons learned through some tough losses in the last month or so in tournament finals.
“Our 18s have earned the opportunity to be in the finals at MLK and OVR Winterfest. They had strong finishes in the Ohio Qualifier and Capitol Hill Classic. Due to the hard work in the shadows of practice, they have continued to grow at a rate faster than some other teams.
“It is the ‘Hard Work in the Shadows’ that got them ready for the ‘Spotlight.’
“We received multiple empty gym photos from parents and coaches this weekend. The empty gym symbolizes the fact that we earned the right to be there at the end.
“While you earn the right to play in a championship at the tournament, practice is where you give yourself the chance to earn that right. Working hard is not enough. When the competitive fire burns hot in practice, it turns into an inferno in the ‘spotlight.’ “
(Congratulations to Korrin, Jodi, Coach LaBonte and the whole Revolution 18 Team!!!! Have a great National Tournament!!!!)