If you're interested in purchasing any of the images you've seen in the galleries, please click here. They're a better quality and less expensive than the "amazing, professional pictures" you can get at the tournament.
For the first time in Northern Lights history, we have swept an age division at AAUs. Andy says that we should get Adam and Sunny a broom! Congratulations 16-1 and 16-2 for an outstanding performance this evening in their championship matches! The two teams also went undefeated in games for the tourament as well. And congratulations to the entire club for a great tournament!
The 18-1s made it to the semi-finals of the 18 Open Division. They played Munciana in the finals. It was a tough match. Unfortunately Northern Lights lost the match, ending up in 3rd place. Megan Plourde and Ashley Suapaia were selected as AAU All Americans in the 18 Open Division. As Pam put it, "it isn't too bad to be in the company of Munci, Sports Performance 1 and Sports Performance 2." To see photos of the 18-1s from today click here.
The 18-2s also made it to the semi-finals of the Gold Championship Bracket in their division. They lost their last match in three very close games and ended up finishing 3rd in the 18 Club Division. Danielle Haley and Katie Vohnoutka were selected as AAU All Stars in the 18 Club Division. You can see photos of the 18-2s matches today by clicking here.
The 18-3s started off the morning at the Convention Center very well by taking out A5 in the "Consolation" or Bronze Bracket. Then they faced MAVA in their second match and just couldn't stand up to them. This means they placed 23rd overall. Since these girls were at the Convention Center while I was at the Wide World of Sports, I do not have any photos of them for today.
The 17-1s were in the Gold Championship Bracket this morning. They took on MAVA first thing and had a rough time. They dropped the first game 22-25 and then came together in the second to pull ahead 25-21. Finally, the third game - they played hard, but in the end the 17-1s lost 14-16. This puts the team at 5th place in the Open Division. Chelsea Fogarty was selected as an AAU All American in the 17 Open Division. You can see photos of the girls from today by clicking here.
The 17-2s came out on fire today. The won their first match pretty easily which set them up for a grudge match. The second team they faced, Vaqueras, is the same team they lost to in the finals at AAUs last year. They played two really close games, but just like last year, the girls couldn't knock them down. This placed the team at 5th overall. Shannon Byers was selected as an AAU All Star in the 17 Club Division. To see photos from the girls matches today click here.
The 17-3s were playing in the "Consolation" or Bronze Bracket this afternoon. They fell in their first match against Colorado Performance. These girls were at the Convention Center all day and unfortunately I was not. Therefore, I do not have any photos of the 17-3s for today.
The 16-1s, once again, had an amazing day! They finished their first match in only 20 minutes (which really helped out their court considering it was an hour behind to start!) To see photos of from their first two matches today, click here. Off to the championships they went where they would face Young Guns in an intense match. The team still managed to keep their record of ZERO losses, as they finished the championship match in two games: 25-22, 25-19. The match got done JUST in the nick of time for the girls to run over and catch the final few points of the 16-2s match. You can see photos from their championship match by clicking here. Tori Dixon, Molly Kreklow, and Ashley Wittman were selected as AAU All Americans in the 16 Open Division. Ashley was named the tournament MVP for their division.
The 16-2s also had an amazing day. They won all three of their matches this morning at the Convention Center, in the Gold Championship Bracket, not letting any team take a single game from them. Then, the team made the trek over to the Wide World of Sports for the championship match. They started off their match against Sports Performance neck-and-neck and continued that way throughout the entire match. They finished SPVB off in two games: 25-21, 27-25. The entire match was full of energy along with some great volleyball. Click here to see a whole bunch of photos from their exciting Championship match. Paige Petersen, Christine Bielski, and Elly Braaten were selected as AAU All Stars in the 16 Club Division. Elly was namped the tournament MVP for their division.
The 16-3s were also in the Gold Championship Bracket this morning at the Convention Center. They lost in the Quarter finals to Sports Performance's Sophomore team in three close games. Getting to the quarter-finals means that even with a loss, the girls finished 5th. Kelli Earp was selected as an AAU All Sar in the 16 Club Division. Cause the girls were at the Convention Center this morning, I was not able to get any photos of them today.
The 16-4s also had an amazing day at the Convention Center. They won their first three matches in two games each, putting them in the championship match for White Bracket. It was an great match against the South Florida Flyers that the 16-4s won in two games flat. It was a fantastic finish to the day! Once again, since they were at the Convention Center, I did not get any photos of these girls playing, however, I was able to snap a shot of a couple of them at the championship matches in their new tri-shorts. Click here to see it!
The 16-5s had a good morning at the Convention Center as well. The team beat Indiana Volleyball Academy to start of their day. Then they crushed Colorado NuuSky, taking them out 25-8 on game! This put them in the championship match for Yellow Bracket. It was a great match with a lot of heart. In the end, the 16-5s dropped, in three games. As with the 16-4s, since the team was at the Convention Center, I did not get any photos of these girls playing.