This is “Dots,” VolleyballMag.com’s weekly look at 10 things in club volleyball, past or present, that interest me and hopefully will interest you. Look for Dots every Tuesday through Junior Nationals this summer.
• Dots returns after a short hiatus with some sad news. My friend, Carrie Yerty — everyone’s friend — passed away on January 24, seven years after first being diagnosed with colon cancer.
Carrie was most recently head coach at Briarcrest Christian in Tennessee. She led the Saints, along with assistant coach April Jauregui, to four titles since becoming head coach in 2018 and compiled an overall record of 134-11.
Carrie came to the high school ranks after long collegiate stints as head coach at both Memphis and Wyoming.
Carrie was involved in the Briarcrest Christian volleyball program until she retired at the end of the fall campaign.
“When Carrie took the helm, she took it to another level,” said Jauregui in an October statement after the most recent state title. “She created a dynasty. Carrie has been an incredible leader and mentor for the coaching staff and players. She sets a high standard of achievement, and the program has thrived under her direction.”
• Danny Tullis, who coached Pope John Paul II to seven Louisiana state titles in nine years, has resigned to take the head coaching job at Slidell. Tullis told a local newspaper that he left because he had to, not because he wanted to.
On November 11, Danny’s son, Christian, a 16-year-old junior at the school, died in a collision with a semi while returning home from the state volleyball tournament.
“To be honest with you, I can barely walk into (the PJP) gym now,” Tullis told the paper. “Everything there reminds me of my son, Christian, and that senior class is his senior class.”
• We are 11 days away from the start of the Triple Crown NIT in Kansas City, the nation’s biggest recruiting event. Virtually all of the nation’s top teams will be there to determine the early-season favorites for national supremacy.
In that vein, here are my top five club teams currently in each of the high school age groups:
18s
1. Sunshine 18 LA
2. Drive Nation 18 Red
3. WAVE 18-Juliana
4. Coast 18-1
5. Premier Nebraska 18 Gold
17s
1. A5 17-Jing
2. Drive Nation 17 Red
3. Adidas Dynasty 17 Black
4. NKYVC 17 Tsunami
5. HJV 17 Elite
16s
1. AZ Storm Elite 16 Thunder
2. 1st Alliance 16 Gold
3. Surfside PV 16 Legends
4. HJV 16 Elite
5. Circle City 16…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Volleyballmag.com…