The celebrations continued after the Fourth of July as the 2022 USAV Boys National Championships finished this week. We’ve got a fast recap of all the action today, with further in-depth coverage looking back at USAV’s biggest boys event of the season in the coming days, including our picks for All-Tournament, and a few team-related articles as well. Now, let’s take a look at who earned gold in the Neon Capital of the World, Las Vegas, Nevada.
15 Open
In 15 Open, Puerto Rican posse SJVC 15-1 Gabo topped the small but competitive division of just eleven teams. The San Juan Volleyball club amassed an 8-1 record over four days of competition, meeting with a 6-4 HVA 15 Performance Red team in the finals. HVA had a rollercoaster ride of a schedule en route to the finals, notching three straight victories on day one over Sportime 15-1, Torri 15-1, and Rochester Pace Bootlegger 15 BLK. However, on day two, it was the opposite. HVA dropped three heartbreaking matches, all in three sets against EXCEL 15N Red, C2 15 Boys Smack, and Torri 15-1. Day three was a big bounce back for the Texas team, sweeping two out of two opponents, Borniquen Coqui 15-1M and Keaukaha 15U Boys. On Championship Sunday, HVA won its first-round matchup against Pace Bootlegger handily, 25-14, 25-11. But in the final, SJVC was too much to handle, hoisting the hardware 21-25, 28-26, 15-4.
16 Open
Eighteen teams began USAV Nationals with hopes of earning a 16 Open championship, but it was Tennessee’s C2 16 Boys SMACK that stood above the rest. C2 won every match and dropped just a single set over the competition. Their dominant performance had them face off with HVA 16 Performance Red in the national title match, which ended with C2 notching the sweep and lifting the trophy as the undefeated USAV National Champions. HVA finished with a 9-1 record, which was all clean sweeps leading up to the finale.
17 Open
One of the biggest stories at USAV Nationals, the 17 Open Division saw six teams competing that had just completed AAU Boys Nationals. Bay To Bay 17-1, 352 Elite Lime Tonny, The HBC 17’s Working Man, Outrigger 17’s, OVC 17-1, and Vaqueros 17 all finished AAU play on July 1 and picked right back up on July 4 at USAV’s. Of those teams, 352 Elite, Vaqueros, Outrigger, and Bay To Bay all moved on to the championship bracket….