Madfrog fulfills early promise, works its way to 13 Elite title at TC NIT

​By Michael DeLeon
Prep Dig
 
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – It is time for Championship Monday at the Triple Crown NIT in Kanas City, Mo.  All of the hard work over the past two days has come to the final two teams in the 13’s age group.  Its Dynasty 13 Black versus Madfrog 13 National Green.  Both teams were extremely hungry and proved all tourney that they belonged in the final match.

Dynasty 13 Black
Dynasty is no stranger to the national stage as they are always in the mix with the best of the best.  The squad from Kansas was undefeated on Day 1 as they took down Munciana 13 Stingrays, Texas Advantage Volleyball 13 Black, and A5 13 Karen.  Day 2 saw them dispatch Arizona Storm 13 Thunder, Sky High Adidas 13 Elite, and MAVS KC 13-1, and they stood undefeated after two days of amazing competition.

If anyone thought that they were done showcasing their skills at a high level, you obviously haven’t seen these youngsters ball.  They have some swag to their game and brought it for the Championship bracket.  They defeated 1United 13N Bill easily in two straight sets.  Next they took down Tstreet 13 Bailey in straight sets again. 

Some amazing players lead them to greatness in order to battle Madfrog in the championship match.  Their setter Sophia Sturdy plays like a seasoned veteran as she dishes the ball to some wonderful attackers.  She also doubles as an attacker as she stays in when she rotates to the front row.  Outside hitter Camryn Minatee plays with so much emotion on the left side and really gets her team’s momentum going with her fire.  Her offense was pivotal in the championship match for Dynasty to stand toe to toe with Madfrog. 

Libero Haedyn Lynnes and defensive specialist Mayley Morrison were instrumental in their squad’s run this tournament.  Brooklyn Andrews was phenomenal offensively for Dynasty as she scored well out of the middle in the championship match. 

Madfrog 13 National Green
These players seem to have championship DNA running through their blood the moment they put on a Madfrog jersey.  As an organization that covers many teams across the country, we have witnessed numerous teams across all age groups dominate at the national stage.  Their culture is fun and family-like in every team.  The crowd they bring with them to every match is extremely supportive and it consists of other players in their club, parents, and other family members.

13 N Green did not drop a single set all tournament until the championship match.  They ran through all of their opponents with flash and flare.  On their way to the finals they dispatched A5 13 Karen, Legacy 13-1 Adidas, Munciana 13 Stingrays, 1United 13N Bill, MN Select, and MAVS KC 13-1.  This squad is littered with future prospects.  Their “go to” hitter is Maya Ogbogu and she is a problem!  This young lady has the potential to be the best attacker in her age group in the nation.  There is no one that even comes close.  She rises up off of the ground so effortlessly and then unleashes raw power on anyone in her way.

One of her setters is the amazing Aleyna Bramschreiber, who is a fantastic distributor of the rock.  Another awesome aspect of her play is how effortlessly she plays defense out of right back.  She is able to dig balls with her platform and her hands during overhead situations.  Aleyna will be a force for the foreseeable future.  Ella McNeal is a dominant right-side attacker for this squad.  She has some serious hops on the opposite pin and uses her lightning quick left arm with purpose.  Katherine Clegg is another left side attacker that truly stood out while I watched them in the championship match.  She had some amazing timely kills in crucial situations that helped Madfrog keep the momentum on their side.

One of the stars of the show had to be libero Brynli Burgess as she showed some impeccable form and technique in the back row.  I loved her footwork and how she kept her upper body positioned forward before, during, and after contact of the ball.  It was a picturesque showing of how to play the position.

Both teams came into the championship match undefeated and full of swag.  Set 1 saw multiple ties and lead changes with neither team gaining a significant advantage.  All knotted up at 18-18, Dynasty used some magical defense to keep their team in every rally.  Their defense flustered the Madfrog attack and caused their hitters to have a few untimely hitting errors and a shanked pass out of serve receive to end the first set with Dynasty winning 25-20.

Set 2 saw Madfrog’s awesome outside Maya Ogbogu come out swinging and had them up 13-6 which caused the first timeout to be used by Dynasty.  The tide certainly turned in Madfrog’s favor as their offense came alive across the board from all of their hitters.  Dynasty also had hitting errors of their own during the second set as they tried to press too much.  Madfrog won the second set easily 25-14 and had all of the momentum on their side. 

Madfrog used that momentum to start out with a four-point lead.  This caused Dynasty to call their first timeout and they finally ended the run by Madfrog.  But this Dallas area squad tasted the win and then went on another run to take the lead to 9-2 before Dynasty scored their next point.  Dynasty then went on a run of their own to get the score to 12-7.  From then on it was big kill after big kill for both squads as they had the entire championship court on its feet and cheering.  The fever pitch hit its peak as Madfrog came away with the victory from a huge kill by Ogbogu to end the third set 15-12.