On Saturday Dec 29th the Ridgecrest Starlings Volleyball club held their first Friendship Tournament. This was a warm-up tournament for the long competitive Southern California Volleyball Association (SCVA) tournament season which starts the first weekend in January. The day started with a score-keeping clinic to assist new players and coaches with learning how to “keep book” for all their upcoming tournaments.

The tournament included Starlings teams from Ridgecrest, Bishop, Tehachapi, Oak Hills, Palmdale and Victorville. Following the four team pool format used by the SCVA the Ridgecrest Starlings hosted 12 teams divided into three age groups - u14s, u16s and u18s.

The under-14s competed at the Saint Ann Parish Center. Where the Tehachapi-14s won a close fought victory over the Oak Hills-14s in a final match of the day that went 3 games. The Ridgecrest Starlings-14s won a best of three contest in three over Lakeview to finish in 3rd.

The U-16s and the U-18s played at the Kerr McGee Center. Where the Oak Hills-16s finished first with a perfect 3-0 match record and a 6-0 game record sweeping all their opponents in two straight games. The Tehachapi-16s finished in second losing only to Oak Hills. The Ridgecrest-16s won a hard fought three game match over Palmdale to finish third.

In the 18s division the Tehachapi-18s had a great run, winning three straight matches in two games for first place. Palmdale-18s beat the Oak Hills-18s in the only three game match of the day for second, while the Ridgecrest-18s finished fourth.

It was a great day of club volleyball for our local Starlings Volleyball players and their fellow club players from their sister Starlings clubs in the High Desert area.

I want to thank all the players, parents, coaches and volunteers that made this tournament possible - especially the Parks and Recreation Department and the Kerr McGee Center and the Parish of Saint Ann for the use of their courts and facilities. We would especially like thank our volunteer referees for the wonderful job they did keeping us on schedule, playing and competing within rules of the game. Thank you Jim Ledbetter, Bob Maki, Robert McWhorter, and Amanda Cordes. A special thank you to Melanie Rossi and all the parents who planned, organized, and worked to make this tournament happen.

Here is the club picture that we took at our tournament on Saturday.  If you click on the picture it will take you to the full resolution image that you can download if you want a copy.  Or you can just right click and select “Save Target as” and save the full resolution image to your computer.  The full image is 5.7 MB.

A Special thank you to David Schoenberg of David Schoenberg Photography for the picture.

Congratulations to Ridgecrest Starlings Alumnus Grace who with her teammates the Bethel Christian Eagles won their first round playoff game in the CIF Southern Section Division 5 playoffs.

Bethel Eagles win 1st Round of Playoffs

Congratulations to all our Ridgecrest Starlings players and alumni and their high school teams for making the CIF volleyball playoffs:

Candace, Ashley, Bridget, Savannah, Jessica, Lindsey, Rebecca, Michaela, Alyssa, Allie, Colleen and Jazmine at Burroughs High School as they travel to play Sierra Canyon High School in Chatsworth on Tuesday.

Liz and her Trona teammates who have a bye in the first round and will host a home game on Thursday in the second round.

Alex Morgan, Olympic Soccer star - says soccer has taught her a lot about life in general — how to be patient, how to listen, how to step up when she needs to. And it has taught her to love herself.

“It’s important for women to feel confident in their own body, whether they have broad shoulders or big calves, or whatever,” Morgan says. “I have big calves and I love showing off my legs because of it. So whether your body is athletic, or skinny, or big-boned, it doesn’t matter. You should love it no matter what.”

The CIFSS volleyball playoff brackets are located here:

http://cifss.org/download_playoff_bracketts.php?sport_id=16

The SCVA has declared new minimum tryout dates for the upcoming club season.

For U14s and under the earliest tryout date is October 6, 2012.

For U15s and above the earliest tryout date is October 7, 2012.

The earliest date that a club may accept a commitment letter and deposit from a player is 4:00 PM Thursday October 18th 2012.

The earliest day that a club may begin practicing is November 26, 2012.

The Ridgecrest Starlings Volleyball Club prefer to avoid any interference with the local high school and middle school volleyball seasons.  So we will not be holding tryouts on those dates.

Tryouts/Informational meeting for the upcoming 2013 season of the Ridgecrest Starlings Volleyball Club will be held the week of November 12th.  Days and Times are still TBD.  As soon as we know the day and time and place we will post it on the front page of our website and on our Facebook page.

All members of our 2012 teams will be e-mailed about the tryouts.  If you want to receive an e-mail notification about tryouts - send an e-mail to director@ridgereststarlings.com and the director will add you to his e-mail distribution list.

Congratulations to all our Starlings Players, for making their school teams:

St. Ann Middle School - Katie
Monroe Middle School - Macey
Murray Middle School - Aryn, Laurie, Elise
Burroughs High School - Brittany, Cielo, Rebecca, Michelle, Abbie, Kristel, Metzli, Brittney, Victoria, Ashley, Michaela, Alllie, Savannah, Jessica, Lindsey
Cal City High School - Ellyse, Hannah
Trona High School - Liz

USA Volleyball has finally decided to let liberos serve starting this season.  This rule change has been coming for a while but I was hoping it would not happen.  Liberos are there to play defense, and serving is very much an offensive action.  Besides this will even further limit specialization in our front row players.  Right now many middles only get to play in the back row when they are serving.  Now they won’t even get to do that.  I don’t like this new rule, but it is what it is, and we will have to learn to use it to our best advantage.

Here is the guidelines sent out by the USAV:

USAV LIBERO SERVING RULE
USAV 7.7.1: A rotational fault is committed when a Libero serves in a second rotation position in the same set.
USAV 19.3.1.3:
a. The Libero may not block or attempt to block.
b. In one rotation, a Libero may serve after replacing the player in position 1.
USAV 19.3.2.1: In one rotation, a Libero can replace the player in position 1 and serve the next rally, even if s/he is already on the court in replacement of another player. In this situation, the Libero does not have to exit the court before replacing the player in position 1, and there does not need to be a completed rally between Libero replacements.
Related Rule Interpretations
1. Team A’s Libero (#3) is in the game in position 5, having replaced #8. A Libero has not served in the set. #10 is in position 2. Team A wins the rally and rotates. The Libero #3 goes directly to position 1 to serve. Team A’s #8 comes off the bench to position 4 and #10 leaves the court to the bench. Both regular players exchange through the Libero Replacement Zone.
Ruling: This is the proper procedure. According to USAV 19.3.2.1, the Libero does not have to leave the court, and there need not be a completed rally if s/he is replacing the player in position 1, and is the next correct server.
2. Team A’s Libero (#3) is on the court in position 5, having replaced #8. Team A has a second Libero (#14) who is on the bench. A Libero has not served in the set. #10 is in position 2. Team A wins the rally and rotates. Team A wants the second Libero (#14) to serve, so Libero #3 and regular player #8 exchange, and Libero #14 and regular player #10 exchange. Libero #14 is the next server for Team A.
Ruling: This is the proper procedure. A team with two designated Liberos may exchange Liberos freely, as long as the exchange takes place between completed rallies. Either Libero may serve, as long as it is in only one service rotation position.
3. Team A’s Libero #3 has served in rotation 1. In the same set, after winning a rally, Team A’s Libero #14 replaces the player in rotation 4 on the scoresheet. #14 goes to position 1 and prepares to serve.
Ruling: Even when there are two Liberos on a team, the Libero(s) can only serve in one position on the scoresheet. The Scorer and Assistant Scorer should wait until the Libero contacts the ball for service, and then notify the second referee that a rotation fault has occurred. The second referee should whistle to stop play, indicate a rotational fault, and the first referee should award the rally to Team B. If Libero #14 entered the game from the bench after there had been a completed rally, s/he may stay in the game. If Libero #14 was already on the court, or if there had not been a completed rally between the Libero replacements, the regular player and Libero #14 must exchange, with the regular player going back to position 1. There now must be a completed rally before Team A is allowed another Libero replacement.
4. Team A’s Libero, #3 serves three points. The Team A coach now wants their second Libero, #14 to serve during the same term of service.
Ruling: Per Rule 19.3.2.2 the Liberos are allowed to exchange after a completed rally at any time during the match, so there is no rule prohibiting this type of replacement. However, the match must not be delayed any longer than if the same player had stayed in the game to serve. If there is any delay longer than the normally allowed interval between serves, the replacement is allowed, however a delay sanction should be assessed.
5. Team A’s #1 rotates to position 1 to serve. The Team A Libero runs from the warm-up area, and #1 leaves the service zone directly to the warm-up area. The exchange takes place behind the end line.
Ruling: All Libero exchanges must take place in the Libero Replacement Zone, in order for the Scorer and Assistant Scorer to properly note the exchange. Team A is at risk of a delay sanction. Even if a delay sanction is assessed, the replacement, if otherwise legal, should be allowed.

18’s Division

1 Omaha 18 Gold Champion

2 Hacienda Heights A

3 Monrovia

4 Hacienda Heights B

T5 Tijuana

T5 Nashville

7 City of LA Blue 18 Silver Champion

8 San Gabriel

9 Tempe

10 Cudahy

11 Clairemont

12 Oak Hills

13 Central Phoenix 18 Bronze Champion

14 Oakland

15 Oceanside

16 La Puente

17 Watsonville

18 Scripps Ranch

19 Ridgecrest 18 Copper Champion

20 Eastlake

21 National City

22 LA West

23 City of LA Gray

24 Skyline

16’s Division

1 Shonto 16 Gold Champion

2 Tijuana

3 San Gabriel Red

4 South Bay

T5 City of LA Blue

T5 Ridgecrest

T7 Hacienda Heights A

T7 Toledo

9 Tehachapi Diamond 16 Silver Champion

10 Cudahy

11 Nashville

12 Central Phoenix

13 South Central LA 16 Bronze Champion

14 SD City Rachelle

15 City of LA Gray

16 Oak Hills 15’s

17 Brevard County 16 Copper Champion

18 Hacienda Heights B

19 University City

20 Tehachapi Gold

21 Phoenix Doug 16 Flight 2 Champion

22 SD Navajo Dennis

23 Clairemont

24 Tehachapi Silver

25 Oak Hills 16’s 16 Flight 3 Champion

26 Oceanside

27 Eastlake Monik

28 Eastlake Lindsay

29 Oakland 16 Flight 4 Champion

30 San Gabriel White

31 National City

32 Mission Bay

33 SD City Will

34 Phoenix Kelly

14’s Division

1 Phoenix Nick 14 Gold Champion

2 South Mountain

3 City of LA

4 Tuba City

T5 South Bay

T5 High Desert

T7 Tijuana

T7 University City Dave

9 San Gabriel Red 14 Silver Champion

10 University City Aaron

11 Hacienda Heights A

12 SD Navajo Randy

13 Lemon Grove

14 Phoenix September

15 Hacienda Heights B 14 Bronze Champion

16 Santee

17 SD Navajo Marv/Ken

18 South Central

19 Phoenix Ben

20 SD Navajo Rich

21 Oceanside 14 Copper Champion

22 Tehachapi

23 SD Navajo Bob

24 Shonto

25 Ridgecrest 14 Flight 2 Champion

26 Eastlake Sandra

27 Oakland

28 Nashville

29 San Gabriel White 14 Flight 3 Champion

30 Oak Hills 14’s

30 South Bay

30 Clairemont

33 Oak Hills 13’s 14 Flight 3 Champion

34 Skyline

35 Eastlake Victoria

36 University City Liz

37 Eastlake Chelsea

12’s Division

1 Mobile 12 Gold Champion

2 Lemon Grove

3 Phoenix Adam

4 Monrovia

5 South Bay 12 Silver Champion

6 San Gabriel

7 LA West

8 Oakland

9 Phoenix Bernice 12 Bronze Champion

10 SD Navajo

11 Tuba City

12 Eastlake Ron

13 Tehachapi 12 Copper Champion

14 Eastlake Rachel

15 Phoenix Jen