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the water-polo player charged with keeping Fiat and Jeep afloat

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The new chief executive of Stellantis Antonio Filosa “learned at the knee” of Sergio Marchionne, the legendary automotive leader who saved Italy’s Fiat from bankruptcy during the mid-2000s.  The 51-year-old protégé will need those teachings […]

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The new chief executive of Stellantis Antonio Filosa “learned at the knee” of Sergio Marchionne, the legendary automotive leader who saved Italy’s Fiat from bankruptcy during the mid-2000s. 

The 51-year-old protégé will need those teachings more than ever as he seeks to revive the fortunes of the world’s fourth-largest carmaker navigating Donald Trump’s trade war and the industry’s shift to electric vehicles.

The Naples native inherits a sprawling group of 14 brands — which was formed in 2021 from the merger of France’s PSA and Italy’s Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. The company suffered a 70 per cent drop in net profit last year, burned through €6bn in cash and is yet to rebuild its position in the US, its most profitable market.

“As Mr Sergio Marchionne would say: ‘Mediocrity is not worth the trip.’ Let’s win this one together!,” Filosa wrote on social media hours after being named CEO.

Filosa was chosen from several internal and external candidates following a six-month search that began after his predecessor Carlos Tavares abruptly resigned in December on the back of declining sales and profits. 

Antonio Filosa
Antonio Filosa brings a deep understanding of the US market. © Etienne Laurent/AFP/Getty Images

Appointed by Tavares to oversee the group’s operations in North America in October, the former head of the Jeep brand was given additional responsibilities to manage the larger Americas region.

During the interim period led by chair John Elkann, Filosa also took on the role of chief quality officer while also becoming heavily involved in tariff negotiations with the Trump administration as the board tested his leadership capabilities. 

“He has shown that he could do it,” one person close to Filosa said. He has learned from Marchionne that “to run the company properly, you need to be close to your people and you need to be on the ground”. 

People close to the company say Filosa will continue efforts started by Elkann to repair strained relations between the carmaker under Tavares and governments in Italy and France as well as dealers, suppliers and unions.

In a memo to employees on Wednesday, Filosa also said he would focus on further strengthening “the bonds and trust we have with our partners”.

Those who have worked with him describe a man who is focused and energetic. A longtime water polo player, Filosa celebrated his 50th birthday by swimming across the Strait of Messina between Sicily and Calabria, known for its strong currents.

“He’s not a soft guy by any stretch,” said another person who has worked closely with Filosa. “He can be tough as nails.” 

Filosa joined Fiat in 1999 and rose through the ranks from a paint shop quality supervisor at a plant in Spain. He is best known for his roles in Latin America, a key region that maintains high profitability despite the group’s struggles in the US and Europe.

The auto executive brings a deep understanding of the US market but Bernstein analysts warned that “there is a lot that still needs to be done” to rebuild trust with the company’s dealers. 

Tom Narayan, analyst at RBC Capital Markets, said pricing of the group’s vehicles in the US also remained “far above historical levels”.

He added: “With the US tariff situation a key concern near term, we could envision a scenario where the new management team resets expectations lower.” The company last month withdrew its guidance for the year citing tariff uncertainty.

The board led by Elkann also looked at strong industry candidates such as Hyundai’s global chief executive José Muñoz and Mike Manley, the former Jeep boss and now the CEO of car retailer AutoNation, as well as a non-auto industry executive.

It concluded that a strong internal candidate was better suited to tackle the challenging industry environment than an outsider who could be too disruptive during a period of deep uncertainty, according to one person close to the process.

“Antonio is a proven leader who brings a hands-on approach to his work, and he believes strongly in the power of collaboration and teamwork,” Elkann wrote in a memo to employees. 

The Peugeot family group, Stellantis’s second-largest shareholder through its investment vehicle Peugeot 1810, also praised Filosa’s “close familiarity with Stellantis’s industrial culture”.

John Elkann and Antonio Filosa at the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant, Michigan
John Elkann and Antonio Filosa at the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant in Michigan. Travelling to plants across the world has been a signature part of Filosa’s career. © Stellantis

The appointment of an Italian to the head of Stellantis was welcomed by the country’s industry minister Adolfo Urso, as an “excellent choice”.

In France, Filosa’s first destination for his visits across the company’s sites following his appointment, the CFE-CGC union said in a statement that it expected the new Stellantis boss to “break with the authoritarian, cost-cutting management style of the Tavares era”. 

Filosa, who is married with two children and based in Detroit, will need to split his time between the US and Europe, while also travelling to Latin America and other markets. But travelling to plants across the world has been a signature part of his career.

“He has always been on the move,” said a person who worked with Filosa in Latin America.



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Montana athletics changes course, opts into House settlement as new era begins

BILLINGS — The plan always was for the University of Montana to opt in to the House settlement — the landmark class-action antitrust lawsuit ushering sweeping changes to NCAA Division I athletics. The Grizzlies just didn’t intend to take the plunge for the 2025-26 academic year. But Montana has since changed course, and last week […]

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BILLINGS — The plan always was for the University of Montana to opt in to the House settlement — the landmark class-action antitrust lawsuit ushering sweeping changes to NCAA Division I athletics.

The Grizzlies just didn’t intend to take the plunge for the 2025-26 academic year.

But Montana has since changed course, and last week officially joined the list of the reported 82% of D-I athletic departments agreeing to directly compensate student-athletes through revenue sharing, eliminate scholarship limits and institute roster ceilings for its 15 varsity sports.

In an interview with MTN Sports on Wednesday, Montana athletic director Kent Haslam confirmed UM’s plans and said a late change to the settlement structure regarding roster limits is what swayed the Grizzlies to change their minds.

The terms of the settlement went into effect on Tuesday.

“The initial settlement had no provision for accommodating roster limits through what’s now called ‘designated student-athletes,'” Haslam explained. “But as it unfolded, there was an opportunity to preserve our (current) roster limits by grandfathering in your current squad sizes. That completely changed our mindset.

“Like a number of institutions, we reversed course and decided to opt in for ’25-26 with this provision of managing your rosters, and being grandfathered in allows us to do that.”

According to the settlement, which was officially approved on June 6 by U.S. District Court Judge Claudia Wilken, the roster caps for certain sports are as follows: 105 for football, 15 for men’s and women’s basketball, 18 for volleyball, 28 for soccer, 25 for softball, 45 for track and field, etc.

But the Grizzlies, by virtue of being “grandfathered” into the agreement and having the ability to “designate” certain student-athletes, aren’t required to comply with the NCAA’s roster limits until those particular athletes filter out via graduation, eligibility exhaustion or by transferring or retiring.

In short, Montana isn’t faced with the tough decision of having to cut athletes from its rosters.

“What it means by being ‘designated’ is you do not count them against the roster cap,” Haslam said. “So a designated student-athlete in soccer, for example, if one of them is a senior, once she has expired her eligibility at the end of the season, then that designation is gone.”

“The roster limit for football now is 105, and we are above that,” Haslam continued. “So we will designate certain student-athletes that, as long as they are here and as long as they are competing and eligible, they won’t count against our roster limit.”

As for scholarship requirements, Montana and every other school that has opted in to the settlement can now provide full athletic financial aid to all athletes. (Note: The Big Sky Conference has instituted a 63-scholarship limit for its member football programs, retaining the status quo of previous years.)

Regarding the revenue sharing piece, athletic departments can now fundraise for and set an institutional budget as high as $20.5 million to directly compensate student-athletes. Montana and its ilk won’t ever reach that lofty budget total, but the point is that the schools themselves can now share their athletic revenue with those most responsible for generating it.

The Good Ol’ Grizzly Collective, which previously managed name, image and likeness for UM athletes, will still exist. But it can now operate in coordination with the athletic department and raise as much money as possible for athlete compensation.

Ultimately there’s too much minutiae to comb through — if the aforementioned information isn’t already too much — but Haslam believes it’s all a good thing for the Griz.

“Everything surrounding the House settlement we were ready for,” he said. “We were excited for everything around revenue sharing and scholarship and financial and how that’s restructured.

“The hesitancy was around roster limits, and once that got resolved and we could make sure that we were ready to do it, we opted in.”

Montana is just the latest among the low/mid-major/FCS athletic departments to do so. Montana State already announced its intention to opt in during the spring, and the likes of North Dakota, North Dakota State, South Dakota and South Dakota State — who were initially opting out — later changed their minds.

Underneath all of it, however, is the fact that dozens of Division I schools have cut non-revenue sports in an effort to remain competitive where the money is made. St. Francis (Pa.), which was an upset-seeker in a football game against the Grizzlies nine years ago, went so far as to drop from D-I to D-III in all sports due to financial constraints.

It’s a concern. But it is not a problem affecting the Grizzlies right now, Haslam said.

“The reason is because, to be a division one institution, you must sponsor 14 sports. So that’s your bare minimum. We sponsor 15,” he said. “The most recent one we added was softball.

“We did that to keep ourselves compliant with Title IX. And so really there’s no sport that we could cut right now, so we do not anticipate cutting any sports.”





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West Bend West Volleyball earns Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association All-Academic Team Award

West Bend, WI – The West Bend West Volleyball Team has earned the Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association All–Academic Team Award for maintaining a collective 3.68 GPA during the 2024-2025 academic year. Six team members achieved perfect 4.0 GPAs: Maddie Abel, Kylee Altendorf, Avah Banks, Amelia Dubey, Pagie Guse, and Breleigh Ustruck. This prestigious recognition requires teams to […]

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West Bend, WI – The West Bend West Volleyball Team has earned the Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association AllAcademic Team Award for maintaining a collective 3.68 GPA during the 2024-2025 academic year.

Team

Six team members achieved perfect 4.0 GPAs: Maddie Abel, Kylee Altendorf, Avah Banks, Amelia Dubey, Pagie Guse, and Breleigh Ustruck. This prestigious recognition requires teams to maintain a minimum 3.4 GPA throughout the academic year.  Congratulations to our Spartan volleyball team.  

Work or the content on WashingtonCountyInsider.com cannot be downloaded, printed, or copied. The work or content on WashingtonCountyInsider.com prohibits the end user to download, print, or otherwise distribute copies.



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Marshall University

2025 Men’s Soccer Season Tickets | Donate To Championship Fund HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall Men’s Soccer is excited to announce its 2025 schedule – a slate that features home games against many prominent programs, including Virginia Tech, Kentucky and others. The 2024 National Finalists will host 11 contests on the pitch at Hoops Family Field in the 2025 […]

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2025 Men’s Soccer Season Tickets | Donate To Championship Fund

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall Men’s Soccer is excited to announce its 2025 schedule – a slate that features home games against many prominent programs, including Virginia Tech, Kentucky and others.

The 2024 National Finalists will host 11 contests on the pitch at Hoops Family Field in the 2025 season. All home games will start at 7:15 p.m. with the exception of UCSB on September 14 which will start at 2 p.m.

Fans can attain season tickets for as little as $85. To see the limited ticket options that remain for 2025, click HERE.

The regular season gets started with a pair of games at Hoops Family Field – an Aug. 22 matchup against George Mason, followed by a highly-anticipated battle with Virginia Tech on Aug. 29.

It will mark the first time since 2002 that Virginia Tech has come to Huntington for a contest.

In addition to the Hokies, the home schedule includes a pivotal Sun Belt Conference matchup with Kentucky on Oct. 10. That contest is part of a stretch in which the Herd has three home matches in 10 days.

Other non-conference home matchups for the 2025 season include a Sept. 14 match against UCSB, who ended the 2024 season receiving votes, and Oakland (Oct. 14).

Additional conference home matches include Coastal Carolina (Sept. 19), Georgia State (Oct. 4), South Carolina (Oct. 22) and UCF (Nov. 4).

The Mountain State Derby – the annual in-state battle between Marshall and WVU – highlights the road schedule with a Halloween matchup in Morgantown on Oct. 31.

That match features two teams who have each made the NCAA College Cup in the last two seasons and will have a big impact on the SBC regular-season championship race.

Other road contests include non-conference trips to St. Johns (Sept. 5), High Point (Sept. 9) and VCU (Sept. 24) while SBC road matches include Georgia Southern (Sept. 28), James Madison (Oct. 18) and Old Dominion (Oct. 26).

The exhibition schedule for the Herd kicks off with a pair of home matches against Villanova (Aug. 9) and Radford (Aug. 11) followed by an Aug. 15 road contest at Maryland to wrap up the exhibition slate.

To donate to the Marshall Men’s Soccer Championship Fund, click HERE.

2025 Marshall Men’s Soccer Schedule

Aug. 9 Villanova, 7:15 p.m.# (Fan’s First)

Aug. 11 Radford, 7:15 p.m.#

Aug. 15 at Maryland, TBD#

Aug. 22 George Mason, 7:15 p.m.

Aug. 29 Virginia Tech, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 5 at St. Johns, 7 p.m.

Sept. 9 at High Point, 7 p.m.

Sept. 14 UCSB, 2 p.m.

Sept. 19 Coastal Carolina, 7:15 p.m.**

Sept. 24 at VCU, 7 p.m.

Sept. 28 at Georgia Southern, 7 p.m.**

Oct. 4 Georgia State, 7:15 p.m.**

Oct. 10 Kentucky, 7:15 p.m.**

Oct. 14 Oakland, 7:15 p.m.

Oct. 18 at James Madison, 7 p.m.**

Oct. 22 South Carolina, 7:15 p.m.**

Oct. 26 at Old Dominion, 7 p.m.**

Oct. 31 at West Virginia, 7 p.m.**$

Nov. 4 UCF, 7:15 p.m.**

# = Exhibition

** = SBC action

$ = Mountain State Derby

For all the latest information about Marshall Men’s Soccer, follow @HerdMSoccer on X and Instagram.

To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS and Android.

 

—HerdZone.com—



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Mount Rainier High to host free youth volleyball camp July 21–23

Highline Public Schools will host a free volleyball camp for incoming 4th through 8th grade students from July 21–23, offering local youth the chance to build skills, boost teamwork, and have fun learning the sport. The Kids Volleyball Camp will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day at Mount Rainier High School’s main gym. Open to students entering […]

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Highline Public Schools will host a free volleyball camp for incoming 4th through 8th grade students from July 21–23, offering local youth the chance to build skills, boost teamwork, and have fun learning the sport.

The Kids Volleyball Camp will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day at Mount Rainier High School’s main gym.

Open to students entering grades 4 through 8 in the 2025–26 school year, the camp includes coaching from MRHS volleyball players and staff.

“Have fun, improve your game, and be part of the MRHS volleyball community,” organizers said in an announcement.

Registration Now Open

The camp is free to attend, but space is limited and registration is required. Interested families should email Coach Kari Bell at kari.bell@highlineschools.org with the player’s name, age, 2025–26 grade level, a parent or guardian’s contact info, and T-shirt size.

Participants will receive a free T-shirt and participate in skill-building drills, games, and team activities designed to improve athleticism and sportsmanship.



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Jane Hedengren wins Gatorade Girls National Track and Field Player of the Year in surprise visit from Katelyn Tuohy

Jane Hedengren had plans to meet her future college coach for a quiet summer check-in over a cup of Joe. What she didn’t expect was a celebration. Instead of just chatting training plans with BYU coach Diljeet Taylor at a local coffee shop, the recent Timpview (Utah) graduate was greeted by family, friends and one […]

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Jane Hedengren had plans to meet her future college coach for a quiet summer check-in over a cup of Joe. What she didn’t expect was a celebration.

Instead of just chatting training plans with BYU coach Diljeet Taylor at a local coffee shop, the recent Timpview (Utah) graduate was greeted by family, friends and one of the biggest names in women’s distance running – former NC State star and professional runner Katelyn Tuohy.

That’s when Hedengren learned she’d been named the 2024-25 Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Player of the Year.

Jane Hedengren Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Player of the Year

Timpson High School (Utah) native and BYU commit Jane Hedengren has been named 2024-2025 Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Player of the Year. / Jesus Baca

“It’s a big honor,” Hedengren said. “I think there’s a lot of incredible women that are working in the country and have had some great performances this year, and so it was really exciting to receive this award and receive it from such an established track athlete herself and phenomenal person. So overall, just really excited and grateful.”

Katelyn Tuohy is widely recognized as one of the most dominant U.S. distance runners of her generation. As a high school standout, she became the first athlete ever to win both the Gatorade National Girls Cross Country and Track & Field Player of the Year awards in the same year, and went on to claim five Gatorade Player of the Year titles in total. At NC State, she earned four NCAA individual championships, set collegiate records in the indoor mile (4:24.26) and 3,000 meters (8:35.20), and helped lead the Wolfpack to a string of team national titles.

She previously presented the 2023-24 Gatorade National Girls Cross Country award to Colorado standout Addison Ritzenhein (Niwot High, Niwot Colorado), said the nerves were still there despite this being her second time delivering the surprise.

Tuohy turned pro in December 2023 by signing with Adidas, and wasted little time making an impact: she ran a 4:25.54 mile to open the 2025 indoor season, set an NCAA-era outdoor 5K personal best of 15:03.12 in 2022, and earned her first professional victory at a meet in Los Angeles.

“I was still very nervous, because I know how special this award is,” Tuohy said. “This is about Jane and her day, and I just wanted to make sure I was contributing to her special day.”

Though they had never met before the surprise, Tuohy and Hedengren quickly found common ground. With Hedengren headed to BYU and Tuohy now racing professionally, they joked that it likely won’t be the last time their paths cross on the track.

Hedengren capped off one of the best prep seasons in recent memory this spring. She shattered the national high school record in the mile at the Brooks PR Invitational with a time of 4:30.76 – breaking Polly Plumer’s iconic mark that had stood since 1982. She also won national titles in the 800 and mile at New Balance Nationals and was the only high school girl to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 1500 meters.

But despite all the wins, medals and records, it’s been the preparation behind the scenes that Hedengren said made the biggest difference.

“I tried to set up my routine in a way that positively contributed to my athletics in a seamless way,” she said. “Just coming back to the basics of really trying to dial in my nutrition and my sleep and not skipping kind of the most valuable parts of performance. And yes, like the little accessory things I was trying to do as well … but I think just having the main thing be the main thing, and trying to come into races with lots of belief and an open mind to what was possible.”

Jane Hedengren Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Player of the Year

Jane Hedengren poses for a professional photoshoot after being surprised with the 2024-2025 Gatorade Girls National Track and Field Player of the Year by Katelyn Tuohy. / Joe Greer

Hedengren, who began running through a local track group in elementary school, said the sport’s simplicity is what first pulled her in – and what continues to keep her grounded.

“You’re just out there racing, trying to get the most out of yourself,” she said. “It’s pretty amazing to have competitors to compete against and try to get the most out of one another. I think it’s really cool that you can just put in this work and kind of see where you’re heading, and that that work will speak for itself on race day.”

She credits her dad, an All-American runner himself, with helping guide her through the mental and emotional side of competition.

Her father, John D. Hendegren, was an NCAA All-American distance runner at BYU and is now a chemical engineering professor at the university. He was inducted into the BYU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015 and still holds the school record for most CoSIDA Academic All-America honors with five. She credits him with helping guide her through the ups and downs in all aspects of life.

“He’s been able to share lots of valuable lessons, and is just one step ahead of me in this whole process, or a few steps,” Hendengren said. “It’s really, really awesome to have him in my corner. A great person in my life.”

Tuohy – now a pro – said she’s confident Hedengren is ready for the next chapter at BYU.

“I kind of already understand that she’s already so dialed in doing everything correctly,” Tuohy said. “So I guess my best advice would be to continue to lean on her people and enjoy the process. When I look back at college and high school, the memories I have aren’t breaking records or running fast, it’s going on trips with my friends or just goofing around, having a great time.”

As Hedengren gets set to begin her NCAA career in the fall, she’s keeping a wide lens on her goals – focusing on gratitude and long-term growth more than short-term results.

“I want to have a good transition to college and key into that development,” she said. “It’s so vital for young women. And just taking my time with the sport. I’ve got lots of time, so I just want to enjoy myself. I want to treat those around me with kindness and respect and just, yeah, have hopefully a good college career and try to keep an open mind within racing and keep that gratitude for the sport that I love so much.”

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Marist’s Christian Teresi tops list of local volleyball All-Americans

When he was in grade school, Christian Teresi would take car rides with his father, Marty, to and from volleyball practices and matches. The soundtrack to those trips often was a particular tune: “Humble and Kind” by Tim McGraw. “He would always play that song and that’s how he raised me,” Teresi said of his father. […]

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When he was in grade school, Christian Teresi would take car rides with his father, Marty, to and from volleyball practices and matches.

The soundtrack to those trips often was a particular tune: “Humble and Kind” by Tim McGraw.

“He would always play that song and that’s how he raised me,” Teresi said of his father. “It was all about being humble.”

Even when the awards keep coming.

On June 25, both the Junior Volleyball Association and the American Volleyball Coaches Association announced their All-America teams. The Marist setter/opposite hitter from Mount Greenwood was named on the first team for both organizations.

Both Teresi and RedHawks teammate Nathen Toth made it to the JVA All-National first team for the Class of 2025.

Marist’s Briggs Corona made the JVA’s All-National team for the Class of 2027.

Teresi was also named to the first team by the AVCA, while Sandburg’s Jermiah Aro made the second team along with Toth.

Marist’s Jordan Vidovic was named the High School Coach of the Year by AVCA after leading the RedHawks to their second straight IHSA state championship and finishing second in the nation in the AVCA poll.  

Even with collecting the All-America awards, Teresi emphasized staying humble.

“A lot of people don’t even win one, so I am grateful,” Teresi said. “Both my dad and coach Vidovic have told me to be thankful for the awards but put them to the side because there is always room for improvement.

“I’m extremely happy about getting the awards, don’t get me wrong. But I feel like there is way more improvement to be done.”

The Ohio State commit finished off his Marist career with a senior season that featured 638 assists, 359 kills, 212 digs, 86 blocks and 28 aces.

His career assist total of 3,258 is third on the  IHSA all-time list. Second is Vidovic, who had 3,704 for Brother Rice from 2002-2005.

“It’s been a fun road,” Vidovic said of coaching Teresi. “His first couple of years were eerily similar to my experience as a player. We both started playing volleyball at such a young age. We had similar freshman seasons and we had similar sophomore seasons.

“To get to challenge him to further that, I remember my own experience and I told him, ‘You gotta avoid this and you gotta avoid that buckle down on this.’ To get to work together was fun the last two years to get over the hump in some ways because I was in similar situations.”

Vidovic is also glad for Toth and Corona.

“To have multiple capable players like that kind of explains the season,” he said. “It’s pretty cool for them to enjoy that together. To see them get recognized across the board basically is just another great cap on the season. It’s well-deserved.”

Teresi, Toth, Marist’s Delvin Biggs, Sandburg’s Will Ashim and Oak Lawn’s Oisin Walsh have their eyes on a national championship.

They were scheduled to open play for the Adversity South club this week in the AAU Boys National Volleyball Championships in the 18 Open division. That’s the top division in the tournament. 



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