Tournament Brings 665 Youth Volleyball Teams to Los Angeles Convention Center

The SoCal Cup, the leading series of national boys volleyball events, brought its massive ‘The Showcase’ tournament to the Los Angeles Convention Center this past Father’s Day weekend, resulting in the largest SoCal Cup event so far this year.

Owned and operated by AIM Sports Group, the three-day event drew 665 boys club volleyball teams across various age groups (12U through 18U) from all over the U.S. and beyond, driven to compete for what has become the ultimate bragging right in the sport. The SoCal Cup hosts three annual national events: this past week’s SoCal Cup Showcase, the SoCal Cup Winter Formal event in December and the SoCal Cup Open Championship in January. SoCal Cup also operates regional league tournaments throughout the year.

The Showcase event, which filled the Los Angeles Convention Center, drew a crowd of about 65,000 across the three-day event, made up of a multi-generational audience of athletes, families and spectators. With attendee well-being top of mind, AIM took extra security and safety precautions in collaboration with LAPD and the L.A. Convention Center to make sure the event was safe and seamless and that local and visiting clubs and their supporters were comfortable.

“Our SoCal Cup events continue to expand year over year, nurturing the exponential growth of boys volleyball as a sport,” said AIM Sports Group Founder John Gallegos. “We anticipate continued interest with the Olympic Games coming to L.A. in less than three years. Our mix of providing the highest-level competition, innovative technology and a genuinely entertaining experience for fans is a recipe designed to elevate youth sports for generations to come.”

Gallegos shared that AIM Sports Group is doubling down on supporting boys volleyball (and beyond) by investing in tech innovations focused on enhancing the day-to-day experience for athletes, athlete families, coaches and clubs.

“We launched a preview of our AIM+ tech platform at The Showcase to test engagement and gather real-time feedback, and the response exceeded our expectations,” said Gallegos. “This was a crucial step in validating our product-market fit. As AIM+ evolves, we see it becoming more than a product. It’s a tech-forward media and content platform designed to shape the future of youth sports.”

Gallegos noted that the AIM+ platform will be officially released and made available this fall.

“The level of competition displayed at this year’s Showcase was at an all-time high,” added AIM Sports Group Executive Director of Volleyball Ali’i Keohohou. “Having 665 club teams from across the country all playing under one roof, competing at the highest level, is a spectacle to behold. We continue to host the best teams in the country – competing in front of audiences that include many, if not all, Division 1 men’s college programs.”

Information sourced from AIM Sports. Learn more by contacting pwilliams@roxunited.com.

Three Border water polo players are set to make waves on the international stage in two weeks when they leave to represent SA at the World Aquatic Championships in Singapore.

Chloe Meecham, Hannah Weppelman and Tumi Macdonell are part of the side that will represent the country from July 11 to August 3.

It will be a tough campaign for team SA in pool D against Spain and France, with Spain fresh from their Olympic gold win in Paris.

The SA women’s team finished 14th at World Champs last year, just two positions shy of last place. Coach Dean Whyte, who is also director of aquatics at St David’s Marist Inanda in Johannesburg, believes this year’s side has the capacity to better that — especially with the experience and work rate that the three Border stalwarts are bringing to the team.

Whyte said Meecham brings an unmatched level of experience and positivity to the side. He said Weppelman is a solid presence in the centre forward position with a tireless work rate and Macdonnell is the engine behind the team’s speed.

Whyte believes the trio’s emergence into the national side is a testament to their dedication given that player’s from provinces with more robust water polo structures, unlike in Border, have an easier time racking up the game play mileage needed to develop into strong national competitors.

Whyte said: “Our team is full of national level quality players and our strategy this year is to bring out the fight in our opponents. Where we can win, we are aiming for a win but our main goal is to get convincingly competitive margins in our games.

“Our side is young and our objective is use the World Champs this year as the foundation for further international campaigns. SA is one of the few amateur sides in the competition because we don’t have access to frequent international playing opportunities that the other teams have.

“Our facilities are limited and we don’t have huge reserves of corporate support for the sport.

“We are in a building phase but we have ladies who are keen to work hard, including Chloe, Hannah and Tumi, and prove themselves with each international competition they are in.”

Meecham is steadily inching towards a decorated career with her appearance in Singapore marking five campaigns for SA on the World Aquatic and Olympics stage. She said: “It is an honour to represent SA because no matter how many tournaments I attend; it still feels like the first time. My goal for Singapore and for the rest of my career is to play the best I can.”

Weppelman, a celebrated coach from Nelson Mandela Bay and Kingswood Junior School has been hard at work pushing through injury and illness to stay match fit and game aware.

She said: “I want us to use the World Champs as a stepping stone to keep building and improving together. I really hope we can support each other and play as one unit rather than as individuals.

Macdonell has been in the senior ranks of the national circuit since she was in high school and with a robust background in international playing she brings a wealth of experience to the set up.

She said: “My goals are just to try and learn something new at Worlds this year and for us to grow as a team. This is an incredible opportunity and I want us to make the most of it as we all work towards making the Olympics in 2028.”

The SA women’s and men’s sides will have much ground to cover to salvage the country’s reputation after the U20’s placed 19th at U20 World Aquatics in Croatia this past weekend.

The newly minted association, SA Water Polo (SAWP) believes poor performances in water polo on the international stage is a result of 20 years of maladministration in the sport by national aquatic federation, Swimming SA (SSA).

Following legal spats between the two, the Cape Town High Court ruled on June 18 that SAWP has the right apply for recognition at World Aquatics to manage water polo in SA contrary to what SSA had hoped for. SAWP members have told GO!&Express they are in the process of launching their applications and believe this is the best way forward for the sport.

Disagreeing, SSA’s Alan Fritz said: “Water polo has over the last 30 years been performing below our potential. The eco system of water polo in terms of the development continuum is fragmented and SSA has plans to address this fragmentation.

“Since readmission into world sport, 32 years ago, the base of aquatic sport, including water polo, has always been too narrow for a country with such talent. This change is an objective of SSA for many years and the need to focus on facilities has become our number one objective.”

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HICKORY, N.C. – The Lenoir-Rhyne Track & Field Teams have placed a total of 10 individuals on the CSC Academic All-District Team, with five coming from the men’s side and five from the women’s. 

The 2025 Academic All-District® Men’s Track & Field teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the track, in the field, and in the classroom.

Individuals named on the men’s side were Malachi Carter, Jacob Parkinson, Steven Phan, Isaac Riggs, and Liam Sutton. Being named on the women’s side were Elizabeth Kessler, Miranda Marr, Savannah Nippa, Damyja Ortiz, and Kimberley Owens. 

Due to their combined performances on the track and in the classroom, Marr and Ortiz have been named finalists for the Academic All-American ballot, which will be announced on July 15th. 

Eligible nominees were be based off TFRRS regional performance rankings at the time of nomination. Student-athletes must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically. An undergraduate student-athlete must have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale). A graduate student-athlete must have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) as both an undergraduate and a grad student unless they are in their first semester as a graduate student and don’t have an established graduate GPA. The cumulative grade point average may not be rounded up to 3.50.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama volleyball announced its complete 2025 schedule Thursday, as head coach Rashinda Reed enters her fourth season at the helm of the Crimson Tide.

In addition to the SEC slate that was released in April, the Crimson Tide’s schedule includes two home tournaments as well as a pair of road trips to Chattanooga and North Alabama. A midweek matchup against Wake Forest on Sept. 10 will also serve as part of the inaugural Showdown at the Net series between the SEC and the ACC.

Television broadcast information will be announced at a later date. All game dates and times are subject to change.

2025 ALABAMA VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE

• Sept. 29 vs. UNC Asheville – 12:30 p.m. CT – Tuscaloosa, Ala.
• Sept. 29 vs. Jacksonville – 7 p.m. CT – Tuscaloosa, Ala.
• Sept. 30 vs. UAB – 3 p.m. CT – Tuscaloosa, Ala.
• Sept. 5 at Chattanooga – 5 p.m. CT – Chattanooga, Tenn.
• Sept. 6 vs. Cincinnati – 2 p.m. CT – Chattanooga, Tenn.
• Sept. 10 vs. Wake Forest (Showdown at the Net) – 5 p.m. CT – Tuscaloosa, Ala.
• Sept. 13 vs. Western Carolina – 1 p.m. CT – Florence, Ala.
• Sept. 14 at North Alabama – TBD – Florence, Ala.
• Sept. 18 vs. Memphis – 6 p.m. CT – Tuscaloosa, Ala.
• Sept. 20 vs. UCF – 5 p.m. CT – Tuscaloosa, Ala.
• Sept. 26 at Auburn – 6 p.m. CT – Auburn, Ala.
• Sept. 28 at Florida – 12 p.m. CT – Gainesville, Fla.
• Oct. 3 at Mississippi State – 6 p.m. CT – Starkville, Miss.
• Oct. 5 vs. Texas A&M – 2 p.m. CT – Tuscaloosa, Ala.
• Oct. 10 vs. LSU – 5 p.m. CT – Tuscaloosa, Ala.
• Oct. 12 vs. Texas – 2 p.m. CT – Tuscaloosa, Ala.
• Oct. 17 at Georgia – 6 p.m. CT – Athens, Ga.
• Oct. 19 at South Carolina – TBD – Columbia, S.C.
• Oct. 24 vs. Tennessee – 6 p.m. CT – Tuscaloosa, Ala.
• Oct. 26 vs. Kentucky – 2 p.m. CT – Tuscaloosa, Ala.
• Oct. 31 at Ole Miss – TBD – Oxford, Miss.
• Nov. 5 at Arkansas – 6 p.m. CT – Fayetteville, Ark.
• Nov. 7 at Oklahoma – TBD – Norman, Okla.
• Nov. 14 vs. Vanderbilt – 6 p.m. CT – Tuscaloosa, Ala.
• Nov. 16 vs. Missouri – 2 p.m. CT – Tuscaloosa, Ala.
• Nov. 21-25 at SEC Tournament (Savannah, Ga.)

On Thursday, the MIAC announced its 2024-25 Winter and Spring Academic All-Conference honorees, including 1,418 student-athletes. Combined with the 870 fall-sport athletes honored in January, the overall total of Academic All-MIAC selections for the 2024-25 academic year sets a new Conference high of 2,288, surpassing the previous record of 2,135, established last June.

The latest Academic All-Conference list spotlights more than 1,400 examples of student-athletes achieving excellence without compromise. This is the fourth consecutive June in which the MIAC’s overall Academic All-Conference list has exceeded 2,000 student-athletes. Seven sports matched or broke their single-season records, including men’s track & field (203), baseball (168), softball (127), men’s hockey (116), women’s basketball (85), men’s swimming & diving (65), and women’s golf (49). 

Additional sport totals included women’s track & field (214), women’s swimming & diving (102), women’s hockey (95), women’s tennis (66), men’s tennis (54), men’s basketball (47), and men’s golf (27). For the full 2024-25 academic year, eleven MIAC sports matched or surpassed their single-season Academic All-Conference record, while six more finished within single digits of their all-time high.

To qualify for Academic All-MIAC status, student-athletes must be sophomores, juniors, or seniors by academic standards with a minimum cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale. Students must also complete one full-time academic year at their current institution before becoming eligible for the honor. An athlete must be a member of a MIAC-sponsored varsity sports team, be academically and athletically eligible, have utilized a season of participation per NCAA and MIAC definitions, and have remained on the sports roster through the conclusion of the sports season to be eligible for Academic All-Conference honors.

The 2024-25 MIAC Academic All-Conference honorees can be found here, listed alphabetically by sport and then by institution. To see all-time honorees, please visit the MIAC Academic All-Conference archives.

When Amber McClain dove face-first into an aluminum bleacher to save one point during the championship match in the AAU Girls Junior National Volleyball Championships, she illustrated perfectly (and dangerously) just how determined the Winter Park Volleyball Club 17 Armour Black team was to win a national title for the first time.

Spectators in the stands gasped when the Winter Park High rising senior leaped over a soft padded barrier to punch the ball back into the court before crashing onto the bottom-row seating. She didn’t cry. She didn’t stop. She popped back up to her feet and scurried back onto the court to help finish the point, then staggered to the bench to be attended to by an athletic trainer at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center.

“All I was thinking about was keeping the point alive,” McClain said afterward. “And keeping us on track for the national championship.”

Mission accomplished.

McClain had a battle-wound bandage on her forehead when she returned to play. She wore a big smile and later a gold medal as one of the 10 girls on WPVCs 17 Open AAU title team.

Winter Park was leading 17-12 in the second set when McClain made her crash landing. WVCA finished a 25-21, 25-20 Tuesday victory over Far Out 17 of Grand Rapids, Michigan. That secured the first AAU girls Open division championship for a club born in 2011 as a little sister to established Orlando area travel team programs such as Orlando Tampa Volleyball Academy, Top Select and Game Point Volleyball.

W​​PVC 2025 17 Armour Black player Amelia Mancino, (5) spikes the ball during the AAU Girls Volleyball Nationals Tournament in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

W​​PVC 17 Armour Black players celebrate their 2025 Open 17 Division AAU National Championship win during the AAU Girls Volleyball Nationals Tournament in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

W​​PVC 2025 17 Armour Black player Isabella Umpire, (17) spikes the ball for the match winning point to win the 2025 Open 17 Division AAU National Championship in the AAU Girls Volleyball Nationals Tournament in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

W​​PVC 2025 17 Armour Black players Amelia Mancino, (5), left and Katelyn Landis, (18) block a shot during the AAU Girls Volleyball Nationals Tournament in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

W​​PVC 2025 17 Armour Black’s Amber McClain, (11) prepares to spike the ball during the AAU Girls Volleyball Nationals Tournament in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

W​​PVC 2025 17 Armour Black player Paige Lehman, (21) bumps the ball during the AAU Girls Volleyball Nationals Tournament in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

W​​PVC 2025 17 Armour Black players celebrate a point during the AAU Girls Volleyball Nationals Tournament in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

W​​PVC 2025 17 Armour Black players celebrate their 2025 Open 17 Division AAU National Championship win during the AAU Girls Volleyball Nationals Tournament in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

W​​PVC 2025 17 Armour Black player Amelia Mancino, (5) prepares to serve the ball during the AAU Girls Volleyball Nationals Tournament in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

W​​PVC 2025 17 Armour Black player Isabel Bertelsen, (14) serves the ball during the AAU Girls Volleyball Nationals Tournament in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

W​​PVC 2025 17 Armour Black players Katelyn Landis, (18) comes off the court during the AAU Girls Volleyball Nationals Tournament in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

W​​PVC 2025 17 Armour Black player Paige Lehman, (21) high fives teammates during the AAU Girls Volleyball Nationals Tournament in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

W​​PVC 2025 17 Armour Black head coach Matthew Jackson coaches the players in a time out during the AAU Girls Volleyball Nationals Tournament in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

W​​PVC 2025 17 Armour Black player Elle Mottola, (8) sets the ball during the AAU Girls Volleyball Nationals Tournament in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

W​​PVC 2025 17 Armour Black player Isabella Umpierre, (17) prepares to serve the ball during the AAU Girls Volleyball Nationals Tournament in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

W​​PVC 2025 17 Armour Black player Paige Lehman, (21) bumps the ball during the AAU Girls Volleyball Nationals Tournament in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

W​​PVC 2025 17 Armour Black player Amelia Mancino, (5) prepares to serve the ball during the AAU Girls Volleyball Nationals Tournament in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

W​​PVC 2025 17 Armour Black coach Wylie Devlin, coaches the players during the AAU Girls Volleyball Nationals Tournament in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

W​​PVC 2025 17 Armour Black player Maddey Cruse, (2) serves the ball during the AAU Girls Volleyball Nationals Tournament in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

W​​PVC 2025 17 Armour Black’s Amber McClain, (11) dives and saves the ball during the AAU Girls Volleyball Nationals Tournament in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. McCain suffered a cut on her head after the play but returned to play in the match. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel) (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

W​​PVC 2025 17 Armour Black’s Amber McClain, (11) returns to the court after diving and saving the ball during the AAU Girls Volleyball Nationals Tournament in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. McCain suffered a cut on her head after the play but returned to play in the match. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

W​​PVC 2025 17 Armour Black’s Amber McClain, (11) sheds a tear after diving off the court and saving the ball during the AAU Girls Volleyball Nationals Tournament in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. McCain suffered a cut on her head after the play but returned to play in the match. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

W​​PVC 2025 17 Armour Black player Paige Lehman, (21) celebrates a point during the AAU Girls Volleyball Nationals Tournament in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

W​​PVC 2025 17 Armour Black player Elle Mottola, (8) sets the ball during the AAU Girls Volleyball Nationals Tournament in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

W​​PVC 2025 17 Armour Black head coach Matthew Jackson coaches the players during the AAU Girls Volleyball Nationals Tournament in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

W​​PVC 2025 17 Armour Black players and coaches celebrate their 2025 Open 17 Division AAU National Championship win during the AAU Girls Volleyball Nationals Tournament in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

W​​PVC 2025 17 Armour Black players and coaches celebrate their 2025 Open 17 Division AAU National Championship win during the AAU Girls Volleyball Nationals Tournament in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

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W​​PVC 2025 17 Armour Black player Amelia Mancino, (5) spikes the ball during the AAU Girls Volleyball Nationals Tournament in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

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