Illini Elite Volleyball Club

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1 Illini Elite Volleyball Club 3 Quest Drive, Unit #209 Bloomington, IL Ph: (309) Fax: (309) October 23, 2016 Dear Parents and Athletes: Welcome to the Illini Elite Training Center and informational meeting for the Illini Elite Volleyball Program. We hold this informational meeting at the start of each club season for all potential players and their parents so everyone can make an educated decision about where to play club volleyball. Our programs have grown to include over 65 Illini Elite teams in various age divisions with over 650 players and coaches. Over the last 17 years, Illini Elite has grown to be one of the largest volleyball clubs in Illinois by membership and is widely regarded as the premier volleyball club in Central Illinois for developing youth volleyball players. Illini Elite is well recognized and well respected nationally in the junior volleyball community as well as among college coaches and programs across the country. The choice to play club volleyball can be, at times, a demanding commitment not only for the players, but also for the parents and families. The Illini Elite programs have a great deal to offer each athlete and throughout this packet, we hope to show that Illini Elite is worthy of that commitment. If you understand the core beliefs of this organization, then it will be much easier to understand how and why we do things the way we do them. At Illini Elite, our programs strive to develop each and every athlete in every area of volleyball to the best of their ability. Our philosophies in regard to the methods and teaching the techniques of all of the basic skills, as well as our practice planning and implementation are different from other clubs in the area. We hope to help you understand why we think our program has great things to offer each and every athlete. We also hope that as a result of this meeting, everyone will be able to understand that Illini Elite is a club volleyball program and not just a collection of club volleyball teams and coaches. Our goal is, and will always be, to provide the best club experience for our athletes and develop their skills as volleyball players and their integrity as young adults. While athletics are something we participate in while we are young, the lessons learned from athletics can and should last a lifetime. While many of our players simply want to be the best they can be for their junior high and/or high school teams, some of our high school athletes are preparing for competition at the collegiate level. There is no arguing the fact that Illini Elite players have experienced unparalleled success in both the junior high and high school settings in central Illinois. At the same time, our club players and teams have experienced that same success nationally as well as at the college level. We hope to continue our efforts of bringing a new level of volleyball excellence to Central Illinois with your participation. We hope that all of you find Illini Elite to be an excellent program, worthy of your support for the club volleyball season. Sincerely, Andy Erins Club Director Joe Sanders Expansion Director Mike Bolhuis Associate Director

2 ILLINI ELITE PROGRAM PHILOSOPHY - Why choose Illini Elite VBC? Illini Elite is different from other clubs that you may have been involved in for several reasons. Not only is Illini Elite the only club in Central Illinois with its own training facility, but more importantly, Illini Elite is set up as a complete program that allows players to develop and grow as athletes, volleyball players and young adults as they continue with the club. The Illini Elite Volleyball program is completely dedicated to providing its athletes with the technical, tactical and physical training needed to reach their highest possible potential. We strive to help each and every player achieve their maximum performance regardless of age or ability. For the young player we want to develop a solid base of fundamental skill, as well as a passion for the sport. As players get older and progress through the program, we want to provide the path to a level of excellence that allows each and every athlete to test their own limitations. We understand that we are providing a service to you, the players and parents, not the other way around. This understanding is what drives us to provide the best possible club experience for everyone involved. For those that have not been involved with Illini Elite before, we have explained several key aspects of our philosophy below which makes Illini Elite the right club volleyball choice. Focus on Skill Development - The BEST reason for choosing Illini Elite is that we understand and embrace the idea that the purpose of club volleyball is to assist players in training and developing their individual skills and techniques. This is why we focus the vast majority of our training time on developing the player rather than developing the team. Yes, we want our teams to be successful, but not at the expense of developing the individual players. We feel that good players can and will become a good team if trained properly and given the opportunity to succeed. When athletes are young, it is easy for players and parents to make the mistake of getting caught up in trying to find the best team to play on or trying to play with their friends. In the search to play on the best team, however, players often overlook the most important element of long-term growth in the sport of volleyball, which is the training and development of individual skills. College coaches do not recruit elite teams; they recruit elite players with elite skills. By providing the best available training and developing the skills of each athlete, we can provide the best possible club volleyball experience for our athletes. As written above, the Illini Elite Volleyball program is completely dedicated to providing its athletes with the technical, tactical and physical training needed to reach their highest possible potential. Master Coach Concept - This type of training allows each athlete to receive the same comprehensive training as everyone else in her age group regardless of individual or team skill level. In most clubs, each athlete is at the mercy of his or her individual coaches technical, tactical and physical understanding of the sport of volleyball. If this is the case, practices can be poorly organized, inefficiently executed and often fail to give each player the chance to reach his or her full potential. At Illini Elite, we have adopted the master coach concept to ensure that this does not happen. The master coach is in charge of developing and implementing the practice plan for all of the athletes and making sure that all of the involved coaches understand the practice plan, thereby assuring each athlete the same high quality training during practice. Yes, there is position specific training as well (i.e. setters, middle hitters, defensive specialist, etc.), but with this concept, it can be accomplished simultaneously if all of the coaches are working together under the same plan. Systematic Approach to Training - We have developed a volleyball program, not just a club with a collection of teams and coaches. One of the problems that exists in youth volleyball, especially in this area, is the lack of consistency in regard to teaching the basic skills. It is not uncommon for young players to have several different coaches teaching them the skills many different ways over the course of their youth and junior playing days. In our program, all of the coaches, in every age level and every team, must learn to teach all of the basic skills with the same techniques and methods that we have been using for years with a great deal of success. In doing so, players can continue to develop and improve each year and build on what they learn each season instead of starting over again each year with a new coach. We understand that player development is an ongoing process over a period of time and we try to teach each skill systematically and efficiently with the player's long-term growth, development and health as primary objectives. Our program is modeled, in part, after the Sports Performance Volleyball Club's training program, which as many of you know, is recognized as the premier volleyball club in the country for developing youth and junior volleyball players. 2 P a g e

3 Life Lessons to Learn Over the years we have learned that when a group of people make a commitment to do something great, success usually follows. Words and concepts such as Hard Work, Commitment, Sacrifice, Responsibility, Accountability, Dedication and Perseverance have great value not only in athletics, but all areas of our lives. These are the concepts that allow people to succeed. It seems more and more parents and athletes approach athletics with a sense of entitlement. They believe that the concepts above do not apply to them and that they are entitled to a position or entitled to success. Athletics, just like the real world, do not operate that way. Success, either individual or team, is only accomplished by understanding, believing and applying those ever important concepts listed above. Through their participation in sports, young athletes learn lessons about themselves and others, which will carry over throughout every aspect of their lives. As young student-athletes, they must learn the most efficient ways to use time and energy to manage schoolwork, family, practice, social life, etc. They must learn about setting priorities, setting goals and striving to achieve those goals while at the same time understanding that success comes in the pursuit of excellence. At times it seems that we all have forgotten that future success almost always comes from past failures. Part of becoming a successful adult is learning to deal with failure as a child. That is how we grow. That is how we learn. There is nothing noble about falling down, but getting back up each and every time is one of the most important qualities we can teach. Winning is fun, but losing is often much more valuable and the lessons we learn from that eventually shapes us into winners. As coaches, we know that the lessons learned from making a commitment, being part of a team and making some sacrifices in a program like ours can be carried over into other aspects of our athletes' lives. We want our players to understand what it really means to be part of a program, part of a team and what the words TEAM and TEAMMATE really stand for - a group of people who share a common goal together and understand and agree to make the sacrifices necessary to make that goal become a reality. These athletes learn that individual needs are sometimes put aside for the good of the team or the team is destined for failure. We realize this goes against today s SportsCenter mentality where individuals have become bigger than their teams, but we also know that individual glory takes a backseat to team success every time. Being a part of a team within a larger program and making sacrifices and commitments to help that team achieve success is possibly the greatest single lesson to be learned from athletics. Full-time director and full-time staff Andy Erins is the full-time director of Illini Elite and is involved in all aspects of the club and its operations. Joe Sanders has been working full-time for Illini Elite since the early years and is in charge of the Expansion program while assisting with all aspects of the club and our facility. Mike Bolhuis was hired in the fall of 2016 to assist with all aspects of the club including coordinating our social media, coaching camps/clinics, and other day to day operations. Typically, club coaches and club directors have other full-time jobs requiring their attention every day. This can often prevent them from putting in the time that these athletes deserve. As full-time directors, it is our job to make sure that each practice, regardless of the age level or skill level, is prepared and ready to be implemented and that all other matters regarding the club are taken care of regularly. We also ask that all parent/player issues and communications go through both Andy and/or Joe before going to the individual coaches. This (and our 24-hour rule) will be discussed in depth at the Parent/Player meetings after tryouts. For our athletes looking to play in college, we are also a resource for any and all questions regarding the college search and the recruiting process. Illini Elite Training Center In October of 2004, Illini Elite opened its own dedicated full-service volleyball facility with 5 volleyball courts, a strength training area for our in-house strength/conditioning programs for our Elite players, a concession area (for our tournaments) and a staffed office to provide our club players and parents, as well as the community, all of their volleyball needs. We offer private lessons, various skill and specialty clinics, summer camps, leagues and much more. Our facility provides the training environment needed for Illini Elite to continue its past success and growth. This type of environment is very helpful in developing a training atmosphere and sense of pride, where players learn to understand that they are not just playing for a team, but rather an entire program. It also allows our coaches and players to learn from each other on a daily basis and share ideas since we are all practicing at the same time and all working together. Illini Elite Volleyball, Inc. became an independent company four seasons ago. Illini Elite had been a part of GLV/Sports Performance since our inception in 1998 and the time had come for us to start a new chapter and become independent. We would not be where we are today without the help and support of the people at GLV/Sports Performance and we hope to build on our third complete year on our own. 3 P a g e

4 Tryout Registration Instructions For those who have not played at Illini Elite in the past - we are a JVA (Junior Volleyball Association) and AAU club so you do not have to register and/or pay for a USA Volleyball membership in order to tryout and participate at Illini Elite. All tryout registration and JVA Release/Liability and Medical forms must be completed online. Please be sure to read the instructions in order to complete your registration. Tryout Registration Instructions: - Please DO NOT wait until the last minute when registering. We will be making our lists the Saturday prior to the tryout to prepare for Sunday. Waiting until the last minute could cause issues. - If you already have an AllPlayers.com account and have registered for prior programs you NEED TO MAKE SURE YOUR DAUGHTER'S GRADE IS CORRECT. While the system should require you to enter it again, please check to be sure it is correct. Steps: 1) Create an AllPlayers.com login and account. If you have already done this, you can go to Step 2. To create an account, simply go to the tryout registration link below and click Register for this Group. When asked if you have an AllPlayers.com login, you can select No and create one. Once you have created your account, you then must go back and start over by clicking the tryout registration link from this page or from our website on the tryout page. NOTE: CREATING THE ALLPLAYERS.COM LOGIN DOES NOT REGISTER YOU FOR ANYTHING. IT ONLY ALLOWS YOU TO ACCESS THE REGISTRATION SYSTEM TO REGISTER FOR TRYOUTS. 2) Register for tryouts. To register for tryouts click here: Follow the instructions on that page. PLEASE BE SURE TO SELECT THE CORRECT PROGRAM - ELITE or EXPANSION. If you have a previous AllPlayers.com login, please be sure to check your player s grade. The system should require you to input this even if you have registered before. 3) After registering for tryouts, you must go back and complete the JVA player forms online. This process now occurs through SportsEngine.com instead of AllPlayers.com. The direct link to complete the Illini Elite JVA player forms is: Step 1- Select sign up on the page the link brings you to. Step 2- Enter your information with a valid . Step 3- Activate your account through the you receive at the address you entered and select continue. Step 4- When it asks who are you registering?, select a new player. Step 5- Enter all of your player s information. When you get to the section that asks for Organization, enter Illini Elite for Organization AND Team. For the club, select Illini Elite VBC from the drop down list. Step 6- Enter parent information. Step 7- Enter information for waiver, emergency contact, and medical information. Step 8- Select Review and if the information is all correct, select submit. Each season, there are parents/players who do one or the other, but not both. Please be sure to check that you have completed both the Tryout Registration AND the JVA Player Forms. 4 P a g e

5 What s new for the Illini Elite season? Social Media/New Mailing List In January of 2014, Illini Elite began streaming and distributing information via social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter. These are great resources for our parents and players to view program updates/news, tournament information/changes, practice changes, college commitments, alumni information/accomplishments, player and team recognition and much, much more. In the Fall of 2015 we added a professional mailing list service to be able to send out updates on programs, important information/notices and more. If you have not signed up yet for the mailing list, please do so from the link on our front page. You can also scan the QR code below from your mobile device which will take you directly to our mailing list sign-up form. Facebook: Twitter: Mailing list QR Scan Code: Elite program changes There are only a few slight changes to the Elite program this year. o We are currently in discussions with SportsRecruits.com to assist all of our players and the club as a whole with recruiting. We have not finalized anything and are still learning about their platform and whether we think it will be beneficial for our players looking to play in college. o We remain partnered with Mizuno to be our Elite team apparel provider. While we have used Mizuno products since our inception, we were not an official Mizuno club until two seasons ago. Players will be able to use the same uniforms that we have had for the last few seasons, but the warm-up jackets will be different. The uniform breakdown is explained later in the packet. o The Elite program will once again partner with the Warbird Academy to help us with our strength and conditioning program. The Warbird Academy specializes in strength training as well as shoulder health/stability ( Each player will receive a shoulder band and shoulder program for at-home use (included in the uniform fee) and the Warbird Academy has structured our strength training at the end of our practices for the long term growth and health of our players. o All Elite teams will be attending the JVA Mid-Year event this year in Louisville, KY on April 7-9. Expansion program changes There should not be any significant changes to the Expansion program this year. We may once again, utilize AES Advanced Event Systems for our tournament scheduling and results if an event is rather large. Their website is and we will have links on our website and social media outlets that will direct you there for the event schedules that will use AES. Most of the time, however, we will post the schedules on our website and have results posted on the pool boards on our wall in the gym. 5 P a g e

6 Frequently Asked Questions What do I need to bring to tryouts? As stated above, all players must register online for tryouts and complete the JVA forms online (please read/follow the instructions page for proper registration). At the tryout sign-in time, we will verify that you have registered and completed the JVA forms online and we will have a short general information sheet to be filled out. We will not collect any payments at tryouts. The accounting paperwork and other information will be done at the parent/player meetings the week of November 14 th after tryouts. Do I need to tryout for both programs? If I tryout for Elite and don t make it, can I play Expansion? Players only need to tryout for one program. If a player has the interest and desire to play on one of the Elite teams, they should tryout for Elite. Any player not selected for the Elite program will automatically be placed in the Expansion program unless they inform us of other plans. Can I still make an Elite team if I did not play here last year? Absolutely. We have an OPEN tryout for everyone and anyone. Each season is a new season and a fresh start. New players are ALWAYS welcome! Can athletes participate in other sports? The common misconception is that athletes cannot participate in our Elite program if they play another sport. This is not true. Elite program athletes are allowed to play other sports. Our practice and competition schedules are already in place for our whole season so if they are playing another sport, they can see potential conflicts and make proper arrangements. We do ask that players inform us if they are participating in another sport that might include some conflicts so we can make any necessary adjustments for them and their teams. Some athletes have chosen to play collegiate volleyball as a goal and they must understand that serious training and competition is necessary for a player to reach their potential and possibly achieve that goal. The Expansion program is also in place for those multi-sport athletes that still want the club volleyball experience, but may be involved with multiple sports and activities at this time. How many players are on each team? We strive to have 10 players on each team at all levels and all age groups. More than 10 makes it difficult for coaches to give all players playing time and less than 10 can result in teams being short players in case of injury and/or conflicts. Do all players get equal playing time? There is no such thing as equal playing time in volleyball. Volleyball is different from other sports in that it is not a timed game; there are no innings, no quarters or halves to base playing time. Due to the nature and speed of the game, you cannot judge time by rotations or points either. We understand that all players practice so they can play in games. We strive to give all players fair playing time based on practice, ability, attendance, skills, positions, situations, etc. How/when are teams selected? We always wait to make the actual teams until we can get into practice and see the players in the practice environment. For players trying out for an Elite team, they will know that night if they made an Elite team, but we will not make the teams until sometime in early/mid-december. All players who try out for the Expansion program will make a team, but teams will not be announced until mid-december. This gives us the opportunity to properly evaluate all of the players fairly. What happens after tryouts? When are the mandatory parent/player meetings? The week after the Elite tryouts is set aside for our mandatory parent/player meetings. These meetings are required for all players/parents. This is when we will collect payments, forms, do uniform sizing (Elite players), discuss the rules/guidelines for players and parents, inform everyone of important season information, etc. At least one parent and the player must attend one of the meetings and we ve listed the dates/times here so everyone can plan accordingly. Monday, November 14 th, 5:30 PM: Expansion Program Meeting for NEW players and all 15U players Tuesday, November 15 th, 5:30 PM: Expansion Program Meeting for all RETURNING 16U-18U players Wednesday, November 16 th, 5:30 PM: Elite Program Meeting for all NEW players and all 15U players Thursday, November 17 th, 5:30 PM: Elite Program Meeting for all RETURNING 16U-18U players How many teams will we have in each program/age group? For the Expansion program, we will have as many teams as needed to accommodate the number of players at tryouts. Last season we had 21 total teams (7-17U/18U teams, 7-16U teams, 7-15U teams). The number of teams in the Elite program is based on the number and level of players attending tryouts. We usually have 9-10 teams in the Elite program, typically divided into 3 teams in the 15U age group, 3 teams in the 16U age groups and 3-4 teams in the 17U/18U age group. 6 P a g e

7 What role do the parents play at Illini Elite? The landscape of youth sports has changed quite dramatically in the last decade in regard to parent behavior and parent actions. We will address these issues in depth at the mandatory parent/player meeting after tryouts, but felt it necessary to include something here. We want all of our parents to enjoy the experience of club volleyball with their daughters. All we ask is that parents remember who the adults are and to ALWAYS show good sportsmanship with what you say and how you act to support your daughter and her team in a positive manner. Parents should NEVER speak negatively towards or about a teammate, a coach or an opposing player. You too are representing Illini Elite as much as the players are EXPANSION PROGRAM INFORMATION The Expansion program has always been geared towards those athletes who wish to participate in club volleyball and improve their skills for their high school seasons without the extensive time commitment and/or cost. Expansion teams practice two days per week during the season. Teams will compete in our Central Division (CD) Tournament Events held at our facility here in Bloomington. Each season we try to also set up potential co-op type events with other area clubs such as Prime Time and/or Central Illinois Elite. We strive to give the Expansion players competitive matches while at the same time trying to finish the season early enough to avoid the potential spring sport conflicts. We realize that during the season there may be some school sport conflicts with some practices and the occasional Saturday events so we are willing to work with the players regarding those conflicts. The complete competition schedule is listed for each age group in this packet. In the past, we have had some Expansion teams play up in divisions if we feel that they need to be challenged more or if the competition suits their needs. The Expansion season will conclude after their final competition date scheduled to be the Central Finale on March 4-5 for the 17U/18U age groups and March for the 15U/16U age groups. All of the competition dates listed on the competition schedule are included in the expansion dues. Expansion Practice Schedule: Practices will begin on Wednesday, November 30th for all Expansion players. Each month we will post the monthly practice/competition schedule on our website. At the mandatory parent/player meetings (the week of November 14 th ) after all tryouts are done, we will inform everyone when to be at practice since teams will not have been selected yet. The practice times/days for the Expansion teams are as follows (note that slight adjustments may need to be made based on tryout numbers): Monday and Wednesday Nights at 5:00-7:00 or 7:00-9:00 (and once teams are selected we may practice until 9:30 on some Wednesday nights before competition weekends) The practice time slots will most likely rotate from week to week to possibly avoid having the same teams always in the early slot where there are typically more conflicts with other school sport practices. If players have conflicts with one of the time slots due to school sport practices on one particular night, they will be able to attend the other time slot to make up that practice. They may not be with their team, but they will be able to get their practice time in. 7 P a g e

8 Expansion Competition Schedule: The tournament schedule is listed below. Typically, teams will play 3-4 matches on each date. Start times vary, but are usually 8:00 AM for a morning wave or about 2:30 PM for an afternoon wave. There is no way to know what time your daughter might play on any given date until about a week before the event as the start times are based on the number of teams and the format of the event. The schedules are typically posted on our website ( the Monday or Tuesday before each event (so we can ensure that we have the right teams and there are no late additions/cancellations). This year, some of the event schedules will be posted on AES and we will provide links on our website through our events page and our social media outlets. Note that the 15U/16U teams will typically play in either the Presidents Day event or Central Challenge, but typically not both events. Date Event Age Divisions (combined) Location January U/18U Central Kick-Off Event 17U/18U Bloomington January U/16U Central Kick-Off Event 15U/16U Bloomington January U/18U Central Winter Event 17U/18U Bloomington January U/16U Central Winter Event 15U/16U Bloomington February U/18U Central Illinois Classic 17U/18U Bloomington February U/16U Central Illinois Classic 15U/16U Bloomington February U-18U Central Illinois Presidents' Day 15U/16U & 17U/18U Bloomington February U/16U Central Challenge 15U/16U Bloomington March U/18U Central Finale 17U/18U Bloomington March U/16U Central Finale 15U/16U Bloomington EXPANSION PROGRAM FEES The dues for the Expansion program for the season are listed below. The dues include the uniform (1 practice shirt, 2 uniform shirts, 1 pair spandex), practice times and gym rental, tournament entries, all insurance/registrations, coaches' salary, etc. The only additional fees would be if players decide to purchase additional equipment. The payment schedule for the Expansion program is: Expansion Membership Dues: $ Due at the Expansion Player/Parent meetings the week of November 14 th : $ Due by January 2nd: $ Total due: $ Again this year, if you have more than one daughter in the Expansion program, we offer a 10% discount on the dues for the 2 nd player, 3 rd player, etc. If player dues are not paid, we will unfortunately not allow your daughter to continue practices or competitions until your account is in good standing. If you set up a payment plan different from the one listed above, please be sure to make note of when payments are expected. 8 P a g e

9 ELITE PROGRAM INFORMATION The Elite program is geared for those athletes that wish to excel in volleyball and compete at the highest level possible. Most of our Elite players have hopes of continuing volleyball at the collegiate level and we have been fortunate to have so many players continue their volleyball careers at the collegiate level (see the Alumni page for a list of players and colleges). The season will see a typical Elite schedule starting in late November with conditioning/rehab and position training and once again concludes at the end of June with the AAU National Championships (Orlando, FL.). We strive to give our Elite teams and players maximum exposure to college coaches and recruiters on the regional and national levels and our competition schedule reflects those goals (see the Elite Competition Schedule pages). A large number of our events are held at the Great Lakes Center (GLC) in Aurora or nearby surrounding sites (typically just under a two hour drive from Bloomington/Normal). Our schedule includes the Great Lakes Power League at the GLC (the most heavily recruited League in the country), a JVA event at the Wisconsin Dells, the GLC Presidents Day event, the National Junior Classic at the GLC/Schaumburg Convention Center/Rosemont Sports Dome and other competitive events in the Midwest. Any changes or additions to the attached competition schedule will be known well in advance and will be listed on the monthly calendars. Some of our 15U/16U Elite teams may also compete in a Central Division tournament here in town to gain valuable competition experience without the added travel. If we have three teams in an age group, our Cardinal teams will compete at the Open level while our Black and White teams will compete at the Club level throughout the year. With the growth of the AAU National Championships the last few years (nearly 2000 teams the last three years!) we will most likely have our Cardinal teams in the Open, our Black teams in the Club and our White teams in the Classic Divisions (or the new Aspire Division that started in 2016) at AAU s to give all of our teams the best chance to play for a medal at AAU s. Our Elite teams will also attend OWLS (Outdoor Wisconsin Leadership Synergies) at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. OWLS is not a tournament, but is a weekend of learning about themselves and their teammates through outdoor adventures, ropes courses, a climbing tower and other problem solving scenarios. The entire weekend is extremely challenging and rewarding both mentally and physically and is one of the most valuable things we do every season for the players and coaches. The program will again be specially designed for us and our players to empower the group to combine their efforts to become more effective teams and teammates and at the same time learn about themselves as individuals. It is always cold up there, so be prepared to bundle up! When the Elite teams travel to out-of-state tournaments, the teams will travel together. The girls will stay together as a team in a hotel, eat meals together and travel to and from the tournament sites together. In addition to allowing the teams to focus on the task at hand and to use that time for team bonding, it allows players to travel to these tournaments even if their parents are unable to attend. Players are allowed to travel home with their parents once the competition and their team s duties have concluded. When we travel to the Chicago suburban area events, everyone can make their own arrangements as we will not travel as a team for most of those events. We hope to, once again, have some negotiated rates at the Staybridge Suites and Country Inn and Suites in Aurora/Naperville for Illini Elite players/parents for all of the GLC events. These rates are only good during our competition season from January to June. We will have details available at the time of the parent/player meetings the week of November 14th. 9 P a g e

10 JVA Junior Volleyball Association Illini Elite is one of the charter members of the JVA (formerly JVDA). The JVA was created in December of 2006 with a mission to address concerns of the junior volleyball community across the country. The JVA has recently gone independent after a long partnership with the AVCA American Volleyball Coaches Association - of which all college coaches and many high school/club coaches are members of. Several seasons ago, many clubs (including most of the top Midwest clubs) chose to not participate in the USAV National qualification process and instead chose to compete against one another in more local settings. We are fortunate to be located in an area that is close to many great, competitive volleyball clubs and programs. In the Midwest area, clubs such as Sports Performance, Club Fusion, Milwaukee Sting, Team Indiana, KIVA, Indy Juniors, 1 st Alliance/Lions, Chicago Elite (formerly Powerhouse) and so many others have chosen to participate in JVA sponsored events. If you would like more details regarding the JVA, please feel free to visit ELITE PRACTICE INFORMATION The Elite teams will practice 2-3 days per week depending on age level and team. A calendar will be available on our website each month with detailed information regarding practices and competitions. The scheduled practice days and times for the Elite teams are listed below: 16U/17U/18U teams 3 days per week - Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Starting in late March, the practices will move to Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday to accommodate the needs of our Junior High club programs. 15U teams 2 days per week - Tuesday and Friday. There may be some Thursday practices instead of Friday depending on the competition schedule. Practice Times will generally be from 4:30-8:00 Strength training and conditioning will be included during these practice times and depending on the number of teams, the training times may need to be adjusted (i.e. we may start/finish 30 min. earlier/later). Setter/Specialized Position Training will be incorporated into each practice. Position Training, strength/conditioning sessions (and/or rehab for those players that need it) will begin November 20 th for 15U and new Elite players. All players will start with Position Training on November 22 nd, 26 th & 27 th. The normal practice routine will start on Tuesday, November 29 th. All teams will also practice on selected Saturdays and/or Sundays in November/December before the competition season starts. Due to Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks, the times will vary, but will be listed on the Nov./Dec. monthly calendar. During Christmas break we may try to have some double session practices, while the players are not in school. In the past, some of our older teams have also traveled to the GLC to compete/scrimmage with the Sports Performance teams during Christmas break and we will look to do that again this year if schedules allow for it. Currently the Sunday practices in December are scheduled for December 11 th and 18 th and we typically go from 11:30-3: P a g e

11 18 Cardinal 18 Black 17 Cardinal 17 Black/White Sat. 31 Jan. Sun. 1 Sat. 7 GLPL 18 Seeding #1 GLPL 18 Seeding #1 GLPL 18 Seeding #1 GLPL 18 Seeding #1 Sun. 8 GLPL 18 Seeding #1 GLPL 18 Seeding #1 GLPL 18 Seeding #1 GLPL 18 Seeding #1 Sat. 14 Sun. 15 Sat. 21 OWLS (Wisc.) OWLS (Wisc.) OWLS (Wisc.) OWLS (Wisc.) Sun. 22 OWLS (Wisc.) OWLS (Wisc.) OWLS (Wisc.) OWLS (Wisc.) Sat. 28 GLPL 18 Seeding #2 GLPL 18 Seeding #2 GLPL 18 Seeding #2 GLPL 18 Seeding #2 Sun. 29 GLPL 18 Seeding #2 GLPL 18 Seeding #2 GLPL 18 Seeding #2 GLPL 18 Seeding #2 Feb. Sat. 4 GLPL 18 Lg. #1 GLPL 18 Lg. #1 GLPL 18 Lg. #1 GLPL 18 Lg. #1 Sun. 5 GLPL 18 Lg. #2 GLPL 18 Lg. #2 GLPL 18 Lg. #2 GLPL 18 Lg. #2 Sat. 11 Sun. 12 Sat. 18 SPVB Pres. Day (GLC) SPVB Pres. Day (GLC) SPVB Pres. Day (GLC) SPVB Pres. Day (GLC) Sun. 19 SPVB Pres. Day (GLC) SPVB Pres. Day (GLC) SPVB Pres. Day (GLC) SPVB Pres. Day (GLC) Mon. 20 SPVB Pres. Day (GLC) SPVB Pres. Day (GLC) SPVB Pres. Day (GLC) SPVB Pres. Day (GLC) Sat. 25 Sun. 26 Fri. 3 JVA Showcase (Wi. Dells) JVA Showcase (Wi. Dells) JVA Showcase (Wi. Dells) JVA Showcase (Wi. Dells) Mar. Sat. 4 JVA Showcase (Wi. Dells) JVA Showcase (Wi. Dells) JVA Showcase (Wi. Dells) JVA Showcase (Wi. Dells) Sun. 5 JVA Showcase (Wi. Dells) JVA Showcase (Wi. Dells) JVA Showcase (Wi. Dells) JVA Showcase (Wi. Dells) Sat. 11 Bluegrass - Lville Bluegrass - Lville Bluegrass - Lville Bluegrass - Lville Sun. 12 Bluegrass - Lville Bluegrass - Lville Bluegrass - Lville Bluegrass - Lville Sat. 18 GLPL 18 Lg. #3 GLPL 18 Lg. #3 GLPL 18 Lg. #3 GLPL 18 Lg. #3 Sun. 19 GLPL 18 Lg. #4 GLPL 18 Lg. #4 GLPL 18 Lg. #4 GLPL 18 Lg. #4 Sat. 25 Spring Break - all teams Mar. 25-Apr. 2 (return to practice Apr. 4) Spring Break - all teams Mar. 25-Apr. 2 (return to practice Apr. 4) Sun. 26 Spring Break - all teams Mar. 25-Apr. 2 (return to practice Apr. 4) Spring Break - all teams Mar. 25-Apr. 2 (return to practice Apr. 4) Apr. Sat. 1 Sun. 2 Fri. 7 JVA World Challenge - Lville JVA World Challenge - Lville JVA World Challenge - Lville JVA World Challenge - Lville Sat. 8 JVA World Challenge - Lville JVA World Challenge - Lville JVA World Challenge - Lville JVA World Challenge - Lville Sun. 9 JVA World Challenge - Lville JVA World Challenge - Lville JVA World Challenge - Lville JVA World Challenge - Lville Sat. 15 Easter Sun. 16 Sat. 22 Sun. 23 Sat. 29 Sun. 30 May Sat. 6 Badger AAU Event-Waukesha Badger AAU Event-Waukesha Badger AAU Event-Waukesha Badger AAU Event-Waukesha Sun. 7 Badger AAU Event-Waukesha Badger AAU Event-Waukesha Badger AAU Event-Waukesha Badger AAU Event-Waukesha Sat. 13 Sun. 14 Sat. 20 Sun. 21 Sat. 27 National Junior Classic (GLC) National Junior Classic (GLC) National Junior Classic (GLC) National Junior Classic (GLC) Sun. 28 National Junior Classic (GLC) National Junior Classic (GLC) National Junior Classic (GLC) National Junior Classic (GLC) Mon. 29 National Junior Classic (GLC) National Junior Classic (GLC) National Junior Classic (GLC) National Junior Classic (GLC) Jun. Sat. 3 Sun. 4 Sat. 10 Pre. Nat. (GLC/Rose./Schaum.) Pre. Nat. (GLC/Rose./Schaum.) Pre. Nat. (GLC/Rose./Schaum.) Pre. Nat. (GLC/Rose./Schaum.) Sun. 11 Pre. Nat. (GLC/Rose./Schaum.) Pre. Nat. (GLC/Rose./Schaum.) Pre. Nat. (GLC/Rose./Schaum.) Pre. Nat. (GLC/Rose./Schaum.) Thur. 15 Fri. 16 To AAU's (Orlando, Fla.) Sat. 17 AAU Check in To AAU's (Orlando, Fla.) To AAU's (Orlando, Fla.) Sun 18 AAU's AAU Check in AAU Check in Mon. 19 AAU's AAU's AAU's Tues 20 AAU's AAU's AAU's Wed. 21 To AAU's (Orlando, Fla.) AAU's AAU's AAU's Thur. 22 AAU Check in OFF Day Fla. AAU's AAU's Fri. 23 AAU's Return to Bloomington OFF Day Fla. OFF Day Fla. Sat. 24 AAU's Return to Bloomington Return to Bloomington Sun. 25 AAU's Mon. 26 AAU's Tues 27 OFF Day Fla. Wed. 28 Return to Bloomington GLPL=Great Lakes Power League (GLC and surrounding sites). GLC = Great Lakes Center in Aurora. The JVA Showcase is at the Wisconsin Dells Center. The NJC (National Junior Classic) AND GLC Pres. Day will be played at the GLC, Schaumburg Convention Center AND Rosemont Sports Dome.

12 16 Cardinal 16 Black/ 16 White 15 Cardinal 15 Black/15 White Sat. 31 Jan. Sun. 1 Sat. 7 OWLS (Wisc.) Sun. 8 OWLS (Wisc.) Sat. 14 OWLS (Wisc.) OWLS (Wisc.) Sun. 15 OWLS (Wisc.) OWLS (Wisc.) Sat. 21 GLPL 16 Seeding #1 GLPL 16 Seeding #1 GLPL 16 Seeding #1 Sun. 22 GLPL 16 Seeding #1 GLPL 16 Seeding #1 GLPL 16 Seeding #1 Sat. 28 Sun. 29 Feb. Sat. 4 JVA MKE Jamboree (Milw. Sting) JVA MKE Jamboree (Milw. Sting) JVA MKE Jamboree (Milw. Sting) Sun. 5 JVA MKE Jamboree (Milw. Sting) JVA MKE Jamboree (Milw. Sting) JVA MKE Jamboree (Milw. Sting) Sat. 11 GLPL 16 Seeding #2 GLPL 16 Seeding #2 GLPL 16 Seeding #2 Sun. 12 GLPL 16 Seeding #2 GLPL 16 Seeding #2 GLPL 16 Seeding #2 Sat. 18 SPVB Pres. Day (GLC) SPVB Pres. Day (GLC) SPVB Pres. Day (GLC) Sun. 19 SPVB Pres. Day (GLC) SPVB Pres. Day (GLC) SPVB Pres. Day (GLC) Mon. 20 SPVB Pres. Day (GLC) SPVB Pres. Day (GLC) SPVB Pres. Day (GLC) Sat. 25 GLPL 16 Lg. #1 GLPL 16 Lg. #1 GLPL 16 Lg. #1 Sun. 26 GLPL 16 Lg. #2 GLPL 16 Lg. #2 GLPL 16 Lg. #2 Fri. 3 JVA Showcase (Wi. Dells) JVA Showcase (Wi. Dells) Mar. Sat. 4 JVA Showcase (Wi. Dells) JVA Showcase (Wi. Dells) Sun. 5 JVA Showcase (Wi. Dells) JVA Showcase (Wi. Dells) Sat. 11 Sun. 12 Sat. 18 Sun. 19 Sat. 25 Sun. 26 Apr. Sat. 1 Sun. 2 Fri. 7 JVA World Challenge - Lville JVA World Challenge - Lville JVA World Challenge - Lville Sat. 8 JVA World Challenge - Lville JVA World Challenge - Lville JVA World Challenge - Lville Sun. 9 JVA World Challenge - Lville JVA World Challenge - Lville JVA World Challenge - Lville Sat. 15 Easter Sun. 16 Sat. 22 *GLPL 16 Lg. #3 *GLPL 16 Lg. #3 *GLPL 16 Lg. #3 Sun. 23 (Sat. or Sun. only) (Sat. or Sun. only) (Sat. or Sun. only) Sat. 29 Sun. 30 May Sat. 6 Badger AAU Event??? Badger AAU Event??? Sun. 7 Badger AAU Event??? Badger AAU Event??? Sat. 13 *GLPL 16 Lg. #4 *GLPL 16 Lg. #4 *GLPL 16 Lg. #4 Sun. 14 (Sat. or Sun. only) (Sat. or Sun. only) (Sat. or Sun. only) Sat. 20 Sun. 21 Sat. 27 National Junior Classic (GLC) National Junior Classic (GLC) National Junior Classic (GLC) Sun. 28 National Junior Classic (GLC) National Junior Classic (GLC) National Junior Classic (GLC) Mon. 29 National Junior Classic (GLC) National Junior Classic (GLC) National Junior Classic (GLC) Jun. Sat. 3 Sun. 4 Sat. 10 Pre. Nat. (GLC/Rose./Schaum.) Pre. Nat. (GLC/Rose./Schaum.) Pre. Nat. (GLC/Rose./Schaum.) Sun. 11 Pre. Nat. (GLC/Rose./Schaum.) Pre. Nat. (GLC/Rose./Schaum.) Pre. Nat. (GLC/Rose./Schaum.) Thur. 15 Fri. 16 OWLS (Wisc.) OWLS (Wisc.) GLPL 16 Seeding #1 GLPL 16 Seeding #1 JVA MKE Jamboree (Milw. Sting) JVA MKE Jamboree (Milw. Sting) GLPL 16 Seeding #2 GLPL 16 Seeding #2 SPVB Pres. Day (GLC) SPVB Pres. Day (GLC) SPVB Pres. Day (GLC) GLPL 16 Lg. #1 GLPL 16 Lg. #2 Spring Break - all teams Mar. 25-Apr. 2 (return to practice Apr. 4) Spring Break - all teams Mar. 25-Apr. 2 (return to practice Apr. 4) Spring Break - all teams Mar. 25-Apr. 2 (return to practice Apr. 4) Spring Break - all teams Mar. 25-Apr. 2 (return to practice Apr. 4) JVA World Challenge - Lville JVA World Challenge - Lville JVA World Challenge - Lville *GLPL 16 Lg. #3 (Sat. or Sun. only) *GLPL 16 Lg. #4 (Sat. or Sun. only) National Junior Classic (GLC) National Junior Classic (GLC) National Junior Classic (GLC) Pre. Nat. (GLC/Rose./Schaum.) Pre. Nat. (GLC/Rose./Schaum.) Sat. 17 To AAU's (Orlando, Fla.) To AAU's (15B) To AAU's (15W) Sun 18 AAU Check in AAU Check in AAU Check in Mon. 19 AAU's AAU's AAU's Tues 20 AAU's AAU's AAU's Wed. 21 To AAU's (Orlando, Fla.) To AAU's (Orlando, Fla.) AAU's AAU's AAU's Thur. 22 AAU Check in AAU Check in AAU's AAU's AAU's Fri. 23 AAU's AAU's OFF Day Fla. OFF Day Fla. OFF Day Fla. Sat. 24 AAU's AAU's Return to Bloomington Return Return Sun. 25 AAU's AAU's Mon. 26 AAU's AAU's Tues 27 OFF Day Fla. OFF Day Fla. Wed. 28 Return to Bloomington Return to Bloomington GLPL=Great Lakes Power League (GLC and surrounding sites). GLC = Great Lakes Center in Aurora * next to GLPL dates means they will play ONE of the two days depending on their placement in the league. They will NOT play both days. The NJC (National Junior Classic) AND GLC Pres. Day will be played at the GLC, Schaumburg Convention Center AND Rosemont Sports Dome.

13 ELITE PROGRAM FEE STRUCTURE The dues listed below do not need to be paid all at once; you may use the payment schedules and options that we have set up for the season. Individualized payment plans are always an option that can be worked out on an individual basis. Players, if they are willing, have opportunities to work for the club and make some extra money by working at the Central Division events and also coaching/officiating our youth teams. If you and your family are willing and able to help sponsor another player in financial need or know of anyone who might wish to, anonymously or otherwise, please contact me at your convenience. Sometimes, teams coordinate fundraisers on their own as well. Dues include all practice and gym time, all individual and team registration fees, insurance, tournament entry fees, all OWLS charges for participation and travel, coaches' salaries, office expenses (phone,fax, mail, etc.), equipment purchases, etc. The AAU National Championship individual, coach and team registration costs are also included. Membership dues: Payment Schedule 15U 16U/17U/18U (does not include uniform fee) Due the week of November 14 th : $ $ U: $1, Due on or before January 1 st : $ $ U/17U/18U: $2, Due on or before February 1 st : $ $ Due on or before March 1 st : $ $ Total: $1, $2, Parents can also choose a 7 month payment schedule that will be on the accounting forms at the parent/player meetings. That payment plan will look like this: 11/18/16 12/01/16 1/01/17 2/01/17 3/01/17 4/01/17 5/01/17 Total 15 Elite $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $1, /17/18 Elite $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $2, Individual options are always available as well. Players must have their accounts in good standing to be able to practice/compete. If you have more than one daughter in the Elite program, we offer a 10% discount on the dues for the 2 nd player in the Elite program. We cannot offer the discount for our travel or uniform fees, only for the dues. We recommend having payments automatically deducted from your credit card of choice. Those wishing to use a credit card will be able to fill out an accounting/payment form and then the automatic payments/deductions will be made at the scheduled times listed on the accounting forms. At the mandatory parent/player meeting after tryouts (the week of November 14 th ), all accounting forms will be filled out and explained. Payments can always be dropped off in the payment box outside the office door or mailed to the Illini Elite facility address. For the Elite teams, there are additional travel charges when/if our teams travel out of state when van rentals and hotel stays are required. Those fees will vary from team to team depending on how much they travel, where they are going and how long the tournament is. For those that wish to pay with a credit card, we will also be asking for a travel authorization in order to charge the travel expenses to your card of choice. The travel authorization is a separate form from the dues payment form. Again, these forms will be available and explained at the mandatory parent/player meeting after tryouts. 13 P a g e

14 Below you will find an estimate of what the travel charges might be for each team for this season. We included all of them so that parents can prepare for what those travel trip costs could be. Please keep in mind that these are just estimates figured based on what we know from past years. The cost is figured by adding the total van costs (rental, gas, parking, insurance), hotel costs (team rooms and coach rooms), coach stipend for meals and any other costs associated with the trip. That total amount is divided by the number of players on the team. The estimates may vary depending on what our actual hotel rates and van rental rates are. Estimated Travel costs (note not all teams are attending all events and the events listed below are the events we will travel to as a club/team together) 15B/ 16B/ 17B/ Event Name Estimated Cost 15C 15W 16W 16C 17W 17C 18B 18C Included in OWLS (Lake Geneva, WI) dues ($250) X X X X X X X X JVA MKE Jamboree (Milwaukee, WI) The Showcase at the Dells (Wis. Dells, WI) Bluegrass Event (Louisville, KY) JVA World Challenge (Louisville, KY) Badger Region AAU Event (Waukesha, WI) ~ $175-$200 X X X X ~ $240-$280 X X X X X X ~ $200-$230 X X X X ~ $275-$315 X X X X X X X X ~ $175-$205???? X X X X AAU Nationals (Orlando, FL) ~ $450-$500 plus flight costs X X X X X X X X ***The 16U teams may attend the Badger AAU Event at Milwaukee Sting in May along with the 17U/18U teams Note that OWLS is not a tournament. This year we will again be back at the original OWLS program (Outdoor Wisconsin Leadership Synergies) at George Williams College/Aurora University at Lake Geneva, WI. Below you will find a sample breakdown of the membership dues. Sample breakdown of membership dues for an individual player on an Elite 16U/17U/18U team Gym time - $ ( 300 hours of gym time. Includes court rental, utilities, maintenance, etc.) GLPL entry- $ (Great Lakes Power League entry is $1400/team) Tourn.entries - $ (Pres.Day, JVA events, National Junior Classic, Pre-Nat., etc.) Year-End entry - $85.00 (AAU National Championships) OWLS - $ (OWLS participation fee plus travel and coaches expenses) Coach salaries - $ (includes head coach plus assistant coach and/or additional practice coaches) Registration fees - $40.00 (includes JVA team/club insurance, AAU Individual registration & coaches) Admin. fees - $ (includes accounting fees, insurance, website maintenance, admin fees, etc.) Office Expenses - $50.00 (includes supplies, phone/fax, internet, office labor, etc) Miscellaneous - $40.00 (includes incidentals and misc. fees/expenses, weight room, training supplies) Total - $2, P a g e

15 ELITE PROGRAM UNIFORM FEES A few seasons ago, we started a new uniform fee structure and we are happy to say that this season, we will be able to do the same thing. Returning players will not be required to purchase new uniforms this season, but the warm-ups will be new this year. Below you will find the new player uniform package as well as the base package for all returning players that will include shoes, shorts, warm-ups, practice shirts, coaches gear and Mizuno duffle bag. If you are a returning player, you will have the option to add new uniforms, a new Warbird band, etc. if you need to. We will have a uniform size sheet that breaks down all of the options for any additions. The uniform fees are due at the introductory player/parent meeting the week after tryouts (the week of November 14th). At that meeting we will once again have shoes, other volleyball apparel and gear to help you take care of any volleyball needs you may have such as additional shorts, practice shirts, ankle braces/supports, kneepads, etc. NEW PLAYER UNIFORM FEES RETURNING PLAYER UNIFORM FEES Equipment Quantity Cost Quantity Cost Short sleeve practice shirt 3 $ $24.00 Mizuno Vortex shorts 2 $ $ Mizuno shoes (Lightning Z2) 1 $ $ Coaches clothing package 1 $ $35.00 Mizuno ½ Zip Fleece Warm-up Jacket 1 $ $39.00 Shipping, sales taxes 1 $ $14.00 Mizuno Nine Collection Straight Pant 1 $35.00 If needed Mizuno Bolt Gamepack 1 $36.00 If needed 6 Warbird Shoulder Training Band 1 $22.00 If needed 2 Mizuno Team Jerseys 3 $ Screen printing fees (jerseys/jacket) 1 $ Optional 5 Optional Total $ Total $ Notes: 1 All Elite players will be able to try on shoes at the parent/player meeting after tryouts and the $60.00 price is valid only within the uniform package. The Wave Lightning Z2 shoe will be $ if purchased separately. 2 Mizuno Team Jerseys (Techno III Long Sleeve Black, Cardinal. Techno III Short Sleeve White). 3 Coaches clothing includes polo s, shoes, warm-ups and practice shirts. 4 A new jersey will be $50.00 per jersey including screening (or if a Libero wants to purchase a long sleeve white jersey) 5 The screening costs per jersey and for the warm-ups are approximately $9.00 per item for the numbers, etc. The printing cost for the new warm-ups are included in the warm-up cost. 6 Each player will receive a shoulder training band as well as an at-home program binder from the Warbird Academy 15 P a g e

16 2017 HS Informational Meeting and Tryout Dates ALL PLAYERS MUST REGISTER ONLINE BEFORE ATTENDING ANY TRYOUTS. ONLINE TRYOUT REGISTRATION LINKS (THROUGH ALLPLAYERS.COM) WILL BE POSTED ON OUR WEBSITE ( Details will be provided in the informational meeting packet and online on our HS Tryout Information page as the tryout dates near. Contact us if you have any questions regarding tryouts. ILLINI ELITE HIGH SCHOOL CLUB INFORMATIONAL MEETING Sunday, October 23rd 7:00 PM Attendance is NOT required in any way. The meeting is for those who are new to the Illini Elite Volleyball Club to find out what high school programs we offer and what is in store for this upcoming high school club season. All information and any forms from the meeting WILL BE POSTED on our website after the meeting. Meeting and Tryouts to be held at: The Illini Elite Training Center 3 Quest Drive Unit #209 Bloomington, IL (just off of US-51 and I-74) For directions and/or more information please visit or contact us at (309) or IlliniEliteVBC@aol.com ILLINI ELITE TRYOUT DATES Sunday, November 6th Expansion - 15U (9th grade) 8:00 AM Sign-in 8:30 AM - 11:00 AM Tryouts Expansion - 16U/17U/18U (10th, 11th, 12th) 12:00 PM Sign-in 12:30 PM - 3:00 PM Tryouts AAU Volleyball Junior Age Divisions for & Under: Players who were born on or after Sept. 1, 1998 or who were born on or after Sept.1, 1997 and are high school students during some part of the current academic year. 17 & Under: Players who were born on or after Sept. 1, & Under: Players who were born on or after Sept. 1, & Under: Players who were born on or after Sept. 1, 2001 Sunday, November 13th Elite - 16U/17U/18U (10th, 11th, 12th grade) 8:00 AM Sign-in 8:30 AM - 11:30 AM Tryouts Elite - 15U (9th grade) 1:00 PM Sign-in 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM Tryouts (Nov. 13th is also the make-up Expansion tryout date for anyone who could not attend the Nov. 6th date)

17 ILLINI ELITE ALUMNI Over the years, our alumni have made a name for themselves and our club on the college scene all across the United States. Our most famous graduate, Ogonna Nnamani, has been on the USA Women s National Team and has competed in the Olympics in Athens and in Beijing. It is great to see so many Illini Elite graduates having so much success on the next level and beyond. While we all know that there are no guarantees of receiving a scholarship, we have been fortunate to have every senior who has finished her senior Elite season receive some kind of scholarship offer to play collegiate volleyball. Below is a list of former Illini Elite players and the Universities they attended to play their collegiate volleyball. Akron Central Missouri Elmhurst Kara Smith - El Paso Molly Lawrence (2013) - Bloomington Hannah Lessen - Tri-Valley Patience Brown (2015) - U-High Rylie Brackney (2013) - Springfield Charleston Jessica Suarez (2013) - LaSalle-Peru Arkansas Maddie LeGrande (2016) - Champ. Centennial Mary Lawrence (2013) - Bloomington Kasey Heckelman (2009) - Bloomington Stefanie Sanidas (2012) - Tri-Valley Christian Brothers Stacie Harms (2016) - Normal Comm. Arkansas St. Hannah Sholtis (2014) - Normal Comm. Taylor Coughlin - Normal Comm. Evansville Marie Less (2014) - St. Teresa Clemson Lauren Seyller - Bloomington Carly Hill - Monticello Arkansas Tech Florida Atlantic Jackie Spencer - Normal West Coastal Georgia Nicki Gerig (2007) - Normal Comm. Laura Farney (2008) - Peoria Christian Holly Hammer - Tri-Valley Sara Motsinger - Normal West Jessica Fujimoto - Normal Comm. Gardner-Webb Kara Neisen - Tri-Valley Laura Wilcox (2008) - Normal West Asbury Allie Shannon (2013) - Champ. Centennial Regina Feagin (2006) - U-High Madeline Morris (2014) - U-High Rachel Amundson (2013) - Normal West Cayley Meiners (2013) - Dee-Mack Georgia Augustana Al Applington - Normal West Alexis Morgan - Champ. Central Katrina Colclasure - Tri-Valley Maggie Bee - U-High Emma Anderson - Lincoln Georgia Regents Austin Peay Maddie Bounds (2014) - Prairie Central Kailla Baptiste (2012) - Central Catholic Leanne Kreps (2003) - Maroa-Forsyth Regan Coughlin (2015) - Normal Comm. Ginny Gerig (2016) - Normal Comm. Leah Anderson (2015) - Lincoln Grand Valley State Kayla Gadberry (2016) - Bloomington Sydney Benchley (2016) - Normal West Belmont Jaye Schuler - Lexington Connecticut Hillsborough C.C. Tosin Adeniyi (2014) - Glenwood Rebecca Schnabel - Normal Comm. Benedictine Candice Cuppini - U-High Culver Stockton Illinois Witten Crawford (2013) - Sullivan Kylie McCulley - Clinton Blinn Shea Elmore (2012) - Glenwood Kristine Anderson - Clinton Jackie Gerig - Normal Comm. Rachel Feldman (2007) - Normal Comm. DePaul Morganne Criswell (2011) - LSA Bradley Kyndell Highland (2007) - U-High Danielle Davis (2013) - Central Catholic Annie Cave (2008) - Illini Central Brandi Donnelly (2014) - Williamsville Ashley Vance - PBL Duquesne Brooke Bond - Washington Claire Boe (2016) - Central Catholic Illinois Central College Eileen Hillary - Washington Megan Beutke (2014) - Woodland Kaitlyn Brenner - Champ. Centennial Dominican Katie Kupferschmid (2014) - Prairie Central Megan Schmidt (2008) - Central Catholic Chrissie Albers - Sacred Heart Emily Zelhart (2015) - Blue Ridge Alyssa Davis (2011) - Bloomington Kenzie Rhodes (2016) - Dee-Mack Canisius Elizabeth Ganley (2016) - St. Teresa Lauren Lackovich - U-High Eastern Illinois Dakota Springer - Heyworth Illinois-Chicago Central Connecticut Lindsey Sturm - Normal West Erin Tofanelli (2008) - U-High Cali Cooper - U-High Reynae Hutchinson - Mattoon Kara Johnson (2013) - Champ. Centennial Central Michigan Catherine Ludwig (2008) - Tri-Valley Kelsey Detweiler (2008) - Normal West Stephanie Budde - Joliet Catholic Eckerd College Michelle Phillips - Normal Comm.

18 ILLINI ELITE ALUMNI Illinois State Lander University Millikin Amy Olson - Central Catholic Kaitlyn Harrison (2012) - Central Catholic Albana Gashi - Flanagan Ashley Grubb - Jacksonville Lauralee Williams - Clinton Jenny Menendez (2009) - Normal Comm. LaSalle University Madison Knisley - Lexington Katie Seyller (2006) - Bloomington Kara Branz - Streator Molly Facer - Urbana Kelsey Holman - Eureka Rachel Cook - Heyworth Kristin Stauter (2008) - Bloomington Lewis University Cassidy Kingery - Heyworth Mallory Leggett (2007) - Maroa-Forsyth Jessica Guest - Normal West Meredith Artime (2014) - Decatur Ch. Shannon McGlaughlin (2010) - Morton Alora Goodey (2014) - Lincoln Sierra Burris (2011) - Illini Central Lincoln College Jenna Hilgers (2014) - Illini Central Emily Orrick (2011) - Dee-Mack Mellisa Turpin - Normal West Rosie Waite (2014) - St. Teresa Courtney Pence (2015) - Springfield Niani Lewis (2014) - Bloomington Ashley Robinson (2014) - Bloomington Missouri-St. Louis Illinois Wesleyan Kaylyn Hoffert (2016) - Lincoln Weslie Gaff - Streator Danielle Gharst - Mahomet-Seymour Kylie Rudsinski (2016) - Maroa-Forsyth Jenny Darrow - U-High Lincoln Land Kelsey Laugel - Illini Central Izzy Carroll (2015) - Bloomington Missouri State Kelsey Ott (2012) - Normal West Addie Patton (2016) - Dee-Mack Shelby Strang - Champ. Central Lori Johnson (2007) - Normal Comm. Rachel Soltwedel - Bloomington Lindenwood-Belleville Missouri Western Stephanie Burrow - Central Catholic Kendall Linder (2015) - Normal West Holly Pollock - Normal Comm. Teresa Kirk (2007) - Central Catholic Kelsey Olion (2013) - Champ. Centennial Kyleigh Block (2014) - Dee-Mack Lipscomb Danielle Moore (2014) - Central Catholic Melissa Swartz (2015) - Lexington Claire Peterson - Dunlap Tyler Brown (2015) - Normal West Lauren Anderson (2015) - Dee-Mack Monmouth Kira Jackson (2016) - Marao-Forsyth Laura Dulle (2016) - U-High Louisiana Tech Indian Hills C.C. Maddy Davis (2016) - Mt. Pulaski Montevallo Shelby Lauterbach - East Peoria Lauren Markle - Peoria Notre Dame Loyola-Chicago Indiana Audrey Davis - Rantoul Morehead State Morgan Leach (2011) - Champ. Centennial Caroline Holt (2014) - Central Catholic Bailey Nichol (2013) - U-High Maddy Moser (2015) - Normal West Indianapolis Murray State Katie Olson - Central Catholic Manhattan Alyssa Lelm (2013) - Dee-Mack Cayla Roberts - Urbana Taylor Olden (2013) - Lincoln Indiana State Loni Mackinson - Pontiac Marquette Nebraska Ashley Beyer (2007) - Bloomington Hannah Werth (2009) - Glenwood Indiana Wesleyan Michelle Lynch - Jacksonville Cassandra Corey - Maroa-Forsyth Massachusetts - Lowell Lade Adeniyi (2015) - Glenwood North Alabama Iona Vanessa Gerig - Normal Comm. Kendal Paulus - Lincoln McKendree Breanna Howe (2013) - Mt. Pulaski North Central Iowa State Julie Laugel (2014) - Bloomington Rachel Hockaday (2008) - Maroa-Forsyth Mercyhurst Sarah Geosling (2016) - Heyworth Abigail Pfeiffer (2013) - Springfield Luth. IUPUI Northern Illinois Kelly Wachtel (2012) - Champ. Centennial Miami-Ohio Allison McGlaughlin (2008) - Morton Logan Walling (2013) - U-High Alex Ratcliff - Champ. Central Maria Benitez - Lincoln Jacksonville St. Millsaps College Northern Michigan Alina Agamy - Bloomington Laura Kilbury - Williamsville Kalli Herron - LaSalle-Peru Kaitlyn Zelhart (2012) - Blue Ridge Minnesota Northwestern State Kankakee C.C. Katie Vatterrodt - Normal West Vanessa Coleman - Bloomington Elana Rebholz - Pontiac Kelly Schmidt - Champ. Centennial Ellie Bliss - Normal Comm. Oakland University Haley Fairfield (2014) - Pontiac Allison Kirk (2009) - Bloomington Jorden Grieff (2015) - Pontiac

19 ILLINI ELITE ALUMNI Ohio Dominican Southeast Louisiana Truman State Taylor Lowder - Bloomington Alexis Braghini (2009) - Champ. Centennial Jenna Kearns - Bloomington Kassie Schroeder - Olympia Ole Miss South Alabama Matti Mason (2014) - Maroa-Forsyth Alison Weber - Warrensburg Katie Johnson - Central Catholic Bailey Mason (2015) - Maroa-Forsyth Alexis Lee (2015) - U-High Shannon VanAntwerp - Champ. Centennial Tulsa Olivet Nazarene University South Carolina Hannah Stout (2007) - Normal Comm. Alex Ewalt (2015) - Olympia Megan Laughlin (2009) - Flanagan Hannah Collins (2015) - Normal West Taylor Bruns (2009) - U-High Union Micki Quakenbush (2016) - Normal Comm. Leah Milam (2016) - Dunlap South Carolina-Spartanburg Brittany Harry - Champ. Central Marlee Cooper (2007) - U-High Upper Iowa Lauren Wombles (2015) - Tri-Valley Parkland Molly Goodrich - Lincoln South Carolina-Upstate Paige Lay - Normal Comm. Cori Harris - Champ. Centennial Villanova Ally Krenz - Prairie Central Emily Sanders (2009) - Sullivan Maggie Mergen (2008) - Williamsville Emily Wilson - Lincoln Morgan Hickman - Clinton South Dakota Wayne State Courtney Moritz (2015) - Fieldcrest Kelly Braghini (2015) - Champ. Centennial Maddie Krenz (2016) - Prairie Central Penn State Southern Illinois West Virginia Wesleyan Kara Callahan - Bloomington Emily Less - St. Teresa Lindsay Caldwell (2013) - Normal West Kelsie Laughlin - Flanagan Paulina Nottingham (2013) - Champ. Centennial Presbyterian College Lauren Blumhorst (2008) - Tri-Valley Ashtin Frank (2011) - Normal Comm. Washington Kelly Berryman (2011) - U-High Southern Illinois-Edwardsville Jasmine Hunt - U-High Haley Thurmond (2008) - Dee-Mack Krystal Majernik - Normal Comm. Justine Lanchester - Tri-Valley Mallory Celments - Mt. Pulaski Western Carolina Courney VanDusen - Peoria Richwoods Lizzy Rondone (2006) - Central Catholic Liz Heineman (2007) - Normal West Southern Indiana Mary Trimpe (2010) - Normal Comm. Jessica Lee (2014) - Dee-Mack Western Illinois Rachel Lewis - Tri-Valley Erika Peoples (2015) - Normal Comm. Amanda Barnard - Normal West Rachel Elshoff (2014) - Rochester Christy Ottmers - Champ. Centennial Southern Miss. Erin Frick - Lincoln Purdue Ashley Petrinec (2005) - Bloomington Sarah Trimpe - Normal Comm. Val Nichol (2011) - U-High Southwest Baptist Western Michigan Quincy Breanne Rowland - Streator Shannon Scates - Normal West Whitney Brown - Peoria Notre Dame Tara Lowell - Tri-Valley Sara Rathbun (2016) - Olympia Southwest Minnesota State Ellie Senica (2015) - LaSalle-Peru William Woods Rose-Hulman Shelby Hinshaw (2013) - Normal West Michelle Styczynski (2016) - U-High St. Ambrose Jessie Jensen (2016) - Tri-Valley Kite Oladipupo (2016) - St. Teresa Allison Brent (2015) - Sacred Heart Winthrop Rutgers St. Xavier Mady McCarty (2015) - Springfield Lauren Cloyd (2013) - Champ. Centennial Kelli Shafer (2011) - Heyworth Wisconsin-Milwaukee St. Louis University Stanford Melissa David - Champ. Central Carly Schumacher - U-High Njideka Nnamani - U-High Maggie Dunbar (2012) - U-High Meredith Boe (2012) - Central Catholic Ogonna Nnamani (2000) - U-High Sammi Herron (2012) - LaSalle Peru Maddie Oh (2014) - Springfield Maddie Williams (2015) - Normal West Syracuse Samford Jessica Logan - Bloomington Youngstown State Alyssa Trimpe - Normal Comm. Jessie Gerig (2012) - Normal Comm. Tennessee-Martin Savannah College of A&D Lauren Montague - Normal Comm. Wright State Lauryn Reiners - Tri-Valley McKenzie Tiffin - Jacksonville Toledo Tina Paunicka - Champ. Centennial Machayla Leonard (2015) - Normal Comm. Taylor Gibson (2016) - LaSalle-Peru

20 WARBIRD TRAINING ACADEMY DAN BLEWETT LUCAS COOK Fort Jesse Road, Unit A Normal, IL Warbird Training Academy warbirdacademy@gmail.com warbirdacademy