Academy Wins 13 Club Division at BJNC

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (July 5, 2023) – Academy Boys 13 HP Denny (Northern California) ran the table in the 13 Club division to win the golden ball at the  2023 Boys Junior National Championship in Salt Lake City, Utah.

More than 300 teams with players ages 12-18 are competing at the 43^rd annual BJNC, bringing several thousand athletes, staff and supporters to Salt Lake City.

Results and Schedule
All-Tournament Teams

In the final, Academy defeated previously undefeated Evolution 13 Elite (Southern California), 25-13, 25-16.

“It’s our first championship for the club,” Academy head coach Daniele Desiderio said. “It’s an amazing feeling. The boys really deserve it. We lost to this team (Evolution) in the fall, so it was very tough. We lost to this team also in the semifinals in the championship this year, so it was very emotional to play them again in the final.”

Club V AR 13U Green (Intermountain) and Pilipa’a 13s (Moku O Keawe) were third.

Two other teams in the 13 Club division, Academy Boys 12 HP and Academy Boys 11/12 HP,  had to play up in the tournament. In a special moment, USA Volleyball created a separate 12 Club championship match for them to play, with 12 HP winning, 25-11, 25-14.

“They deserved it,” Academy 12 head coach Gabriel Mota Virginio da Silva said. “They played amazing.”