Gateway Region Volleyball

The grit of this team ran deep. 🏐🥉🏐

Best of the best 🏐🥉🏐

Not only did our boys bring home the 🥉 but each team was represented on the All Stars All Tournament Team!

Congratulations Lane Schwemmer (17u) and Cole Esparza (19u) for receiving this honor!

Your passion, perseverance, character and dedication to your teams caught the attention of not only your coaches, but others you competed against to earn this recognition. We are so very proud of the presence you held throughout this tournament.

What an AMAZING experience at our first USAV All Stars appearance with BOTH teams coming home with hardware!!

With a record of 6-2, Boys 19u earned a place in the International Gold bracket (top 4) AND they’re coming home with the Bronze!! They only dropped 2 matches over the past 4 days and it was to the first and second pace teams!

The 17u also fought hard (and loud) to bring home bronze in the National Gold bracket with a phenomenal comeback in their final match because they refused to give up after dropping 2 sets!! AMAZING!

🥉 Congratulations boys🥉

On behalf of the region, we are very proud of what you accomplished and how you represented the region. To the graduates, we know you will go on to do great things and we will be following.

To the coaches, thank you for your time and commitment to these young men. They will all be better players and gentlemen because of you!

And to their families, you have raised some exceptional gentleman who not only set a high standard on the court, but off the court as well. It has been a privilege and joy spending the past five days with them. We are truly impressed by their character, heart, commitment, and dance moves. Thank you for sharing them with us.

Prepare to be bombarded with pics for a while.

Day one is underway and 19u has their first match sweep under their belts!

You can watch live (We have some amazing parents helping us stream games to YouTube, and will post the link in each team’s respective Facebook event group.) Or, you can monitor standings on AES with the link below. Here are some things to note as you follow…

All games are:
• EST (Eastern Standard Time)
• Best of 5 sets
• International rules, which means a different substitution pattern will be implemented than you are used to seeing. Each team is only allowed 6 substitutions per set and each athlete is allowed one entry into the game.

AES Schedule & Standings Link:

https://results.advancedeventsystems.com/event/PTAwMDAwNDUzNDQ90/divisions/226310/overview

Today;
17u — 3pm & 7pm
19u — 9am (WON 25-11, 28-18, 25-10) & 3pm

GOOD LUCK!!

It’s time! They’re a little over halfway to Columbus, OH and, obviously, having a great time team bonding on the road based on that last pic. (Make sure you swipe to the end, lol.)

Good luck, boys!! You’re making history with these 17u & 19u teams by representing Gateway Region in our first appearance at USAV All Stars.

*Not pictured, 19u Coach Nickie Sanlin.

USA All-Star Volleyball Championships
USAV Regions
USA Volleyball

What an incredible showing by our Gateway Region athletes at the 2026 USA Volleyball Beach National Championships in Virginia Beach!!! Below are some achievements in addition to those previously posted.
Competing against many of the best beach volleyball teams in the country is an accomplishment in itself. Earning a Top 10 finish on the national stage is something these athletes, their coaches, and their families should be incredibly proud of and those that accomplished this feat are listed below (if I missed any other Top 10's please advise).

🏆 National Champions
Boys 14 Open
🥇 Nathaniel Campbell & Zac Scheve

Top 5 Finishers
Girls 16 American
• 4th Place – Alexis Haeffer & Kate McLean

Girls 12 Open
• 5th Place – Charlotte Kane & Kara Zaegel
Girls 18 American
• 5th Place – Anna Denny & Emma Perrington

Boys 14 Open
• 5th Place – Arrie Idrees & Kohen Shanks

Top 10 Finishers

Girls 16 Open
• 9th Place – Aubrey Kane & Avery Finney
• 9th Place – Mackenzie Pancer & Addison Lehman

Girls 18 American
• 9th Place – Taylor Klay & Olivia Kraus

Congratulations to all of these outstanding athletes for representing the Gateway Region with skill, determination, and sportsmanship!!!!. For those that haven’t tried this discipline of the sport yet it’s a great way to hone all skills of the game.

Day 1 is officially in full swing!

USA Volleyball's Gateway Region is hosting this weekend's Spikin' It Grass Tournament in St. Charles, Missouri. As part of the USA Volleyball Grass Tour, competitors will earn points toward becoming America's No. 1. Good luck! Find more USAV Grass tour events: 🔗 in bio