KANSAS CITY POWER DEMOLISHES COMPETITION

The Kansas City Power Volleyball Club’s 18-1 team came to the AAU Volleyball Classic last weekend at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex and they came to play. Because they were in a three team pool, they played an automatic three sets, in which they destroyed all of them. The two other teams in the pool, Legacy 18 and Jellys 18, scored a combined total of 36 points against the Power.

After their dominating performance in pool play, the Power advanced to bracket play as the number 1 seed in their division, they again defeated their competition in impressive fashion. In their first game against Club Dunamis 18 Black, they won in two sets, 25-11 and 25-12. In the Championship game against the Tampa Titans, they had slightly tougher completion when the Titans put up 17 points, but managed to grab the win. In the second set, they won decidedly, 25-13 to become the 18U Gold Division Champions.  

Head Coach Mike Dauernheim wanted his girls to experience a change of scenery in teams, which is why he brought them to the AAU Volleyball Classic.

“I think it was more just breaking the tradition of the qualifiers since these girls have done since they were 13 years old,” Dauernheim said. “Just to do something different and have a fun experience. Obviously it being in Florida is great too.”

After seeing their performance, it didn’t seem like the 1,200 mile trip affected their play at. In fact, Dauernheim said the biggest obstacle was the distractions.

“I think the biggest thing is the distractions of the parks and being out in the sun,” he said. “We don’t get out in the sun much in Kansas City because of the weather but overall I think it’s just fun to be here.”

Dauernheim said that this weekend wasn’t all business; the coaches went to a couple of baseball games at the complex and the girls went to the parks.

When asked if his team will be participating in the AAU Girl’s Junior National Volleyball Championships, he said they wouldn’t be able to make the trip. Several of their players will be playing collegiately and are leaving early for college.

Overall, Dauernheim was happy with his team’s performance and he was a fan of the AAU Volleyball Classic.

“It’s a fun tournament and it’s great to be a part of anytime but it’s truly puts the icing on the cake when you win the tournament.”