Excel NW 18 ROX rocks it with a bid to Nationals

Excel NW Volleyball Club is a ROX sponsored club from the greater Vancouver, WA area and is dedicated to the growth of their athletes in volleyball and overall life. Three of their 13 teams have already qualified for Nationals: 18 ROX, 15 ROX and 14 ROX, with club director, Kelly Adams, saying, “We smell a V.”

18 ROX is coached by Kelly Adams, Jason Hubert and Jeff Nesbitt and the team just placed 5th overall at Regionals. With only 8 players on the team, the coaching staff tributes their success to hard work, and the ability to naturally pull it together when things get chaotic on the court. “They play with heart and believe in one another,” says Coach Hubert. All three seniors have recently signed to play in college:

Keisha Kennedy | MB & OH | 6’3’’ | Team Captain
Lewis & Clark State College

Treneisha Doyle | OH | 5’9’’ | 4 year Varsity Starter
Lewis & Clark State College

Shawntel Kalliainen | LB | 5’3’’ | All League 1st Team
Clark Community College

Congratulations team! We are looking forward to seeing you at the AAU Nationals this year! 

Filed In: Team Spotlight
Posted by Greg Wineman on April 30, 2012
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ROX Volleyball Drill of the Week: April 25

Thanks to Energy Volleyball Club, out of northern Chicago for this week's volleyball drill. Energy is a top ranked volleyball club and the largest dedicated USAV-sanctioned facility in the northern Chicago area. Last year they took 12 teams to Nationals and had 2 AAU All-Americans. We are proud to sponsor such a talented group of athletes that carry ROX on the court everyday.

Coach Kari says this is her favorite drill because it builds communication and keeps her players moving on the court. Her favorite quote is "It's not necessarily the amount of time you spend at practice that counts; it's what you put into the practice." 

We couldn't agree more! Thanks Coach for the great drill! 

Filed In: News | Volleyball Drill of the Week
Posted by Greg Wineman on April 25, 2012
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Volleyball Training Tips: Vertical Jump

Jump, and then jump higher!

How would you like to have a vertical jump like Blake Griffin or ROX Pro, Destinee Hooker?  What if I told you, you could? Let’s put an end to this battle with gravity and increase not only your vertical jump on the court, but your overall game. Rox Volleyball has created a great Vertical Enhancing workout that focuses on the muscles that are most important to you and your vertical. Put yourself to the Vertical Challenge and let us know how you do! 

First and foremost, always have a starting point. Remember to take your measurements before you start. After you have measured your standing reach, block reach and approach, you are ready to get started! Good luck and keep focused; no pain, no gain!

1. Jump Box:  You can use a jump box or even a high sidewalk or bench. Stand facing the object and jump up with both feet, landing balanced on the surface. Make sure to give this exercise all you got! As you master the height of your object move on to something taller and watch as your vertical grows. Amount: 3 sets of 20

2. Jump Shrug: Grab two weights between 10-25 lbs. Stand with feet shoulder length apart. Hold each weight in each hand at your side.  Jump up while shrugging with both shoulders and make sure to keep your back straight. Finish landing balanced with both feet still shoulder-length apart. Remember when you jump, slide the inside of your arms down your thighs, bend your knees and jump forcefully up.  Amount: 3 sets of 25

3. Jump Rope: Not only is jumping rope great for your vertical but it is great cardio as well. Between exercises 1 and 2, take a jump rope and jump as fast as you can for 30 seconds. This will help increase your heart rate and the size of your calf muscles.
Amount: 30 seconds FAST!

Switch up these Rox Volleyball training tips to keep it different and fun. Perform these vertical exercises once a day for two weeks and see how high your jump has increased. Don’t forget, the best way to increase you vertical jump, is to keep jumping!

Filed In: News | Volleyball Training Tips
Posted by Makayla Olson on April 24, 2012
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ROX Volleyball Drill of the Week: April 19

Thanks to TRIBE Volleyball Club for submitting the ROX Drill of the Week. The Exchange drill focuses on cooperative team play and is a great drill to use as a warm-up. Tribe Volleyball Club is a ROX Sponsored Volleyball club out of Sunrise, FL. Just recently, the club traveled to the Big South National Qualifier in Atlanta, GA where TEAM ROX 18's, 14's and 12's took home the gold medal in their respective divisions. Way to go girls and thanks for sharing some of your practice secrets! 

Filed In: News | Volleyball Drill of the Week
Posted by Makayla Olson on April 19, 2012
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Dig the Beach: Ft. Laudy recap

Beach volleyball players are troopers! Every good player practices playing in sub-par weather conditions but we were sure the weather on Saturday was going to be an all-time record for wind ball. With players who flew in from around the country, the Men’s Open division was the only brave souls to weather this storm and play. USAV/Dig the Beach rescheduled for all division to play on Sunday.

Sunday morning proved to be a much better beach volleyball day and the ROX crew was ecstatic to see the amount of ROX swimsuits on the courts. There was a ton of buzz generating from ROX Professional, Kristen Batt, who sported one of the new 2012 performance suits coming soon. ROX Beach Designer, Melissa Moore who also was competing, rocked the court in another ROX suit, which will be available for sale at the next Dig The Beach event in Clearwater.  Troy, our VP, was getting several random pulls to his ROX Men’s boardshorts from players testing the fabric. That’s right, our Men’s beach line is underway and coming to a court near you!  

Part of the excitement was the level of involvement from the other sponsors as well. The new partnership between USAV and Dig The Beach not only brought in a lot of volleyball support, but also reached out to a handful of solid companies with the intention of promoting and growing this amazing sport. These sponsors include: USA Volleyball, Rider Sandals, Apex Brasil, Samba Coconut Water, Nu Naat, RX Massage Therapy, Joape, Itaipava, Vipal, Giraffas, Shot Pak, Spalding and Walgreens. With everyone’s passion for creativity this tour stop was the biggest and brightest to hit Ft. Lauderdale since the AVP touched down here 3 years ago.

Congrats to all the players who came out and played this past weekend. We are excited for Clearwater Classic on May 12-13 and to host the first official Player’s Party with a full-blown fashion show. Sign up on our Mailing list here to get all updates and promotions regarding Dig the Beach tour stops and our new beach line. 

Looking forward to seeing you all on the beach!

Filed In: News
Posted by Greg Wineman on April 18, 2012
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