When Amber McClain dove face-first into an aluminum bleacher to avoid wasting one level throughout the championship match within the AAU Ladies Junior Nationwide Volleyball Championships, she illustrated completely (and dangerously) simply how decided the Winter Park Volleyball Membership 17 Armour Black workforce was to win a nationwide title for the primary time.
Spectators within the stands gasped when the Winter Park Excessive rising senior leaped over a delicate padded barrier to punch the ball again into the courtroom earlier than crashing onto the bottom-row seating. She didn’t cry. She didn’t cease. She popped again as much as her toes and scurried again onto the courtroom to assist end the purpose, then staggered to the bench to be attended to by an athletic coach at Orlando’s Orange County Conference Middle.
“All I used to be eager about was preserving the purpose alive,” McClain stated afterward. “And preserving us on monitor for the nationwide championship.”
Mission completed.
McClain had a battle-wound bandage on her brow when she returned to play. She wore an enormous smile and later a gold medal as one of many 10 women on WPVCs 17 Open AAU title workforce.
Winter Park was main 17-12 within the second set when McClain made her crash touchdown and completed a 25-21, 25-20 Tuesday victory over Far Out 17 of Grand Rapids, Michigan. That secured the primary AAU women Open division championship for a membership born in 2011 as a bit of sister to established Orlando space journey workforce packages comparable to Orlando Tampa Volleyball Academy, Prime Choose and Sport Level Volleyball.
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WPVC 2025 17 Armour Black participant Amelia Mancino, (5) spikes the ball throughout the AAU Ladies Volleyball Nationals Event in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)
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WPVC 2025 17 Armour Black participant Amelia Mancino, (5) spikes the ball throughout the AAU Ladies Volleyball Nationals Event in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)
WPVC, armed with 5 members of the Winter Park Excessive workforce that received the Class 7A state championship in November, went 11-0 over 4 days to make historical past.
McClain’s fearless dive was a part of a surge WPVC delivered after trailing 7-4 in Sport 2. The comeback started with Winter Park Excessive’s Amelia Mancino operating off six service factors — three on ace serves and three on assaults by Isabella Umpierre, one other WPHS standout.
“We got here in eager to win all of it and that is the second we’ve all been ready for,” Umpierre stated after the championship match.
The WPVC squad began Tuesday with a 2-0 win towards Illini Elite of Illinois after which scored a nail-biting 25-23, 26-24 semifinal victory towards perennial energy Sports activities Efficiency of Illinois. SPVB (11-1) constructed massive leads in each units earlier than succumbing to WPVC’s resolve.
The Winter Park membership was down 14-6 within the first set earlier than happening a 9-1 spree that included a stuff block by Katelyn Landis (West Orange Excessive) and essential kills by McClain and deadly lefthander Umpierre off units by Elle Mottola (Boone).
Sports activities Efficiency went again forward 22-20 on two massive blocks. WPVC once more had the reply. Paige Lehman (Winter Park) dove for 2 digs that led to a kill by Umpierre, McClain scored on a fast set by Mottola, and Mancino (Winter Park) ended the sport with a kill.
WPVC trailed 15-10 within the second set however chipped its approach again to a 21-21 tie and went forward 23-22 on a block by Maddey Cruse (Lake Mary Prep). A Mancino dig compelled a SBVB error for a 24-22 lead and Winter Park accomplished its championship run with an emphatic stuff-block by Umpierre, a 5-foot-10 hitter.
Umpierre, Mancino and Mottola had been chosen to the match All-American workforce.
“We’re a household. To do that collectively is superb,” stated Mottola.
She joined WPVC as a 10-and-under participant, as did Lehman and Mancino. Others signed up as this system continued its climb.
Defensive specialist Isabel Bertelsen (Winter Park) and Landis had been the primary off the bench for a workforce that features Gwenyth Berry (Horizon) and Cassidy Flakes (West Orange).
Winter Park overcomes Kissimmee Osceola to achieve 7A women volleyball last
WPVC gamers who’ve dedicated to high schools are Berry (Citadel), Bertelsen (Oregon State), Cruse (Embry-Riddle), Mancino (Appalachian State), Mottola (Arizona State) and Umpierre (UC-Davis).
WPVC beat groups with better-rated prospects to take the title. They did the identical whereas profitable a USA Volleyball 17 Open qualifier match in Salt Lake Metropolis in April — a feat Jackson stated was “an enormous deal”. Subsequent up is the USA Volleyball 17 Open nationwide match, which ideas off Monday and runs by July 3 in Dallas.
The WPVC 16 Armour Black workforce tied for fifth within the AAU 16 Open division with a 9-2 report. Jordyn Lehman, a Winter Park HIgh defensive standout heading into her junior 12 months, was picked to the All-American workforce.
“Each these groups have cemented a historical past for WPVC,”: stated Matthew Jackson, who was head coach for each the 16s and 17s. “They like to compete. And to see how they’ve purchased into one another over these years has been so nice.”
Jackson, a former Ocoee excessive participant and West Orange’s head coach for the previous two seasons, is leaving the Warriors and WPVC, the place he has coached since 2014. After main West Orange to a 16-5 district title season he landed an assistant teaching job at Michigan State, beginning July 7.
His high assistant, Wylie Devlin, is a former Winter Park Excessive multi-sport star who performed volleyball collegiately at USF.
The Sport Level 17 Rox workforce went 10-1 and tied for fifth within the 17 Open bracket. Its solely loss was vs. Far Out 25-21, 17-25, 15-9 in a quarterfinal. Kissimmee Osceola teammates Jordin Southall and Cate Palmi joined Innovation’s Aylani Correa as standouts for the GP squad coached by Sindee Snow.
The 52nd AAU nationals continues with boys play starting Monday and operating by July 7. The WPVC 17 Armour Black boys are one of many favorites within the 17 Open competitors (Monday by July 3).
Winter Park Volleyball Membership seeks ‘unprecedented’ title in AAU Nationals | Varsity Weekly
Varsity content material editor Buddy Collings might be contacted by e-mail at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.