The second wave of the 2026 Amateur Athletic Union National Volleyball Championships got underway Saturday at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, and both St. Croix teams faced a challenging opening day in 14U competition.
Island Heat 14-1 competed in the 14U Classic Division and pushed its first opponent to three sets before falling to 305 Volleyball Club 14R of Miami.
After dropping the opening set 25-18, Island Heat bounced back to claim the second set 25-23 and force a decisive third set. The Crucian squad appeared poised for an upset after building a 12-8 lead in the final frame, but 305 Volleyball Club closed the match on an 8-2 run to secure a 16-14 victory and the match.
Island Heat dropped its remaining two matches of the day in straight sets. Legacy 14 Elite West defeated Island Heat 25-14, 25-13, while A5 14 Volleyball Club earned a 25-16, 25-10 victory.
Island Heat will look for its first win Sunday when it faces City Beach Volleyball Club 14 Green of Fremont, California, at 3:30 p.m. The team will then take on Evansville United Volleyball Academy 14 Emerald at 5:30 p.m. before closing out the day against FL Momentum 14 Silver of Kissimmee, Florida. All three matches are scheduled for Court 33 in the North Concourse.
Elite 340 14-4 also opened tournament play Saturday and finished the day 0-3 in the 14U Club Division.
Elite 340 showed consistency from the service line but struggled at times with serve-receive against its opponents.
CHAVC 14 Purple handed Elite 340 its first loss of the tournament, winning 25-20, 25-13. Volleytech followed with a 25-11, 25-14 victory.
In its final match of the day against 14U Sharks, Elite 340 battled back after falling behind 10-2 in the opening set and cut the deficit to three points. The comeback stalled, however, as the Sharks pulled away for a 25-13 win. Elite 340 opened the second set with a 4-0 lead but could not maintain its advantage and dropped the frame 25-10 to lose the match in straight sets.
Elite 340 returns to action Sunday on Court 4 in the North Concourse. The team will face Metro 14 South of Washington, D.C., at 9 a.m., USA South 14 Premier of Naples, Florida, at 10 a.m., and GoTime of Lebanon, Indiana, in its final match of the day.
Both St. Croix teams will be seeking their first victories as pool play continues at one of the nation’s largest youth volleyball tournaments.
