Rogue330 Ready for SPIRE Tournament on Sunday!! (January 18, 2026)

Finally.

Finally, the four-month adventure of continuous volleyball improvement (sometimes referred to as “FMAOCVI”) begins. Rogue330 is excited to send FOUR teams to SPIRE Institute this Sunday for their season debut and a great day of volleyball. The 16 Flame, 17 Blaze, 18 Thunder, and 18 Fire had a strong practice last night (1/12) and one more on Thursday before it all gets real. With just five days to go, we could not be more excited, curious, and ready to begin our official 2026 tournament season in Geneva, Ohio.

The 16 Flame (Regional) team is a brand-new collection of players who will take on a 12-team field representing clubs from Buffalo, Mahoning Valley, Ashtabula, “Northern Ohio,” and EPIC. Coach Kendra Courtock and Karley Spinder are looking forward to seeing this group of nine energetic, talented, and super-competitive girls take the court on Sunday.

Our 17 Blaze (Regional) team returns seven players from last year’s Blaze and adds three aggressive, experienced Juniors to the mix. Coach Kaleigh Courtock and Jenna Eddy have enjoyed watching this team prepare and come together over the past three months, and they will pose a tough challenge to their 12-team field, including opponents from Kidron, Ashland, Western PA, Ashtabula, Bemus Point, and of course Erie, PA.

The 18 Thunder (Regional) and 18 Fire (Regional) teams will take on a 16-team field with a lot of familiar clubs and opponents on the other side. Teams from Buffalo, Kidron, Massillon, Canton, Mahoning Valley, Ashtabula, Columbiana, and well, a lot of other places, will line up against Coach Macy’s Thunder or Coach Lauren’s Fire. Both of these teams return some of our most passionate and competitive players from last year’s 17s teams that “played up” in a lot of older tournaments. Though they are just starting the process of becoming new teams and learning their systems, we anticipate a strong showing from our 18s from the very start!

Rogue330 Gary Underwood could not be more excited for Sunday’s tournament at SPIRE. After last night’s practice and Taco Bell run, Underwood noted with a smile, “Look, I know it’s just the first tournament, and I know we have a long way to go. All of these players, coaches, and teams really want to be great and do a lot of winning. Like I told one of our teams last week after a scrimmage, I feel bad for the teams who have to play against us this season.”

When asked if he was joking, Underwood simply replied, “Not at all. We are here to have as much fun as possible, play great volleyball, and let people see who we are. We love the game and we play as a team and I have full confidence in the potential of all of them – and it starts right now.”