Push The Rock

Practice Schedules

Season Updates

March 20 – 14 Blue Finishes 2nd in Norlanco Classic
Team 14 Blue had a goal to finish 1st in this year’s Norlanco Classic. Not an unreasonable goal since the team finished first in the same tournament last year. However, the team faced a very tough Valley Forge opponent in the finals match wrapping up a very excellent day of competition with a second place finish. During pool play, 14 Blue split with Norlanco Blue in very hard fought match. 14 Blue faced Norlanco again in a semifinal match but this time was victorious, paving the way for the finals competition with Valley Forge. All and all, a fun day of spirited competition.

February 20 – Aspiring Champions, 14 Blue Advances to Quaterfinals

In a tournament that featured many of the top teams in the region the Push The Rock Blue team had the opportunity to find out where they stand. After beating Liberty Belles and Infinity in 3 games we matched up against Synergy for the top spot in the pool. After a tough lose in game one, the team bounced back winning game two to send it to a third game. After being up early the team lost a close third game to the eventual tournament champions. In the quarterfinals the team again went to a third game, but could not pull it out against a strong Valley Forge Red team. It was a good day of volleyball that allowed the girls to realize that they are very capable of playing with, and beating some of the best teams in the region.

February 15 – Capitol Hill Classic, 14 Blue Finishes in Gold Bracket Again

On the first day of competition the team came out on fire sweeping the pool. On Sunday the girls again showed up to play winning the first match easily, and ultimately ending up 2nd in the pool to advance to the gold bracket. On Monday the team did not come out with the same intensity and after getting down early in the match could not come back. We ended up finishing 9th out of 54 teams. All in all it was a good effort, and we look forward to even better things to come.

January 18 – MLK Classic, 14 Blue Finished in Gold Bracket

In our first real competition of the year the girls did not disappoint playing very well from start to finish. After coming in 2nd in the pool on Saturday morning the team swept the next two pools playing their way into the gold bracket. In the gold bracket we matched up with a tough Liberty Belles team. After winning the first and building a lead in the second it looked like we were on our way to the quarterfinals. Unfortunately we were unable to hold onto our lead, and ended up losing a tough match in the third game. At the end of the day we finished 9th out of 45 teams. Although we have some things to work on, the team showed a lot of promise and we look forward to a great season!

Team Roster

14 Blue Coashing Staff for 2010 SeasonGreat teams are developed through great coaching and training. Push The Rock USA Juniors has put together a duo of excellent coaches to lead the 14U program for the 2010 club season. Head Coach Howard Vernick brings over 15 years of successful volleyball coaching experience to the program. Coach Vernick has worked with elite level club teams for most of his coaching career. His travels have taken him around the country to compete in high level tournaments at hot volleyball locations such as Las Vegas, Louisville, Tampa, Orlando, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Baltimore, and Washington DC. In his two previous club seasons where he coached at the 14U level, Coach Vernick led his teams to win the KRVA National Bid tournament championships earning them each a berth in the USAV National Junior Olympic Championships. Coach Vernick has been a head coach at Push The Rock for the past 4 years. He was also the founder and President of Court Authority Volleyball Academy for 8 years before joining Push The Rock. During the high school season, Coach Vernick serves as the Head Coach of the girls’ volleyball program at Bethlehem Catholic HS. He also serves on the Keystone Region Volleyball Association Board of Directors as the High Performance Program Chairman. In that role, Coach Vernick is responsible for organizing and implementing programs that provide the Region’s top athletes with an annual opportunity to compete at the USA Volleyball High Performance National Championships.Assistant Coach Dustin Leatherman brings 12 years of volleyball experience to this coaching team. After 4 years at Christopher Dock HS earning all league, all conference and MVP honors, Coach Leatherman continued playing as a key member of the successful Messiah College program. At Messiah, Coach Leatherman was a 4 year starter receiving Conference honors in his junior and senior years and Conference MVP as a senior. While at Messiah, Coach Leatherman’s team achieved 2 quarterfinal appearances at Nationals and won the MAC Conference Tournament Championship during his senior year. Currently Coach Leatherman is the Asst. Varsity Coach for the Christopher Dock girls’ team and has coached for Push The Rock USA Juniors for the past 2 years.