SEARCH
MN ATTACK SPRING SEASON (formerly MAVA)
PLAYER REGISTRATION IS NOW LIVE!
Season Dates: March 9-May 2
Saturday Play Dates: March 28, April 11, April 18, April 25, May 2
MAVA Evaluation Nights: Monday, March 9 or Tuesday, March 10 between 6:30-9:30pm. Grades will be assigned to one day based on registration numbers. Times will be assigned after registration closes. ALL athletes will make a team. At this evening we will evaluate athletes on the fundamentals and form teams. Teams will consist of 8-10 players per team. Athletes will stay with their grade unless we need to combine any ages due to numbers.
Practices: 1x per week. Most teams will practice on MONDAYS. We may have 4TH GRADERS practice on Tuesdays depending on how many athletes register.
Season Player Fee: $225. Includes player t-shirt, coach salary, gym rental, and season registration
Available for male and female students in grades 3rd-8th.
Registration Deadline: FEBRUARY 23
***Occasionally teams will have to practice on a different night if we do not have enough gym space
Divisions: The Southern MN Spring Volleyball league is available to any male or females athletes in grades 3rd-8th. Teams can be all female, all male, or co-ed.
10s: 3rd and 4th graders
12s: 5th and 6th graders
14s: 7th and 8th graders
Season Details: The first 4 dates will be pool play format only. Each team will play in 6 total sets for the day. They will either play 3 matches of 2 sets each, or 2 matches of 3 sets each. All sets will go to 25 points and you must win by 2. The first four playdate schedules will be available by March 20. Saturday times will be between 8am-3pm, depending on gym space that we have available. The final Saturday will be a bracket play tournament based on results from the first 4 play dates. All teams will be guaranteed a minimum of 2 matches in the tournament. Format will be dependent on total number of teams registered at each age bracket.
Tournament Locations: Saturday playdates will be held in and around the Mankato area. Locations may include, but not limited to: Mankato, Janesville, Sleepy Eye, Gaylord, Blue Earth, Cleveland, Garden City, Belle Plaine, Gibbon, or New Ulm
League Mission: The Southern MN Spring Volleyball league is a developmental league where the growth of each individual is the core goal. We believe the spring league will provide opportunities for our youngest, and new to the sport athletes, to learn the game in a safe and encouraging environment . The league will provide opportunities for our more advanced players to be challenged to improve all fundamentals, knowledge of the game and learn leadership skills in a positive setting.
Our 10s and 12s division can serve up as far as needed and our 14s division must start behind the endline, but no foot faults will be called at any level. The league uses a simplified scoring sheet and numbers are not required on jerseys. There is no limit on number of subs. Liberos may be used in this league.
All questions regarding the league, rules, registration, or any issues that may arise should be sent to league director Sarah Kirby at mnattack@gmail.com
Background Information: Terri and Larry Jensen founded West Area Volleyball Association (WAVA) in 1999 initially as a way to provide athletes an opportunity for more playing time during the off season. WAVA was created as an alternative for athletes who couldn’t afford the very expensive Junior Olympic volleyball clubs that were becoming popular around those years. WAVA went through many changes over the years of offering the program to 6th-12th grades in the early years to cutting WAVA down in 2002-2013 for only 6th-8th graders. Starting in 2014 WAVA expanded to include athletes in grades 3-8. Terry and Larry ran the program until 2012 when they moved to Nebraska and then turned the club over to West High School Head Volleyball Coach, Sarah Kirby. In 2020 the club name was changed to MAVA – Mankato Area Volleyball Association to encompass all athletes in the surrounding Mankato area. In 2026 the club name was changed to MN Attack Spring Season continue the growth of the league and the club.
Club Director: I started coaching for WAVA in 2004 and have enjoyed watching the program grow over the years. I began coaching at the High School Varsity level in 2003. I coached with the West High School volleyball program from 2009-2016. I took over as the WAVA club director in 2013 and am very excited to continue expanding the club throughout the future. I believe in order to build strong High School programs, it is critical to start with feeder programs, such as MAVA. I enjoy coaching at this younger level and believe that through the sport of volleyball, our young people learn skills they will use now and later on in their daily occurrences of life. In 2022 I also took over organizing and running the Spring League that MAVA participates in. The league averages about 80 teams each year in Southern MN.
Philosophy: MN Attack Spring Season/MAVA is a skill developmental volleyball league. Each athlete can expect to improve his/her skill level from the first day of the season until the very last. The focus is not on their current skill level, but to challenge them to improve upon their personal skill level over the 8 weeks of involvement with MAVA. We believe athletes refine and improve their skills through organized and challenging practices and by competition in tournaments. While it is impossible to have “equal” playing time in the sport of volleyball, MN Attack Spring League/MAVA emphasizes fair playing time among all of its athletes. Teams at the 3-4th grade level will be split into equal skilled teams. At the 5th-8th grade level, teams will be formed with players at the similar skill level. We do not use ranks such as "A" team or "1s", however teams will formed based on positional need and skill evaluations from our first day.
Program Goals: MN Attack Spring Season/MAVA's goal is to develop our young athletes into "volleyball" athletes. We will accomplish this goal by providing them knowledge of the sport, repetitive fundamental work, and challenging them to become true volleyball athletes who are proud of themselves and proud to be a part of the MAVA volleyball organization. We want them to walk away from the spring season having had a fun experience which we believe will be provided through hard work, dedication, and team work.
Expectations: We expect our athletes to give 110% whenever they are in the gym and be focused the entire practice (not talking with friends, checking cell phones during water breaks, etc.) We expect them to listen to their coaches and maintain an open mind to try new things. They must be willing to take risks and make mistakes as they learn and grow within the sport. We expect open communication among players, parents, and coaches. The parent, or athlete, must directly contact their team coach (through email, text or phone call) if he or she needs to miss, or be late, to a practice. Other teammates should not relay a message to the coach at practice. ONLY athletes are allowed at practice. Parents, friends, etc. are not allowed in the gym during practice times. Any concerns should be addressed between player and coach. After that, the director, coach and player will have a meeting. If there are still concerns, we will have a parent, player, coach and director meeting.
Season Specifics: Our season will consist of 8 weeks of practice and 5 Saturday tournaments. Each practice will be approximately 1½ hours long. Athletes should be dressed in practice gear including shorts, t-shirt, tennis shoes, and have his or her own water bottle. Knee pads are encouraged but are not required. MN Attack Spring Season is available to male or female athletes in grades 3rd-8th.
Any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact the club director.