Southside- The Jacksonville Juniors Volleyball Association held its first annual Senior Signing Celebration. The commemorative event featured JJVA’s 2019 volleyball college commits. Mary F. Andrew, founder and director of JJVA along with Coach C.J. Sherman hosted the occasion this past Thursday at the 75,000 square foot indoor 12 court facility located in Jacksonville, FL. Founded in 1989, JJVA has maintained its goal to focus on the development of the sport and its players for skill development and lifetime achievement. ‘Get Better Every Day’ has been the motto of JJVA over the span of 30 years.
Alexia Kuehl the well sought after 6’6” middle blocker from Bartram Trail High school Committed to The University of Colorado. Marley Blanton hailing from Menendez High school committed to Middle Tennessee State University. Marley is ranked #14 in the state of Florida with 527 digs. Marley Banton is a winner on and off the court. In 2015, Marley underwent an 8 hour brain surgery to successfully have a ground breaking come back 16 weeks later. Paige Johnson of Ponte Vedra High School committed to Davidson College. Paige led her team to win the class 6A volleyball title in 2017. Heather Brown of Christ Church committed to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Heather helped lead her team to the regional semi-finals this season. Emily Duggan of Fernandina Beach high school committed to USC Aiken. Emily is ranked #27 in the state with 81 service aces.
Alexandra Petrilli of St. Augustine high school commutes to Anderson University. Petrilli is an outside guard and defensive specialist with an array of accomplishments under her belt. Madison Barton of Baker County high school committed to Palm Beach State College. Madison is statistically ranked in blocks , she has a total of 71. Mykah Eshbaugh of Nease High School committed to Fort Hays State University. Mykah has obtained multiple stage rankings as she is #16 in hitting and #8 in kills. Katie Demo of Bartram Trail high school committed to Valdosta State University. Katie is a top leader in assists with a total of 311. Lyara Rosario Fleming Island High school also committed to Valdosta State University. Lyara is known for her consistency in playing smart and making good decisions for key points. Annelisa O’Neal is Stanton High school committed to John Hopkins University. Annelisa is a statistical leader in assists with a total of 335. Brook-Lynn Sanford of Atlantic Coast High School committed to Pensacola State College. Brook-Lynn helped lead her team to 8A-3 District Tournament this season. Courtney Williamson out of Oakleaf High School committed to Florida Gateway College. She has achieved statistical leadership in blocks with a total of 52. Miah Pena of Fleming Island High school committed to Ave Marie University. Miah, a defensive specialist had a perfect pass Which led to her team’s success during the district tournament. Anela Davis of Providence High school is currently undecided in regards to her future college home. Anela is ranked # 23 in the state with 99 blocks.
JJVA is clearly a family of players and coaches with common goals to ‘Get Better Everyday’. Under the direction of Director Mary F. Andrew , JJVA has grown from three volleyball teams and four coaches in 1989 to 65 teams and 80 coaches in 2017. Mary has a combined total of 42 years of experience Including educational , coaching, athletic administration , commercial recreation and professional sports. Mary has helped to create a sustainable program along with Coach C.J. Sherman. Sherman has served as JJVA’s national coach and recruitment coordinator since 2006. She is an award winning coach with over 300 career victories. Andrew and Sherman as well as many other staff members of JJVA have worked strategically to enhance the lives, futures and experiences of many local athletes to achieve better in all aspects of life.
