After an amazing weekend at the Big South Tournament Qualifier event in Atlanta DME Academy’s Volleyball 15 Elite Black team Coach Alvaro was recently interviewed by John Tawa from VolleyballMag.com.
Q: What were your expectations going into the weekend?
A: After going in with expectations at MEQ and being let down, my only expectation was for our team to fight as hard as we could, to prove we learned our lesson of taking opportunities for granted; the team sure proved they learned that lesson.
Q: How did you match or exceed those expectations?
A: Our performance wavered a few times, but their resilience did not. I would say we emptied the tank every game. Our setter went down in the semifinal. They could’ve chosen to pout, but these girls kept fighting.
Q: What was the key moment that sparked your qualification?
A: Hard to pick a moment, but one in particular that stands out could be a transition kill in the third set. Our blockers made a poor read, thought the middle was being set and their setter shot the ball to the outside and no block was up. Their outside blasted a ball down the line, and Gaby Conway was ready on defense and dug a great ball that Alyssa Kornegay got to Emma Van Deusen on the outside and she put it away seam 1/6.
Q: Which players stepped up to help you reach your goal?
A: Everyone starred in their role, it was a true team effort or we couldn’t have won. Literally, everyone played at some point on Sunday. Alyssa Kornegay ran a great offense with 245 assists on the weekend, Ivy Westfall led us with 111 digs and passed a 2.23, and Emma Van Deusen paced us with 110 points on the weekend, hitting a career-high .333 for the tournament. Ella Pringle also stabilized our serve-receive passing a 2.23 and scored 83 points.
DME Academy’s 15 Elite Black team is headed to the Girls Junior National Championship at the Las Vegas Convention Center June 26-July 5th. This will be DME’s 4th team to make an appearance at Nationals. Be sure to check back here for additional information as it becomes available.
Daytona Beach, FL: For the second consecutive season the DME Academy Postgraduate Blue team competed for a PG National Championships. With a season record of 20-5 the team has been extended an invite to the big dance. This year’s event is being held in Rocky Hill, SC and will take place this weekend, March 12-14th. On Friday night, March 5th, DME Academy faced the Hargave Military Academy and won the game 63-61.
Understanding the importance of this event, Coach Wesam shared, “I’m very excited and happy for our team, they have worked very hard this season. We are happy to be there, but we are there to compete and maximize this experience for our players.”
While college coaches may not be onsite as in years past due to Covid-19, that doesn’t mean they won’t be watching. The Phenom PG Tournament host has live streaming options available and are expecting a great turnout of college coaches and scouts.
While the team fell short in their next match up, then ended the season as a top five team in the country.
Interested in playing at DME, get on our radar here!
No successful athlete ever has an easy path to success, and the same is true for Iowa Star and former DME Academy standout, Keegan Murray.
Typically, star athletes are offered scholarships in High School and head right to college following their graduation. Well, Keegan Murray didn’t follow the traditional star athlete path. Following a senior season at Prairie High School (Cedar Rapids, IA) he decided to forgo his college scholarship offers and head to basketball powerhouse, DME Sports Academy (DME) for a Post Graduate year, in search of more lucrative Division I opportunities.
DME was all business as soon as Keegan arrived on campus, training for about 6 hours a day, between strength and conditioning, practice, film sessions, and individual workouts. “Keegan is a very coachable athlete with a strong work ethic, which helps me become a better coach,” says Wesam Al-Sous, Head Post-Graduate Coach at DME, when asked about Keegan’s character. “But not only is he just coachable, he’s a selfless team player, and does anything he can in order for the team to be successful, which means putting in the work at practice —he definitely shows up in practice just as much as he shows up in the game.”
That work ethic, and his coachable mentality, helped Keegan gain interest from over 40 Division I programs, before landing a scholarship with his dream school, the University of Iowa, where his father, Kenyon Murray, also played. “When Keegan joined us [DME], he had great potential, he just needed to be pushed and compete at a higher level, in order to show his full potential,” commented Al-Sous on Keegan’s. Showing his full potential is exactly what Keegan did at DME, averaging 22.4 points per game on 50.75% shooting (41.7% from 3-point range), which helped put Keegan on people’s radar, ultimately landing a scholarship at the University of Iowa.
Since arriving at the University of Iowa, Keegan has helped boost the Hawkeyes to a #5 national ranking, while averaging 6.8 points per game and shooting a 55.8% field goal percentage on 15.8 minutes per game.
“At DME, we focus on improving every single student-athlete, through individual training schedules and customized programs for each of our athletes, we were able to give Keegan that personalized attention he needed to help elevate his game and get him to the next level,” explained Al-Sous.
If you’re interested in elevating your game to the next level, connect with one of our sport advisors here!
DME Sports Academy is one of the top sports training facilities in the world and that means their coaching staff has to be top-notch. Recently, we sat down with Roberto “Rafu” Rodriguez to discuss his love of the sport, his professional volleyball career and new position as a HYBRID Program coach at DME Sports Academy.
Originally from San Juan, PR Rafu comes from a lineage of volleyball players. “I’ve played my entire life, it comes naturally.” Attending the University of Sacred Heart in San Juan Puerto Rico, Rafu developed a love for beach volleyball winning both indoor and outdoor Championships, as well as MVP. He went on to play professionally for the national Puerto Rico team NORCECA for 12 years and podiumed nearly 40 times.
“Find what you love to do and do it with passion.
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In May of 2020, Rafu joined forces with DME in sunny Daytona Beach, Florida as a HYBRID Volleyball Program coach with the goal to have a beach club facility with year-round training, camps, clinics and lessons. As a family man, Rafu has a passion to involve kids in physical activity. DME Sports offers a wide range of training and education options for students and athletes who are looking to develop their mind, body and talents.
At DME you are sure to find the right training to advance your volleyball skills.
Training is tailored to the athlete’s skill level that Rafu intends to continue developing and raising the bar.
“The beach program at DME has a brand new four-court facility that is absolutely beautiful!
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Mark your calendars: Spring Travel Team Basketball Tryouts are February 21st and 23rd.
This season, travel basketball is back in the hands of the DME Academy.
Travel Ball at DME Academy is unlike any other experience. Our amazing team of college- and professional-level coaches and trainers offer elite perspective and insights into the development of young athletes. What’s more, they’ll serve as mentors to each player, improving their game with our professional-grade sports facilities, premium equipment, training systems and technologies. Each student-athlete receives instruction and developmental training geared towards helping him or her reach their full capacity on and off the court.
Our main goal is to help players improve their game, individually, while ensuring they gain valuable on-court experience in preparation for the upcoming high school seasons. That experience and preparation has made DME Academy’s Travel Ball such an exclusive and in-demand program.
The season starts on March 9th, runs until June 6th, and is open to ages 4th-12th graders.
Make sure you come out to tryouts and experience the DME family atmosphere, where we work with kids individually and help them get prepared for the next level.
You can get all the details and register for tryouts right here.
Gavin Metz is a former college soccer player from Columbus, Ohio, whose passion for strength and conditioning began while playing at Anderson University in South Carolina.
He won three conference titles and was part of multiple NCAA tournament runs. He began as a National Strength and Conditioning Association’s Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (NSCA CSCS) and later added the Titleist Performance Institute Level 2 Certified Golf Fitness Professional as well.
His time working with golfers and other athletes has given him a refined eye for movement and developing athletes, and Gavin is excited to use his expertise to mold and develop athletes here at DME.
Drawing on his own experience, Gavin knows what it takes to excel at the college level. His success on the field and in strength training and development brings a whole new dynamic to DME’s weight room and athletic programs.
DME Women’s basketball had a successful weekend at The MLK Shootout event.
After trailing most of the first half vs Spruce Creek, DME fought back with a great performance from Sophomore Sophie Rueppell. Rueppell finished with a career high 32 points and broke the DME 3 pointer Record with 10 made 3’s! Coming down the stretch, Sophie hit a three pointer that put DME on top 68-67 with less than one minute to play in the game. Game one was in the books for DME with a 68-67 win.
“We are really excited about Sophia’s progression and where she is going. Our showed the grit we have to compete.” DME Women’s Head Coach Ricky Claitt said. “ It was a great weekend and I am looking forward to progressing more as a team this season.” he continued.
Success followed DME Academy into day two of competition with a final score of 57-50 against Colonial High School. Four players finished with double figures starting with Senior, Bella Weary with 20 points. Junior Gaby Fontan and Senior Taylor Gardner both finished with 12 points. Sophie Rueppell also had 11 points. Finishing on top from a strong performance the DME Academy Girls program is now 13-3 on the season.
You can watch all games on our Youtube Channel Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW3tV1ARHJXWlMBF5ox5d1XpYXBJopM0m
On Saturday, November 7th, DME Sports Academy (Daytona Beach, FL) traveled to Bradenton, FL for a showdown against Florida Powerhouse, IMG Academy.
While the stands weren’t packed and there weren’t any glamorous dunks or midcourt three pointers, or even any 5-star athletes, it was an exciting middle school showdown, which featured a ton of future stars. Gabe Stewart (8th grade) and Jon Powell (8th Grade) led the way for DME combining for half of the teams total 68 points, while 5th grader Camden Cooper put up 12 points.
DME set the tone early and led almost the entire game, but IMG Academy was able to keep it close throughout the game, but in the end, DME was too much to handle for the Florida Powerhouse and walked out with the 68-65 victory. “I’m very happy with the effort from our team, but I know we can be much better,” Head Coach Matt Panaggio of DME Sports Academy.
DME Middle School will be back in action this Saturday, November 21st at 11 am in an inner squad battle between DME Middle School Blue and DME Middle School White.