DaytonDailyNews.com

DAYTON — The T-shirts for sale on the counter in the main lobby of the Dayton Convention Center are a perfect fit for the occasion.

Peace ... Love ... Volleyball.

The seventh annual President's Cup Tournament, which ends today, Feb. 17 at 6 p.m., is one big volleyball "lovefest," featuring 200 teams from 13 states, plus Canada, and college scouts from east (Pittsburgh) to west (Stanford) and all parts in between.

"It's a very good regional tournament, especially early in the year," Cleveland State head coach Chuck Voss said on Saturday, Feb. 16. "And it's getting better every year with more and more of the better clubs coming to the area."

College coaches aren't focused strictly on high school juniors and seniors. They're scouting 15-year-olds because they want to trace their progression. Players need to show steady improvement and not peak too soon.

Wanted: Good liberos

Liberos — distinguished by the fact they wear different colored jerseys and can sub in for anyone on the back row — are changing the face of volleyball.

They're generally small in stature, but their importance is growing because they're defensive specialists skilled at digging and passing.

Voss calls the libero position "critical" to a team's success.

"They take care of the ball and allow your team to run your offense," he said.

Why is it such a tough position to judge?

"It's that whole defensive thing," he said. "It's hard to project how their ball control is going to look at the next level. It's so much faster. Someone who looks good at this level, when you get 'em in college, the speed can just eat 'em up."

Bird's eye view

Shiela Batista, assistant coach for the Dayton Juniors 17s blue squad, is seated in the third-floor hospitality suite at the convention center. With a view of all 16 courts, she preaches Volleyball IQ 101.

The Cliffs Notes version: A player's court sense. The ability to anticipate, read and react properly.

"A player will not swing into a closed block," she said. "They're probably going to tip. A good defender, with high volleyball IQ, sees that, and they're going to pick that up. They're going to be there before the ball hits the floor."

On the other hand, a hitter who sees a closed block "is going to hit a roll shot, a high shot or hit it off the side of the (defender's) hand, off the court," Batista said. "They'll use off-speed hits and not just swing straight down into the block. That's high volleyball IQ.

"A player who has that early on really develops quicker. That's the kind of player a college coach wants."

Super fan

Spectators, coaches and officials can't help but notice Bob Rickert tooling around the convention center in his motorized scooter.

Rickert, a Louisville resident whose father and grandfather grew up in Dayton, said there's nowhere he'd rather be this weekend than the Gem City, where he's watching his two granddaughters compete for the MidAmerica Volleyball Association (MAVA) club team.

"Volleyball is a great sport," he said. "I love it. It keeps these kids off the street. It keeps them busy and active."

Rickert needs one of those T-shirts.

Peace ... Love ... Volleyball.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2253 or cludwig@DaytonDailyNews.com

.