Club Directors and Coaches:
As in all of the tournaments that we host, there will be no coaches’ meeting at
Icebreaker. This packet contains all of the information that would have been
disseminated in such a meeting, so we ask that you review it closely. That said, we do
require that coaches check in with us at the tournament desk to pick up their rosters.
The a.m. wave begins at 8:00 a.m. (with doors to the venues opening at 7:00), and p.m.
waves commence at 3:00 p.m. (except for the U12’s, which will commence at 2:00
p.m.). Schedules were posted on AES on Sunday 1/24, but it is possible that something
will change between the time that you read this and tournament time, so doublecheck once more later in the week and before you go to bed on Friday to ensure that
nothing has changed. We will also update AES with real-time results throughout the
weekend so that grandma and grandpa can follow their favorite team’s progress from
afar.
A NOTE ABOUT WAVES, POOLS AND INITIAL PAIRINGS:
Seeding is still a crap-shoot this early in the season. We have done the best job we
know how to seed teams fairly based on results to date. We tweaked the resultant
pairings to ensure that teams from the same club are in separate pools to the extent
possible, and also to minimize the instances in which teams from the sister clubs (e.g.
A5/GA5; Tsunami South/Tsunami DeKalb) are pooled together.
So whether your team is listed first, second, third or fourth in a pool, we hope you will
recognize that our goal is simply to provide all attendees with good competition against
a wide variety of teams in this early-season tournament. Computer rankings will take
over soon enough.
MATCH FORMAT
Matches will be the standard best two out of three sets, the first two sets being played
to 25 points; a tiebreaker, if required, will be played to 15. All sets must be won by two
points with no limitation. In a few instances teams in three-team pools will play three
sets to 25 irrespective of the results of the first two sets. Accordingly, it is imperative
that we move quickly from match to match if we are to remain on schedule. Referees
have been instructed to start the 10-minute warm-up clock immediately upon
completion of the previous match, so please have your teams ready to go.
It is our goal for each team competing at Icebreaker to play in a minimum of five
matches. Accordingly, first-round losers in bracket play can expect to play a consolation
match on Sunday unless otherwise noted.
COMPETITION PROTOCOL & FORMAT
The tournament will be held at four Venues:
Suwanee Sports Academy – “SSA” –courts – 1 – 7
Southern Volleyball Center – “SVC “– 42 courts – 1, 3, 4 & 5
Jackson County High School – “JCHS” -- 4 courts – 1 , 2, 3 & 4
Peachtree City Volleyball Center – “PCVC” -- 2 courts – 2 & 4
18 Power – SSA –A.M. wave – Courts 4 & 5
The 18 Power division will have eight teams. They will be organized into two pools of
four teams each on day one. The results of pool play will be used for the purpose of
seeding the Championship Bracket, to which all teams advance. First-round losers in
bracket play will play a consolation match.
18 Club – SSA – A.M. wave – courts 1 -- 3
The 18 Club division will have twelve teams. They will be organized into three pools of
four teams each on day one. The top two teams in each division will remain in
contention for the Championship, advancing to two, three-team gold medal pools. The
winners of these two pools will play each other for the Championship. The third and
fourth place finishers in each round 1 pool will advance on Sunday to three-team silver
and bronze division pools, respectively.
17 Power – SSA – P.M. wave – courts 1 - 3
The 17 Power division will have nine teams. They will be organized into three pools of
three teams each on round one. At the conclusion of round one Saturday morning, they
will be organized again into three, three- team pools, with the winners of round 1 pools
being pooled together, 2nd-place finishers being pooled together, and 3rd – place
finishers likewise playing each other. The results of pool play will be used for the
purpose of seeding the Championship Bracket, to which all teams advance. First-round
losers in bracket play will play a consolation match.
17 Club – SSA – P.M. wave – courts 4 & 5
The 17 Club division will have eight teams. They will be organized into two pools of four
teams each on day one. The results of pool play will be used for the purpose of seeding
the Championship Bracket, to which all teams advance. First-round losers in bracket
play will play a consolation match.
16 Power – SSA – P.M. wave – courts 6 & 7
The 16 Power division will have eight teams. They will be organized into two pools of
four teams each on day one. The results of pool play will be used for the purpose of
seeding the Championship Bracket, to which all teams advance. First-round losers in
bracket play will play a consolation match.
16 Club – JCHS – A.M. wave – courts 1 – 4
The 16 Club division will have 16 teams. They will be organized on day one into four
pools of four teams each. The top two finishers in each pool will advance to the
Championship Bracket on day two, while 3rd and 4th place finishers will play in the silver
bracket. First-round losers in both brackets will play a consolation match.
15 Power – SSA – A.M. wave – courts 6 & 7
The 15 Power division will have eight teams. They will be organized into two pools of
four teams each on day one. The results of pool play will be used for the purpose of
seeding the Championship Bracket, to which all teams advance. First-round losers in
bracket play will play a consolation match.
15 Club – JCHS – P.M. wave – courts 1 – 4
The 15 Club division will have fifteen teams. They will be organized on day one into
three pools of four teams and one pool of three. Matches in the three-team pool will be
three sets to 25 irrespective of the results of the first two sets.
The top two finishers in each pool will advance to the Championship Bracket on day
two, while 3rd and 4th place finishers will play in the silver bracket. First-round losers in
both brackets will play a consolation match.
14 Power – SVC – A.M. wave – courts 1 & 3
The 14 Power division will have eight teams. They will be organized into two pools of
four teams each on day one. The results of pool play will be used for the purpose of
seeding the Championship Bracket, to which all teams advance. First-round losers in
bracket play will play a consolation match.
14 Club – SVC – P.M. wave – courts 1, 3, 4 & 5
The 14 Club division will have 16 teams. They will be organized on day one into four
pools of four teams each. The top two finishers in each pool will advance to the
Championship Bracket on day two, while 3rd and 4th place finishers will play in the silver
bracket. First-round losers in both brackets will play a consolation match.
13 Club – SVC – A.M. wave – courts 4 & 5
The 13 Club division will have eight teams. They will be organized into two pools of four
teams each on day one. The results of pool play will be used for the purpose of seeding
the Championship Bracket, to which all teams advance. First-round losers in bracket
play will play a consolation match.
12 Club/Power – PCVC – A.M. and P.M. waves – courts 2 & 4
There are three teams entered in the 12 Power division, with 9 teams playing in 12 Club.
To ensure diversity of play, they will be combined during pool play, for a total of 12
teams. These teams will be organized into four pools of three teams each, with two
pools playing in the a.m. and two in the p.m. Upon completion of pool play, each team
will play a cross-over match for seeding purposes (1st place finishers play each other, as
do the 2nd and 3rd place finishers).
Day one results will be used to seed the day two brackets. On day two the 12 Power
division will compete in a three-team Championship pool. Those in the 12 Club division
will compete in a nine-team, single-elimination pool. First-round losers in bracket play
will play a consolation match.
Please note the atypical start times for the U12 divisions. Saturday’s p.m. wave is
scheduled to start at 2 p.m. rather than 3, and the start time for Sunday’s competition is
9 a.m. rather than the more typical 8:00. We made these adjustments in recognition of
the distance many families have to drive to PCVC, coupled with the age (and typical bedtime) of the participants in this division.
TIE-BREAKING PROCEDURES
Are more fully described in the SRVA handbook, an excerpt of which is included below.
Tie-breaking matches will be played only to the extent that the results affect
advancement to gold bracket play. A one-game match to 25 will be played if a
tiebreaking match is necessary to differentiate advancement to gold vs. silver brackets
in either of those age brackets. Note: if a team involved in a tie-breaking match has left
the building, they will automatically forfeit the tie-breaker.
Following is the SRVA tie-breaking protocol:
Teams qualifying for the playoffs but tied for position only shall not compete in
a playoff set to determine position. Rather, each team’s position shall be
determined by the priority system described below. However, no teams shall
be eliminated from the playoffs based solely upon points or a point system,
except for the gold/silver format tournaments. If there are more teams tied
for the playoffs than there are positions, the tied teams will compete in a
minimum number of playoff sets so that no team will be eliminated from the
playoff based on points.
A. Any one-set playoff necessary to determine which team will make the
playoffs will be conducted in accordance with the current year USAV
Rulebook. If no specific instructions are included in the rulebook, then a oneset playoff will be to 25 points, switch sides at 13, win by 2 with no cap.
B. If two (2) or more teams are tied for the same number of playoff positions,
each team’s position shall be determined by the following methods (this
same method will be used when re-seeding is required for four team pools).
When using these methods to determine position of teams the following
order will be followed without repetition.
1. If two teams are tied for two spots, the higher seed is determined by the
results of the match between the two teams, first on won-lost records,
then by point percentage.
2. If three or more teams are involved or if two teams are still tied after
number 1 above, superior team(s) is determined by best record using
total sets played, then a comparison of the total point percentage for all
of round-robin pool sets played will be used.
3. If still tied, a coin toss will determine playoff positions.
C. If two or more teams are tied for one playoff position, the minimum number
of 25 point rally-point sets will be played:
1. Two teams tied for one position: one 25 point rally-point set.
2. Three teams tied for one position: Superior team determined by best
record using total sets played, then by total point percentage using total
sets played will receive a BYE and plays the winner of a 25 point rallypoint set between the two remaining teams.
3. Four teams tied for one position: Seeding of teams determined by best
record using total sets played, then by total point percentage using total
sets played. Team 1 plays Team 4 in one 25 point rally-point set; Team 2
plays Team 3 in one 25 point rally-point set and winners play one 25
point rally-point set to determine the team in the playoff.
D. If three teams are tied for two positions: Team with best record using total
sets played, and if still tied, then by best total point percentage using total
sets played is given the first position and the two remaining teams play one
25 point rally-point set to determine the second position.
E. If four teams are tied for two positions: Ranking of teams is determined by
the criteria in VII.B.2 and 3. The highest ranked team is given the first
position and the remaining teams play 25 point rally-point sets to determine
the second position. Team 3 plays Team 4 and Team 2 plays the winner for
second position, using single 25 point rally-point sets.
A. If five teams are tied for two positions: Ranking of teams is determined by
the criteria in VII.B.2 and 3. The highest ranked team is given the first
position and the remaining teams play 25 point rally-point sets to determine
the second position. Team 2 plays Team 5 and Team 3 plays Team 4, using
single 25 point rally-point sets. The winners of these playoff matches play
each other for the second playoff position.
TEAM REFEREE OBLIGATIONS
Referee schedules are included in the pool assignments. Except for a few instances,
teams losing in bracket play on Sunday will ref the next match on that court. Several
teams will be required to ref the 8:00 A.M. Sunday match before they play, so again,
please check the website as well as the pools and brackets to see if your team is
affected. Teams with 8 a.m. ref assignments must be in place on the court no later than
7:45.
As some divisions transition from pool play to bracket play on Sunday, many times one
of the lower-level finishers from a given pool will be required to ref the match
immediately following pool play. Please look at the brackets closely and check out
with the tournament director before leaving to ensure that no one misses their reffing
assignment.
Coaches, please remind your players that MP3 players and Cell Phones are not to be
used while working the score table and that snacks and drink bottles should not be on
the table. For courts without an electronic scoreboard, scorekeepers should lift the
score board and show the score frequently, minimally at serve changes and time outs.
REAL-TIME, ON-LINE UPDATES:
We’re going paperless again this year. Results will be continuously posted in real time
on advancedeventsystems.com. We will have i-pads and/or LED screens available at all
four locations for those needing to check schedule obligations, results, ref assignments,
etc. Lastly, participants may wish to spare themselves the walk to the central desk at
this and every AES-scheduled tournament thereafter by downloading the AES app.
Simply go to the app store, search for aes xpress, and follow the prompts.
PARKING is free at all venues:
SSA: Earlybirds will be able to park in the lot adjoining the courts, but others will
have to drop off their kids and coolers at the entrance and find other parking
opportunities nearby. There exists a well-marked overflow lot right off McGinnis
Ferry Road which is fine. The parking lot across the street from SSA that serves
the adjacent church is ok on Saturday but NOT ok on Sunday and you will be
towed if you park there. Parking is not allowed on McGinnis Ferry Road either.
It is permissible to park on Burnett Road, the non-curbed road that serves SSA,
provided that the wheels of your vehicle are not touching the paved surface, but
are all the way on the shoulder. Again, cars that intrude upon Burnett Road will
be towed. Do not park in the parking lots of adjacent businesses. It is an
aggravation to them and they will likely tow you if they are working on the
weekend. We will post “no parking” signs to alert you to problem areas, but
sometimes those signs walk off, so we’re emphasizing it in this email. Beyond
the above, there are side roads off Burnett that are fine. Just bring your walking
shoes!
SVC: There should be sufficient parking on site to accommodate tournament
demand. If the front parking lot is full, pull around to the back of the
building—the loading dock side—and enter through SVC’s glass entrance
doors. If on-site parking fills up, use the AT&T lot across the street.
JCHS: Parking is obvious and virtually unlimited.
PCVC: Parking in the lot serving the building is limited, but it is permissible to
park on the public streets near and around the building. Please do not park in
the lots of neighboring businesses.
FOOD TABLES
Are allowed at all venues. You’ll need to bring your own tables to JCHS; otherwise we
will furnish them for you. Space is limited, though, and we ask that you limit your use to
one table (or half-table in the case of SVC) per team.
GATE
$5 per adult per day. Children under 10 are free.
FOLDING CHAIRS
Are prohibited at SSA as they damage the floor over time. You may bring them to SVC,
PCVC and JCHS if you desire. However, there is abundant bleacher space and sufficient
chairs to facilitate spectators on every court.
TRAINERS
A certified trainer will be at both SSA and SVC for the duration of the tournament.
Please bring your own tape if you want them to wrap your ankles.
TEAM REFEREE OBLIGATIONS
Referee schedules are included in the pool assignments posted on the website. During
bracket play and after pool play, losing teams will ref the next match on that court.
Several teams will be required to ref the 8:00 A.M. Sunday match before they play, so
again, please check the website as well as the pools and brackets that will be posted at
the tournament. Teams with 8 a.m. ref assignments must be in place on the court no
later than 7:45.
Coaches, please remind your players that MP3 players and Cell Phones are not to be
used while working the score table and that snacks and drink bottles should not be on
the table. They should lift the score board and show the score frequently, minimally at
serve changes and time outs.
Please feel free to call or email either of the undersigned with questions.
Emergency/last-minute contacts and phone numbers are included below. We look
forward to seeing you at the Icebreaker on January 30th.
Kurt Matthews
Court Mgr., SVC
404-895-1155
Michael Fletcher
Trnmt Dir., SSA
404-936-6723
Phil Teknipp
Court Mgr., PCVC
440-413-7911
Michelle Prater
Court Mgr., JCHS
(770) 883-7807