DENVER – When it comes to volleyball skills – passing, setting, spiking, blocking, digging, and serving – members of Rockwood Thunder 16 White rumble with the best. And then some.

The St. Louis, Missouri-based Rockwood rolled through this year’s Colorado Crossroads tournament with reckless abandon, exploding past 10 opponents to win the 16 American Gold bracket at the Colorado Convention Center. A scrappy team that often found itself outsized, Rockwood won three of its final four matches in three sets on the final day Sunday in the single-elimination bracket.

Rockwood captured the title and a bid to this summer’s Junior Nationals with a hard-fought 29-27, 26-24 victory against Max Performance 16 Blue of Texas. After the final point, the team erupted with joy, jumping up and down and hugging each other.