Power League #3

March 7, 2010

1-4

The 17 Elite Black struggled with consistency again and went 1-5 for the day.  They opened up the tournament losing a close match against Olympia 17 Black, and continued to struggle in pool play -- playing well at times, but not often enough to result in wins.  For the tournament, the team passed only 1.60 and had 21 Aces and 26 service errors.  Attacking was also inconsistent.  As a team, they hit .090.  Bright spots for the day were Taylor Brooks, Olivia VanDlac, and Erica Clark.  Taylor was voted tournament Team MVP for consistently putting up hittable sets despite the teams passing woes; Olivia, who has only played part time during her HS Basketball season still managed to lead the team in Kills (21) and hitting efficiency(.167); and Erica stepped up in her first opportunity to play Libero.  Pass-Serve Stats  | Other Stats (hitting, dig, block, assist)

PNQ, Spokane

March 26-28, 2010

4-3

The NW Juniors 17 Elite team capped the month of March with a great showing in the PNQ Qualifier.  After a very difficult month -- and a lot of hard work on the part of the players and coaches -- they were finally rewarded with a GOLD division finish.  Entering the tournament as the #18 seed, the 17 Elite team had a great first day, winning their pool and defeating a team from Hawaii (TAVA Hawaii), Northern California (Gold Cal 17-2), and Montana (ZTV 17) along the way.  Their pool win moved them up to the #5 seed and a difficult pool on Day 2.  Day 2 was a rough day, and despite playing their best volleyball of the season, they still went 0-2 in pool and finished in third place after close losses to Olympia RSB and Six Dogs 17 from Colorado, and putting them in a tough position to get back into the gold division.  They had to win a crossover match against a ZTV, the second place team from another pool -- which they did, assuring their spot in the Gold and an 8:00 AM date with Austin Juniors (the #3 seed in the tournament).  Although they played well enough to win at times, it was not enough to overcome the much bigger Austin Juniors team.  Their loss placed them in a tie for 9th overall in the 17 Club Division, out of 42 teams.  More than anything, their performance left them with optimism for the rest of the season, and an understanding that hard work leads to measurable positive results.  Great performances were turned in by Libero Tiva Akau, who played her first tournament in over a month after a shoulder injury and was voted weekend MVP; and Setter, Taylor Brooks, who showed consistency all weekend.  Also, of note was the great passing by the team all weekend.