Power League - April
BRONZE DIVISION
April 10, 2005 @ Mt Hood CC - Gresham, OR

The Cowlitz 12 Blues ended their season with a bang today! At Mount Hood Community College in Gresham, the Scrappy Blues won 5 straight matches for their first ever day of undefeated play. It was truly a day for celebration. This was the first time the 12 Blues have won a match in 2 games, and that is how they started the day beating Athena Alpha 25-13, 25-21! This was also the first time Chantal Grothen got a serve over the net in competition, and she was successful 4 times today! This little hustler has come a long way! She can always be counted on to give it her all and speed after everything! Super job today, Chantal! Other stand-outs in this match were Katie Reichert and Laurel Cadotte. Katie and Laurel hustled to set up every pass. Both of these athletes are strong all-around players, and in this match, their hard work all season-long paid off as their setting skills really shone! Way to go, Katie and Laurel!

In their second match against Greater Columbia Black, Cowlitz 12 Blue won 25-16, 19-25, 16-14. Serving was on fire this match with Kayla Maki and Micah Jenkins going back to the line and getting the job done! Both of these girls’ serving abilities have improved greatly. They were very consistent all day long. They both play with such heart and enthusiasm. It has been exciting to see their development this season. Great job, Kayla and Micah! In addition, Casey Birdsell did an amazing job at the net this match! She blocked two hits, tipped one over for the a kill, and set some beautiful sets to her hitters! All right, Casey!

In our third match against MAC Jrs. Red, the team prevailed in a 25-22, 10-25, 17-15 nail biter! In the first game of this match, the Blues were down 1-12 before rallying back. The team always struggles with teams who pass it over on the first contact without attempting to set it up. After they adjusted to this, and they learned how to pass their opponents underhand (grrr!) serves, the team pulled it together at the end, staying focused, and putting the game away. The team was led by the serving of Tara Zandi and the hitting of Kalena Mawae and Ellie Halladay. Kalena and Ellie have been our leading hitters all season, and today they took it to the next level. Ellie had numerous hard-driven spikes and Kalena was all over the place, tipping the ball over the net and using her off-speed shot to place the ball in the opponent’s holes. Tara was a strong serving force all day, running off strings of 5 to 8 points at a shot! Way to go, Tara, Ellie, and Kalena!

The fourth match of the day was against Scappoose. Scores for this match were 25-21, 21-25, 15-11. This was another one of those up and down matches that give coaches heart failure. Just when we thought the game was in the bag, the team would let their opponents back in it just to make their fans and their coaches sweat! Finally, the girls decided that enough was enough, they had tortured everyone long enough, they had better start playing "our game", and so they came out victorious. Sydney Leach was an inspiration to all defensive wannabees with her play this match. Just when you thought the ball was dead on the floor, here came Sydney out of nowhere to make an amazing save. This girl was everywhere on the court! She refused to let the ball hit our side unless she was on the floor looking up at it! Yeah, Sydney!

For the last match of the long day, and incidentally, the last match in the gym for the day, 12 Blue again faced Greater Columbia Black. Staying strong the entire game, those Scrappy Blues won 25-21. Kenzie McDaniels was a serving machine this match and was the spark that was needed to keep the team up and focused after an exhausting day (for players, parents, and coaches alike) of tough volleyball. Every time Kenzie went back to the line to serve all day, this hard worker did it with confidence and poise. Fantastic job, Kenzie!

Well, after this day, if I didn’t have high blood pressure, I do now! What a work-out, and all I did was stand there! It sure is fun to win though, isn’t it, girls?! Remember that feeling and use it next season. You all have come so far! Remember those early days in December? Oh, my goodness! You are a different team now! I couldn’t be prouder of all of you! Each and every single one of you have improved your skills tremendously, and you did it all by just working hard to be your best. Practices were always enjoyable because of your work ethic and your willingness to listen and just go for it! I didn’t see a team all season who threw their bodies to the floor like you all did! You have rightfully earned your nickname of "Scrappy!" Keep working on those sprawls and rolls! I can’t wait to see what you will do next year! Go get ‘em!

Northwest Junior Jamboree
February 26-27, 2005 @ Franklin MS - Yakima, WA

The weekend of February 26th and February 27th, the Cowlitz 12 Blues traveled through the "Gorge" and over the "Pass" to participate in the Yakima Volleyball Festival.

Friday night players arrived searching for their teammates. What room were they in? Where were their doors? They had decorations to tape up. What a sight as you walked through the halls of the Clarion Hotel. We were surrounded by Cowlitz door decor for all local players...blue glitter, volleyball stickers, sketches of volleyball players, and streamers everywhere. The girls had fun settling in. Saturday morning we met for a delicious team breakfast and "Secret Sister" exchange! We caravanned to Yakima Valley Community College to watch the "18's" play. Our "Blues" were in awe of the power game demonstrated by the older teams.

We began play Saturday afternoon. Our pool consisted of some impressive competition. We played strong PVC and Yakima teams. Both clubs had girls that served "bullets." The "Blues" couldn't get into their serve-receive groove, much to the credit of their opponent's tough serves. Each game their passing improved so we could attempt to run our offense. At this level serve-receive is difficult, but we were resilient and didn't get down. The Scrappy Blues were up to the challenge. We served well throughout the day and made minimal errors. Excitement ensued when our players would scramble, sprawl, and roll like Olympians, to make fantastic defensive plays. Later, Saturday evening, players, parents, and coaches ate dinner at the Ol' Country Buffet and stuffed our guts! We deserved it after a day of hard play, and reffing!

Sunday it was like a new team showed up to compete! The Scrappy Blues were in a new bracket playing teams from the Tri-Cities, Sudden Valley, and our compadres the Cowlitz 12 Blacks. Strong play from all dominated our first festival victory over a young Tri-City team. Saturday served as a warm up. The girls thought our "gray" shirts meant good-luck. Next, we played against Sudden Valley. Boy, we started off slow and lethargic. With some push, the girls regrouped and claimed victory in 3 sets.

The spotlight game had to be the two locals playing one another...Cowlitz 12 Blacks vs. Cowlitz 12 Blues. What a game! The Scrappy Blues were golden. Everything was in sync. Their serve-receive was perfect...every pass right to target. Laurel Cadotte, Ellie Halliday, Tara Zandi, and Sydney Leach were awesome. Kenzie McDaniel was unstoppable front court with her sneaky dumps and power tips. She even received compliments about her powerful play from her opponent across the net. Kalena Mawae, Katie Reichert, and Kayla Maki made picture-perfect digs using and applying their sprawling and rolling skills. Casey Birdsell and the other setters made beautiful contact with that second ball to move our offense. Ellie, Kalena, and Katie applied great wrist-snap for powerful kills. Micah Jenkins was ecstatic about her serving performance. She was strong, consistent, and earned several clutch points in a row. The entire team served well. The play of the day was made by Chantel Grothen. As she moved forward to pass, somehow the ball made contact with her face then proceeded to volley over the net and down for a kill. The crowd went wild. The Scrappy Blues were defeated in the closest match of their season, in the third set 14-16. This match was by far their best all year. Their fans, coaches, and opponents were impressed and proud of their performance.

After that strong effort the girls lost their oomph. They couldn't get their flow back for their final game, and later were defeated in a rematch against Team Yakima.

All the girls played well through-out the tournament. Laurel Cadotte, Sydney Leach and Micah Jenkins had stand-out performances. They stepped up to their next level of play. Chantel Grothen and Kayla Maki were super-spirited! Positive cheers, sayings, and raps were wonderful. (Kalena, we need to practice your rap for the next tourney.)

The festival was a fun, team-building, and family time for all. We appreciate all the support of family members getting players to and from Yakima, buying Secret Sister gifts, helping decorate, and cheerleading for the team. What a wonderful memory for the girls.

Power League - February
BRONZE DIVISION
February 12, 2005 @ Pacific University - Forest Grove, OR

The Cowlitz 12 Blue team started out strong in the Power League tournament in Forest Grove on Saturday. This was by far the team’s best play to date. The girls were focused, aggressive, and upbeat. There has been so much improvement in this team of scrappy, hardworking athletes.

In their opening set against Mac Jrs., the Cowlitz 12 Blues came out victorious with scores of 25-13, 24-25, and 15-7. The girls worked well together and were successful in numerous pass, set, hits! The aggressive serving of Kalena Mawae and the consistent setting of Katie Reichert were instrumental in this win. These two played well all day, going to the floor many times, keeping the ball in play.

In their second set against Webfoot Silver, the 12 Blues again prevailed. Scores were 25-19, 16-25, and 15-7. The team was lead by the all around hustle and aggressive play of Sydney Leach and the hard serving of Casey Birdsell. Excitement was high as the team was now undefeated in tournament play for the first time.

In the third round of pool play, the team lost a close one to Oregon City Purple 25-20, 13-25, 12-15. The team played well the whole set but just couldn’t pull it off. Ellie Halladay was impressive at the net with a number of kills, set up by Kenzie McDaniel who set well all day. Kayla Maki executed her very first sprawl in competition with an amazing defensive save. All day, she played with enthusiasm.

Going into the afternoon bracket play, the Cowlitz 12 Blue team was in a three way tie for 1st in pool with a 2-1 record. But, due to point differential tie-breakers, the team ended up as the 3rd seed in bracket play. For the first set in the afternoon play, the team lost to Camas 25-10, 15-25, 10-15. Tara Zandi and Laurel Cadotte passed extremely well this set, as they did throughout the entire tournament.

In the final game of the day, Cowlitz Blue lost 18-25. Micah Jenkins was focused and passed well this game. Micah always plays with such heart!

The Cowlitz 12 Blue team has come a long way since those early days of December. They are now a disciplined team that consistently works towards making three contacts. Even though they come across teams that just bump the ball over, they are never tempted to drop down to that level of play. The girls work hard to play “true” volleyball, and for that, your coaches are very proud of you! Way to go, Scrappy Blue!

Athletes Corner Tournament
February 6, 2005 @ Mt Solo MS - Longview, WA

Sunday, February 6, 2005, the Cowlitz Volleyball Club hosted a "12 & Under" Tournament at Mt. Solo Middle School in Longview, WA. The tough competition included teams from Beaverton, North Clackamas, Lake Oswego, Longview, and Eugene.

The girls stayed up a little too late the night before, or so it seemed. Their first matches/sets were slow-moving and lethargic. Not the "scrappy" team we've seen in the past. Feet were cemented to the court. Voices were silent! As the morning progressed, little by little each team member awoke from their slumber and began to play volleyball. The "Scrappy Blues" returned! By the end of the day the "Blues" were on fire. Victory eluded the team! But, our energy and enthusiasm prevailed!

Kalena Mawae and Ellie Halliday were strong at the net with aggressive attacks all day long. What power! Our setters Katie Reichert, Casey Birdsell, Laurel Cadotte, and Kenzie McDaniel were exceptional with their first tournament running a 4-2 offense. They knew their rotations and attempted to set the second ball up to run a successful offense. Great job to Casey on her first participation in a tournament! You were a pro! Thank goodness for Sydney Leach and Tara Zandi! Both had formidable passing and digging throughout the tournament! It must be mentioned Katie Riechert had a fantastic dig and followed through with her first "roll' used in a real game situation. The coaching staff and spectators were in awe of her agility. Micah Jenkins, Kayla Maki, and Chantal Grothen came off the bench bringing energy to the floor to get the job done, to pass the ball up to the setters! Micah's floor presence is appreciated by all. If you don't know where to go? Micah did.

The Cowlitz "12 Blues" travel to Forest Grove, Oregon and Pacific University to participate in their second Power League tournament. The girls look forward to playing!

Power League Qualifier
January 22, 2005 @ The Lane Events Center - Eugene, OR

The 12 Blues had a great tournament last weekend in Eugene pulling off two wins against Mac Jr. and OVCV! The girls also lost a close, tough one to Eugene 24 to 26. In early morning pool play, the team lost to Roseburg-Nora and Team Nike NW, but worked hard to cover the floor and stay focused.

The level of play of this team of scrappers continues to show dramatic improvement. Throughout the day, the team had an impressive number of pass/set/kills led by the strong hitting of Ellie Halladay and Sydney Leach. Consistent passers for the day included Kalena Mawae, Leach, Laurel Cadotte, and Halladay, with Leach, Halladay, and Mawae also providing a good number of strong sets. Defensive standouts included Tara Zandi, Kenzie McDaniel, and Katie Reichert. Serving percentages for the team overall continued to improve with Mawae, Halladay, and Leach leading the pack. Zandi had a large number of aces for the day also. Micah Jenkins, Kayla Maki, and Chantal Grothen were energized and hustled every game.

Cowlitz 12 Blue is made up of dedicated, hardworking athletes with tremendous potential. It is exciting to see how far they have come in such a short time and to think about where they will be by the end of the season. Way to go, Blue!

Pre-Qualifier Tournament
January 9, 2005 @ Longview, WA

The Cowlitz 12 Blues didn't travel far to participate in their first volleyball tournament at Cascade Middle School in Longview, WA. The girls were enthusiastic and energized early on, ready to play. The competition consisted of strong teams from Portland, Olympia, and our own Cowlitz 12 Blacks.

The girls were fun to watch. They were everywhere...diving, sliding, hustling! The word best describing their efforts..."SCRAPPY!" Unfortunately, we didn't win many sets but as the day progressed we showed improvement and closed the point gap. As we work on skill mechanics and gain more experience playing, our time will come.

Player highlights include the fantastic defensive digs of Sydney Leach and Kenzie McDaniel. Wow! Laurel Cadotte and Katie Reichert were aggressive at the net setting our hitters. What hustle! Kalena Mawae and Ellie Halladay were dominant on the court, serving rockets, and passing up some tough serves! Micah Jenkins was so excited to get a serve over the net. Yahoo Micah! Kayla Maki was proud of her big-time block from someone so small! You go girl! Tara Zandi played with an injured foot and you'd never know it. She was all over the court! Chantel Grothen was helpful in keeping rallies going with exceptional passing. Casey Birdsell was unable to play due to illness. Hope you feel better soon Casey!

Our first tournament was a success. The team was smiling, supportive, and responsible. All members took their 'reffing' responsibilities very seriously. Thank you scorekeepers, moms, dads, and others who helped make this day a great experience for all.