It was almost like someone took over our players' brains and stole the volleyball information part. We had such a hard time stringing anything together effectively, starting with our passing. Our mental errors made it a long day at The HOOP. BUT, despite all this I can think of many good things during the day. Our serving hasn't failed us. We served 85% for the day as a team! I feel so blessed with girls who take responsibility for their actions. We are not a team of excuses or finger-pointing. We win and lose as a team.

I am a coach who doesn't always like to point out individuals from the team. In a team sport, it takes you and your teammates to make an individual look good. But for a day with not our best team effort, I'd like to mention 2 individuals. Hilary Haagen took her volleyball ability to the next level! She had an exceptional all-around day. Before this tournament Hilary's highest serving percentage was 67%. She served an awesome 95%, missing only 2 serves with 9 Aces. She was really moving well on the court and making wise decisions. It was like watching a flower blossom right before our eyes. The other player I want to mention is Elizabeth Stratton. Liz is the ultimate utility player. For this tourney she played RF, LF, Libero and Setter! And yes, she has played Middle in some tournaments. If we need a spot filled, I can always count on Liz, and I am grateful for her great attitude in doing so.

We were able to use this tournament to try some different combinations on the floor and build some confidence. As always we can count on our serving for the day. As a team we served 85%! Sadie Aschoff was 34/35 on the day at 97%. Her serving run of 7 points against Cascade Juniors kept our heads above water. We had a team effort melt down on passing against the Juniors and could have easily rolled over and played dead. The girls sucked it up and came back to make it a respectable loss instead of a blowout. If Brianne Culbertson is on the court she will always win the war with teams who try and tip, as she proved today. Kacie DeRosier had an awesome day setting. As a team it's great to have 1 good setter, but the season is long and it's nice to have several players you can turn to. Janelle Frutchey can make a person hold their breath and sigh with relief when she is in the middle and reaches behind her head sending the ball back over the net. Thank goodness for looong arms. Hilary Haagen is all about team and learning. A player who is willing to leave some skin on the floor and ask how she can get better. Katie Hail adds all around consistency on the floor, while sister Stefani Hail's aggressive defense at Libero keeps us alive through many rallies. Ashlee Hanson has a bullet of a serve, but even better yet, she does it with consistency. She served 26/30 on the day. Moving Jessie from Libero to outside has proved beneficial to the team to utilize her serving and hitting. Liz Stratton turned her serving % around with 92% on the day. Liz has stepped in at several positions and done a great job.

I know it's nice to say a little something about each player's performance. But, I could go on and on about each girl. Each player brings something to the team that is vital. The really nice thing, everyone checks their egos at the door and comes to learn, practice hard and have fun playing volleyball. We're a team that is considerate, helpful, patient, supportive and positive with each other. After a long drive and day in Estacada, Oregon, it's nice to come home excited to get back in the gym with these 10 spectacular girls and their families.

One of our strong points as a team is our serving. We improved our outstanding serving from the 1st tournament of 81% to 83% ! We had 57 less serves from the 1st tourney, but added 2 extra aces, from 46 to 48. These are nice numbers to have with rally scoring since it makes our opponent work harder for their points instead of us just giving them away with missed serves.

We had a great match with 14's Red at the end of the day. Our serving and experience on the court gave us the advantage and win. But this is a team with tremendous talent and great fundamentals. I'm sure our club will be hearing great things to come from them.

As you can see by the scores, the two matches we lost were close. We were in each game to the bitter end. There was no panicking and everyone laid their hearts on the line. We played some great volleyball and I'm looking forward to a successful season with these terrific girls. One of the best things was after we were done playing for the day, tired & exhausted, one of the girls said, "that was so much fun!"