Mid-Season Tournament
March 20, 2005 @ Longview, WA

The day was filled with some great success from all of the girls. They at times show some great improvement, but seem to struggle with the desire side of the game. The have greatly improved on their serving since they have been working on serving areas. It seems that they take their time, which has given the entire team great success. They are also attacking the ball at the net and blocking more. It is coming along and it was nice to see them play the entire day. Great Job, ladies. Thanks for your patience with me. I ( Patty) enjoyed the day with you even with the ups and downs; you all have come along way. Keep up the hard work. You are making progress.

Power League - March
CONQUEST DIVISION
March 12, 2005 @ Albany Boys & Girls Club - Albany, OR

On March 12 in Albany, Oregon, 14's Purple competed in the Conquest Division of Power League. We came out a little flat the first game of the day, losing to Athena 10-25, but we then woke up and played well. Unfortunately, we couldn't pull out the win. We lost the second game 22-25. Our next match was against Greater Columbia Blue. We came out strong with tough serves and great passing to win the game 25-17 but in the second game we struggled with our passing and lost 16-25. In the third game, we just didn't have the mental toughness it took to win the match. We lost 8-15. In our third and final pool play match, we came around and beat Salem 25-13, 17-25 and 15-13 to take third in our pool. Just before bracket started, the power went out and we weren't sure if we could finish. The two teams decided to play one game to 25 and just before the first serve the lights came back on. We decided to continue to play just one game, which was to our benefit since we won that game against Storm N' West 25-21. In our last match of the tourney, we met up with Salem again and we managed to hold strong and win the match 25-18.

The girls had a great tournament despite the losses. As a team, they served 87%. Great job ladies. Krystle Tsuda and Alysha Berger were our solid players this past weekend. They could do no wrong. Crystal found her timing and boy did she pound some balls. Alysha did it all. She passed, hit, served, played defense great and kept the team together.

Great job! Kiana Mawae and Courtney Timmons for your constant leadership on the court and your willingness to try to better the ball when you are setting. Thanks for continuing to strive to get better. Katie Sarysz for your quiet presence but tough serves and awesome hitting. Karina Paavola for great net play and becoming more assertive. Keep stepping up when you're on the court. Kaitlyn Moses for being a team player and going in and playing solid, from your passing, hitting and serving. Alexis Sparacino for being flexible and willing to try a new position. You did a great job playing middle-back and then later left-back. Ellie Hultgren for making your serves and helping the team when they needed it. You have really improved and I see you getting stronger and stronger at each tournament and practice. Keep up the good work. Caroline Green for your great passing and defense. We missed Shenika Cantrell and Anastasia Messmore. We hope you had a great trip to Texas, Shenika, Louis and Calet. Anastasia, we hope you are feeling better and we look forward to having you both at the next tourney. Great job ladies!

Northwest Juniors Jamboree
February 26-27, 2005 @ Yakima, WA

On Saturday, February 26th, the purple team started their Yakima experience with a little hesitation and uncertainty. But once they had one game under their belts, they started to click. We played Club Selah and lost 14-25; 26-24; 8-15. The girls fought hard in the second game to come back and win, forcing the match to three games. Unfortunately, due to missed serves, we couldn't pull out the win. Our second match against Cascade was a fight to the finish. Each team fought hard for the lead to only lose it later, however, Purple came out on top 25-23; 26-24 to take the match. Purple won their 3rd match against NW Jrs 25-16; 25-21 to place second in the pool. We started the day with 12 missed serves and in the last match we only missed 7. Great job girls! Saturday gave everyone the opportunity to participate in the matches and to contribute to our success.

Of course, Yakima is not only about volleyball, it is about team relationships. Purple celebrated our position in the Challenge Division 1 with pizza and a movie in the executive housing. The girls watched Mean Girls and took notes on who's plastic or not! This was a great bonding time for them! Then came Sunday....

Sunday morning the girls came out fired up. During our warm-ups they were focused, talking and had that fire in their eyes. We came out strong against Club Wenatchee with tough serving and consistent passing but lost 21-25. In the second game we came out on top 26-25 taking us to a 3rd game. We lost 9-15 but the only thing I could complain about was the horrible refereeing. The girls played Great!! They passed well and served smart. They played with heart and never gave up. They really out-played themselves. Our second match, we lost to Club Selah 23-25; 15-25 and once again the girls played great volleyball.

They had only 5 missed serves in the match. In our third match, we had to win to take 3rd in our pool. We beat No Dinx 25-17; 25-23 to finish 3rd. This set us up for our final match against Olympia. Someone needed to check their birth certificates?! Those girls were huge!! We lost 7-25; 15-25. The best part of the match was watching Ellie Hultgren make 3 serves. All that hard work and determination paid off, Ellie, Great job!

All of the girls contributed in our 11th place finish in Division 1. Thank you, ALYSHA BERGER for your positive attitude, tough serves, great passing, and defense. You are a natural leader ; CAROLINE GREEN for your laid back demeanor, your belief in yourself and your determination to pass that ball ; KRYSTLE TSUDA for your desire to pound the ball and the patience to continue to learn and your overall great play ; KARINA PAAVOLA for your tough serves, 2 blocks and your openness to taking the coaches' instructions ; KAITLYN MOSES for your tough defense, hitting and being a team player ; SHENIKA CANTRELL for your all-out hustle, your setting and your believing in yourself. You are on your way to becoming a great setter ; ANASTASIA MESSMORE for your tough serves, keeping a positive attitude and your willingness to continue to challenge yourself ; KATIE SARYSZ for your quiet but steady personality, your great net play and for all of the directions. We would have gotten lost if you left it up to me ; KIANA MAWAE, you did a great job at leading your team despite being ill, your enthusiasm and excitement is very contagious. Your serving and setting were consistent and strong ; ELLIE HULTGREN thanks for your smile and positive attitude. You did an awesome job with serving and going in when the team needed you ; ALEXIS SPARACINO for going into the game and doing your best. Your passing and defense were strong. Thanks for leading your team in cheers, it really helps to pump up your team ; COURTNEY TIMMONS for your overall play, setting and being more vocal.

The girls had an awesome weekend, we are all so proud of each and every one of them. Thanks, parents, for all your support. Sorry we didn't chat more, couldn't stop coughing!!

Athletes Corner Tournament
February 6, 2005 @ Longview, WA

On Feb. 6, Purple had a tough day with missed serves and inconsistent passing. They showed their true talents at times throughout the day, which was exciting and hopeful. But we lost to Suncats in two. Sorry, but couldn't find the scores! We just could not pass the ball and really struggled to get our serves in - - two major components that are necessary to win a match. However, we did have a great game against the Black team. We had nothing to lose, so the girls played with confidence and just played volleyball. We served tough, passed well and dug some hard hit balls. We lost to them 20-25 and 19-25. We beat Evergreen to take 3rd in our pool. We then played Blue and played hard but lost in two. Even though we lost both matches to Black and Blue, I hope the girls have gained more confidence in themselves. I know I am very proud of their play and I know their parents are.

Great job, Katie Sarsyz for your hitting; Kiana Mawae for your setting and leadership; Karina Paavola for your net play; Ellie Hultgren for your passing; Shenika Cantrell for your setting and defense; Courtney Timmons for your setting; Krystle Tsuda for your hitting and passing; Alexis Sparacino for your patience and your great attitude towards your teammates; Alysha Berger for your leadership and all-out hustle; Kaitlyn Moses for your defense and tough serves; and Anastasia Messmore and Carolyn Green for their passing and defense. Great job!

Power League Qualifier
January 23, 2005 @ Lane Events Center - Eugene, OR

PURPLE FINDS HEART IN EUGENE!

At the first Power League tournament of the year, Purple played with great potential.  We started out strong with aggressive serving and the unwillingness to lose to Lakeside Gold, beating them 25-13, 14-25, 17-15. We continued to play consistent with passing, serving and defense to gain our second win against North Coast Blue, 27-25, 25-22. Our third match, we fought hard but came up short against Oregon Reign, 20-25, 19-25. With taking second in our pool and it being our first Power League, we decided to try out some new line-ups. Of course, this was cause for some chaos on the court, but we pulled out a win against Greater Columbia 25-19 and Mt. Hood 25-15, only losing to Hurricane 22-25.

The team played with determination and heart that no coach can teach them. It was exciting to see the girls light up and exceed their own expectations. Alysha Berger lead the team with tough serving and all-out defense. Katie Sarsyz was strong at the net and in serving. Krystle Tsuda had a great day hitting and on defense. Courtney Timmons served tough and set her hitters well. Kiana Mawae lead her team with serving and setting. Anastasia Messmore passed and played defense great. Karina Paavola, despite an injured toe, played at the net very aggressively and served strong. Alexis Sparacino passed and played defense well. Ellie Hultgren and Carolyn Green played defense well. Shenika Cantrell did a great job at setting and playing defense. Kaitlyn Moses had a great day with her strong play at the net and with her serving. All of the girls contributed to our first Power League success. Great job Ladies!

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

Congratulations, to all of the girls on 14's Purple for their great play at the 14's kick-off tournament January 9th.

With this year being a new experience for most of the girls, we believe they handled the stress of their first tournament well. Most, if not all of the girls, are learning the transitions from serve receive to defense. So, needless to say they have a lot to think about and remember on the court. Nevertheless, we won 2 out of our 3 pool play matches, with wins against Olympia 25-15, 25-17and PVC Yellow 25-8, 25-20, only losing to Greater Columbia 21-25, 27-29. In the Challenger's Bracket, we lost to Cascade Junior's 12-25, 11-25, placing 14's Purple 12th. Kudos go out to Courtney Timmons for your strong serving, setting and overall hustle; to Alysha Berger for your bullet serves, and patience with learning two positions; to Alexis Sparacino for going in when the team needed you and for cheering for your team; to Shenika Cantrell for accepting the challenge to come in and set. She did a great job getting to the ball and setting; to Caroline Green for her passing and great attitude; to Karina Paavola for her play at the net and support for her team; to Kiana Mawae for your leadership, setting and tough serves; to Kaitlyn Moses for not giving up and playing great defense, and of course for organizing our 1st Secret Sister exchange; Ellie Hultgren for keeping a smile on your face and giving 110%; to Krystle Tsuda for your leadership, passing and all-out hustle; to Anastasia Messmore for your passing and defense and to Katie Sarysz for your serving, words of encouragement and strong net play. Great Job Purple !!!

Thanks to all the parents for your support with offering lunch and shagging balls. We really appreciate you all.