OVERALL FINISH = 3rd

Notes and Quotes:
In their most consistent effort of the season, the ASICS team finished a strong 3rd in the 32 team Fife Tournament on Fathers Day at Fife High School. After a late start due to travel, the team played or officiated in 9 straight rounds of the tournament before falling in the semi-finals to the Washington Volleyball Academy in a fierce match that ended at 8:30 pm. It was the second time on the day that we lost to WVBA 17's, having lost to them in pool play earlier. It was an 11-hour marathon that included four of the six matches going to three games.

Breanna Jenkins returned to action on a limited basis after having severely sprained her ankle in May at a college workout. She limped around and gave us much needed support in the morning matches.

Jane Demme traveled from Spokane on Sunday morning, arriving in time to bolster the offensive production, finishing with 23 kills. More noticeable was her presence on the outside, which occupied opponents' defensive strategies, creating options for our other hitters.

Robyn Hewitt is becoming very comfortable in the middle, and led the team in kill percentage at 41, stuff blocks with 18, and block touches with 37. Jessica Sigler had a career day, digging 46 balls and passing 80. She started slow in the morning but was on fire in the afternoon with pinpoint passing while digging some amazing shots.

Julie Henderson used her quickness and athletic ability to make some unbelievable plays in the final two matches, finishing with 23 digs and 26 service points.

Brenda Riggs plays any and all positions (except middle), and did so again. She was our shortest front-row player at 5'5" but managed 36% kills, to go along with her service points and excellent back-row play.

Kayli Anderson had a very productive day, leading the team in assist % at 41, 20 digs, 31 points, and 45 assists. Kayli had a serving run against NW Juniors, and relentless pursuit that kept us in both of those matches.

Donica Anderson led the team in assists (61), service points (32), and aces (7). She has also stepped up her defensive intensity considerably, recording 19 digs, and was second on the team with 40% assists.

Ashley Flahaven was her usual steady self, and added 8 digs to her back-row numbers. Ashley had 40% kills with 24, 26 service points, and garnered 15 stuff blocks and 32 touch blocks. This kid always has great numbers!

Kaycee Krebs bolstered her numbers, touching 19 balls on the block with 3 stuffs, setting out of right-front as well as right-back, and producing very strong hitting numbers with 14 kills and a 37% kill average.

Michelle Allen played at a very high, intense level all day. She was amazing, never coming out and playing 16 games. Her numbers reflect her intensity. 23 service points, a team-leading 36 kills, and 2.4 passing. With 32 digs and strong leadership, she kept the team headed in the right direction for 11 hours.

The team is back together after all of the distractions revolving around spring sports, proms and graduations. It was a very solid effort. Our final tune-up prior to departing for Sacramento on June 26th will be our own 16 team tournament on June 22 at three sites in Longview.

ASICS woke up late on this date and it had no apparent connection to daylight savings time. We played Yakima Gold at 8:00 am, a team we have beaten twice before. It was not to be as too many errors at the net, combined with less than sterling passing, cost us the match. Yakima went on to have a super day, moving from 8th to 3rd seed. Opportunity lost there.

Next up was the Salem team. We have been successful on two previous occasions, but judging by the Yakima debacle, nothing was guaranteed. True to form, we won in three but not without putting a scare into the Cowlitz faithful. Timely hitting by Ashley Flahaven and Breanna Jenkins, and the defense of Jessica Sigler, eventually put us over the top. The reward for our efforts was a match up with Nike NW Jrs. Air Elite. We seem to play much better against these folks. They are truly a hammer team and we played quite well in defeat. Had we played this well earlier in the day we would have demolished Yakima and Salem.

Our cross-over match gave us a rematch with Nike Power. We have been successful on two earlier occasions, but had lost our most recent encounter with them in Phoenix. We took care of them in two. Blocking was key - Jane Demme, Robyn Hewitt, Kaycee Krebs, and Ashley all contributed. Defense behind the block was strong led by Candis carter, whose play brought rave reviews from at least one Division I Pac-10 coach in attendance.

Our final match of the day was against Rimrock and was a seeding game to 25. We dominated from start to finish - Kaycee set very well and Brenda Riggs played strong in both the front and back row. We finished in 5th place and will be in the top 4 for Regionals in two weeks.

Leading with 40% kills was Ashley; total attacks and service points - Michelle; serving accuracy and passing/digging - Candis and Michelle.

We started with a dead battery the morning of the first day of competition and were transported by the Nike teams that were also staying in the same hotel. Nice to have friendly rivals willing to help. I am not sure what that had to do with our effort, but I am sure it did not help the situation any.

Passing was a strength for the team with 10 players passing at better than 2.0 led by Jessica Sigler with a 2.8 average on 20 attempts, Julie Hendrickson was close behind at 2.7 on 31, and Brenda with a 2.8 under heavy pressure on day three.

Our serving percentages have increased dramatically in the past three weeks.

Leading the team in digs was the ever-present Michelle Allen with 37. In an amazing turnaround, Donica Andersen finished with 24 digs, an indication of her emphasis on the defensive end of her game.  Candis Carter (37) and Breanna Jenkins (19) had significant dig numbers as well. Ashley Flahaven was first in stuff blocks (13) and second in touches with 40 and kills with 34. Jane led in touches with 43 and kills with 45. Kaycee Krebs is making key contributions in blocks recently and also tallied 29 kills. Donica led all setters with 84 assists followed by Kayli with 64. Kayli had a hefty 41% kills as well. We have designated Brenda Riggs our "do everything" girl as she has played all positions except middle so far this year. Her contributions to the team's success no matter where we insert her in the lineup have not gone unnoticed.

9 tournaments in 10 weeks made for a tired group. Increased skills contributing to closing out matches will be the emphasis as we enter the home stretch for the regional tournament.

It was a long climb but we are back where we belong in the Gold Division of the most competitive Power League season since it's inception some 10 years ago. Competing at Mt. Hood Community College on Sunday, the ASICS team entered as the 7th seed and finished as the fourth seed and a 3-2 match record.

It was a day where 8 teams competed, one went undefeated, one suffered one loss and 6 teams had at least two match losses. Our losses came against two of the best teams in the country in Kent Jrs. Black and Nike NW Jrs. Air Elite.

We were basically a no-show against Kent in the first game, losing miserably twice by scores of 13-25. We were back on our heels, allowing Kent to dictate tempo, and they basically rolled us. Match two against Air Elite began in much the same way. We turned the corner behind the tenacious defense of the Anderson girls, Kayli and Donica. They began attacking with their serves, digging, and desire to establish an offense at all costs; it was a gallant effort by both and "set" the tone for an increasingly productive day.

We took on Salem, dominating game one and the first half of game two, before a mini-meltdown that put us into overtime. Big plays by Michelle Allen, and Julie Henderson at the service line, defensively put us over the top. Kills were hard to come by on this day with such intense defense being displayed by all of the teams. Ashley turned the corner, earning three smashing kills, with one bowling over a surprised defender as we prevailed 15-12.

For the fourth time in three months we squared off against Washington Volleyball Academy 17's. We are now 2-1-1 after we took control early, never trailed, and won in two games for the first time in our season series. Rotating defensive players throughout each game, we were sparked by Julie and Jessica Sigler. They distributed playable passes and digs that were handled by Kaycee Krebs, Donica and Kayli. Terminating spikes came at a rapid pace, led by Breanna Jenkins, Robyn Hewitt (back from illness), and Michelle Allen. This was a complete match effort from all and propelled us upward.

Our final competition of the day was for seeding purposes and was a one game competition with the rejuvenated Salem club who worked back to us. We prevailed 25-19. Dominating serving and blocking by Jane Demme was the key, along with critical touches by Brenda Riggs. Jane now has a 20 serve streak going. Only the team realizes the significance of that stat!!

On the day Candis Carter led the team with 25 digs, some incredibly intense, Michelle was simply phenomenal in the passing department, and Jessica was right behind her. Eleven stuff blocks were recorded by Jane, most of them in the late afternoon matches. Ashley recorded 25 touches to go with her 6 stuffs. Leading scorer was Donica with 16 points in an improving area for her, followed by Michelle with 15, and Jane with 13. Finally Jane checked in with 44% kills, followed by Robyn and Ashley.

It has been fun making the climb to Gold. We anticipate staying for a while!

It was a big weekend for the Cowlitz Asics team as they posted a 7-2 record while finishing 5th in the Power 18's tournament out of the 16 teams entered, which coincidentally was the seed assigned us to begin the tournament. The headquarters for the Power 18's tournament was Eisenhower High School in Yakima.

Saturday marked the first of March and our 8th tournament of the year. Coming off our recent victory in the ASICS Invitational, we were minus Robyn Hewitt who fell ill and was unable to travel. We posted a 3-1 record on Saturday, defeating Skagit Valley and Kent Juniors Silver in two, before falling to Velocity of the Tri-Cities in two. The first two matches were warm-ups, and a prelude to the challenges of the afternoon and evening competitions. Brenda Riggs filled in admirably at right front and successfully defended our turf in early matches against the shorter opponents. She followed with amazing passing on Sunday to give a solid performance despite her 5'6" stature.

Our match vs Velocity was a severe case of under-performance early, and not enough time to recover. That dropped us from the fifth seed to 11th beginning pool number two, and put us immediately up against the #4 seeded Relentless Pursuit team out of Olympia in match one of the second pool on Saturday afternoon.

This was an outstanding match for our kids, as we prevailed in three extremely close games, outscoring our opponents by a mere two points over the three games. It was a return to strong net play by Michelle Allen, who also followed with an outstanding passing and serving effort. Ashley Flahaven scored on numerous service aces, as well as blocking for some huge points against their tough front line. This was a huge win for us, as the relentless team has been a tough opponent for this particular group of Cowlitz athletes for their entire career in the Club. After a disappointing loss to Velocity, it was encouraging to get back on track against a tough team.

Sunday morning at 8:00, we continued by beating a tough Rimrock team from Pilot Rock, Oregon in two. This was a tough team and ranked higher than us. We used an overall dominating performance in all phases of the game in a very impressive victory.

Next up was the team from Moscow, Idaho. We played a bit less intensely but still managed a 2 game sweep based on the strong efforts of Julie Henderson and Jessica Sigler in the back row, and the slowly emerging dominance of Breanna Jenkins, who late in the day totally dominated opposing blocks en route to an outstanding tournament performance. 

After two rounds of pool play, teams were reseeded, and based on record and point differentials the ASICS team jumped from 11th to 2nd seed, earning us a bye in the first round of the 12 team modified double elimination power championship bracket.

After the bye, Cowltz ASICS took on the Washington Volleyball Academy out of Bellevue for the third time this season, and for the third time this season we lost in overtime 25-23, 19-25, 12-25. This was particularly disheartening as we led at one time in game three by a score of 9-3!!!

Since it was a modified double elimination, we were now faced with an uphill battle to return to the fifth seed from our initial tournament placement.

Our next outing was against the host Yakima team in a match marked by great rallies and intense competition where we finally prevailed for the second time this season, 20-25, 25-15, 15-8.

We immediately faced off against the Spokane Splash 17's that featured former Cowlitz player Heidi Yohe who now lives in the Spokane area. Strictly business in this one, marked by outstanding service performances by Donica Anderson and Ashley flahaven. In addition, Ashley took over at the net early in the match and continued her dominance. She was joined in game two by Jane Demme. These two young athletes will soon be dominating on a regular basis as they learn the subtleties of the 18's division.

A 7-2 record at the Yakima Jamboree is an outstanding effort. With a consistent effort, we could have easily been in the semi-finals and is an emphasis for us in upcoming tournaments.

For the weekend, notable performances were recorded by Kayli Anderson in running our offense and Donica Andersen in improved offensive output and great serving numbers. Ashley Flahaven was amazing in the serving department, and along with Breanna Jenkins, turned in their best offensive performances of the year. Brenda Riggs filled in at several positions, and along with Jessica Sigler, kept us competitive in the back row. Candis Carter started late and finished with an outstanding tournament as our libero. Jane Demme turned in a solid Sunday afternoon serving and blocking game to compliment her steadily improving attack.

Sore and tired after 9 matches, we will venture this Sunday to the Gold Division of our Power League at the Vancouver HOOP where some of the best teams in the nation reside. It will be our first attempt at knocking off the giants, and we relish the opportunity.

All in all, this was a positive weekend and we are excited to head to Yakima and have a strong showing there.

Nikki

The national stage can do funny things to a player if they are not ready. I was pleased to see some of our athletes take their game to a higher level. When we learn to play with intensity through point 25 (and sometimes more), our won/loss record will change to more wins. To suggest that this was an eye-opener for many of the ASICS athletes would be an understatement.

I thoroughly enjoy these student athletes. They are wonderful representatives of what is right about high school sports. They represent their family, school, and community with great skill and pride of accomplishment. Thanks to moms and dads who follow their kids as we learn and play. They are the most important piece to the puzzle and I cannot ask for a better, more supportive group of parents than the ones that I have.

Highlights for the tournament included :

- Ashley Flahaven with a remarkable 48% kills and 23 touch blocks
- Donica Andersen with 27 service points including 4 aces 
- Kayli Anderson with 58 assists
- Candis Carter, Michelle Allen, and Jessica Sigler who combined for a 2.3 passing tournament with over 250 attempts
- Breanna Jenkins had a great offensive tournament with 27 kills and 40% kills
- Robyn Hewitt led with 7 stuff blocks, 44% kills
- Jessica led all defensive players with 18 digs

We were awesome on our night on the town (see pictures on the web). I look forward to the second half of the season with great enthusiasm.

Meeting for the fourth time in four weeks, the ASICS team finally prevailed over the Washington Volleyball Academy 17's in the finals of the Silver Division of the February Power Tournament. Entering the tournament ranked 10th, at Saturday's competition at the Vancouver HOOP, the team emerged in 7th place and situated in the Gold Division for the March Power League tournament by the virtue of their posting a 25-19, 23-25, 15-13 victory over WVBA 17's. Having lost to the Academy earlier in a thrilling competition, it was a satisfying win for the young and improving team.

It was simply a matter of time before all systems functioned well at the same time. After struggling all morning, it was nice to see us win when it counted the most. The final point of the championship match ended on a stunning stuff block by Jane Demme and the celebration began.

The day was marked by the solid play off the bench of Brenda Riggs, who provided the necessary spark in the semi's against a determined Yakima team. Her ball control, defense, and timely hitting was the difference. Brenda stepped up big. Jessica Sigler led the team in passing and digs with an incredible 37 digs, followed closely by Michelle Allen with 28. Julie Henderson took some bullets for us as well. Kali Anderson absorbed the best hit of the day, taking a rocket off the side of her face that put her to the floor. On her very next touch, she dumped the ball for a big point in the match. Kayli is both tenacious and competitive all of the time.

Robyn Hewitt led the team in blocking with 7 stuff blocks to go with her 25 touch blocks. Ashley Flahaven led all hitters with 31 kills, followed closely by Jane with 27. We will now compete among the top 8 teams out of three volleyball regions in March. Next up for the team is the Las Vegas Desert Classic, a huge 18's tournament over the Presidents Day weekend.

Backed by the incredible serving of Kayli Anderson (43 points, 4 aces), Ashley Flahaven (31 points, 12 aces), and Kaycee Krebs (42 points, 10 aces), the Cowlitz ASICS team rolled to a 12-0 game record while storming through the competition to capture the 15th Annual J & J Custom Awards Classic 18's tournament Sunday at Monticello Middle School.

Leading the way in the assist category were Kayli Anderson with 48, followed by Donica Anderson with 37 and Kaycee Krebs with 31. It was a breakout day for the offense with Jane Demme leading the way with 34 kills, and following it with an amazing 14 stuff blocks. It was an incredible display of dominance at the net for Jane. Breanna Jenkins had her best day at the net, as did Brenda Riggs who can find the sidelines as well as anyone.

Our passing and defense have moved to a different level. Team passing averaged 2.5 and our digging machines (Julie Henderson, Candis Carter, and Jessica Sigler) gobbled up most offerings for smooth offensive transitions. Four games with Nike NW Jrs Impact of Gresham (coached by former Cowlitz director Ray Nunn) were the highlight games of the tournament. Nike is seeded in the Gold Division at next week's Power League tournament, four spots ahead of ASICS. Although all four games were determined by less than four points in each, ASICS was clearly better on this day.

Next up is the Power League tournament at the Vancouver Hoop next Saturday, followed by a week off before we venture into Las Vegas.

"You don't get strong pickin' up straw", a saying that I learned years ago would fit this weekend's efforts for the ASICS team.

Playing in the Inaugural Northwest Invitational, designed to bring together the top 18's teams from three regions of USVBA