Pro Image Invite
April 9, 2006 @ Longview, WA

Cowlitz 18's Blue nearly went undefeated at the Pro-Image Invitational in Longview on April 9th. Cowlitz won 9 out of 10 games and 5 out of 5 matches to take 1st place overall. Throughout the day they held their opponents to an average of just 14 points per game. Team defense and a stellar offense helped Cowlitz stay on top.

Cowlitz came out strong and firing as they defeated Wind River 25-9 and 25-6. They went on to take the first game from South Coast 25-17. The second game started out rocky and Cowlitz was behind 17-23. Blue fought back hard and managed to tie the game at 24 before South Coast scored their last two handing Cowlitz its only loss of the day. Cowlitz then faced NW Jrs - Tempest and had a close call winning 25-23 but then taking full advantage in the second game to win 25-8. Blues offense dominated against Wilson Red as Cowlitz won easily 25-11 and 25-6. In the final match up of the day, Cowlitz defeated Jefferson City 25-16 and 25-20.

Cowlitz Blues' offense was handled by junior setters, Kacie DeRosier and Hally Bridgewater. They managed to rack up over 80 assists between them. Emily Damschen was unstoppable and led the offense with an outstanding 31 kills and a .510 hitting percentage. Kinzie Rustvold was also a big time contributor in the front row with 23 kills, a .360 hitting percentage and 5 stuff blocks. Natassia Quintrell fired it up from the middle and added 15 kills and a .500 hitting percentage. Lacey Flatz was smart and consistent all day with 13 kills and a .423 hitting percentage. Hally Bridgewater and Janelle Frutchey didn't see as many sets on the right side but put the ball away when they got a chance. Both were strong and consistent, hitting over .400 and adding 5 more blocks. On the defensive end Lacey Flatz led with 17 digs, followed closely by Natassia Quintrell with 15 and BriAnne Culbertson and Stefani Webb-Hail with 12 apiece. BriAnne Culbertson also led the team's serve receive as the most consistent passer of the day passing a 2.1; she was followed by Natassia Quintrell who had 15 perfect passes and an average of 1.9. From the line Cowlitz racked up the aces led again by BriAnne Culbertson with 13 aces and 30 points. Lacey Flatz was also a threat from the line with 4 aces and 22 points. Hally Bridgewater, Natassia Quintrell and Kacie DeRosier each added 8 aces apiece. Kinzie Rustvold grabbed 5 aces and 19 pts.

Overall, Cowlitz managed to keep their intensity and work hard to maintain a high level of play against many different teams. They played with enthusiasm and teamwork for 5 straight matches. Their unselfish play and attitudes this weekend are a sure sign of maturity and they came out on top with a well-deserved first place. Cowlitz 18's Blue will finish their season in two weeks in Forest Grove, Oregon.

Power League - February
BRONZE DIVISION
February 4, 2006 @ Lane Events Center - Eugene, OR

Cowlitz Blue took 3rd at February's Power League in Eugene, Oregon. Cowlitz went 3-0 in pool play against the Oregon Suns, Tillamook and Mac-Town. Blue played extremely disciplined in the morning rounds and showed improvement in their mental game from previous tournaments. Leading passers for the morning were Natassia Quintrell, Stefani Webb-Hail and BriAnne Culbertson. Kacie DeRosier ran a strong offense making good setting decisions. The offense was led by Emily Damschen and Kinzie Rustvold. Both hitters were extremely consistent on the day and provided Cowlitz with options on both the outside and middle. Lacey Flatz also provided some offensive power from the outside. Hally Bridgewater contributed to the offense on the right side with great net play and also took over the setting responsibilities in the afternoon. Katie Hail passed well and played good defense on the right side. Strong serving kept Cowlitz on top ... leading the team in aces were BriAnne Culbertson and Janelle Frutchey. In afternoon play, Cowlitz fell apart in one devastating match to the Alpine Aces, but then showed a lot of heart and character as they came back against Mac-Town and defeated them easily for their last match of the day.

Awards N' More Classic
January 29, 2006 @ Longview, WA

Cowlitz Blue finished in 3rd place behind Cowlitz Black at the Awards N' More Classic. Cowlitz took second in their pool during the morning round. Their first bracket game was against the first place Angels. Cowlitz lost the first match and got behind early in the second before they fought hard to come back. Cowlitz' outstanding team play, communication and never quit attitude helped them come out on top in the second and third games to earn a chance to play Black. Cowlitz Blue, after coming off a hard fought win, lost to Cowlitz Black in two straight.

Overall, it was a good team effort with definite improvement on serve receive and offense. Natassia Quintrell was outstanding player of the day being the most consistent passer and defensive leader. Quintrell racked up 38 digs, the most by any Cowlitz Blue player this season. Kacie DeRosier spread out the offense and helped 4 of her hitters get into double-digit kills. Emily Damschen, Kinzie Rustvold, Janelle Frutchey and Lacey Flatz all had at least 15 kills on the day. Janelle Frutchey also led Cowlitz with 14 aces on the day, followed by Kacie DeRosier with 9.

Power League Qualifier
January 7, 2006 @ Albany Boys & Girls Club - Albany, OR

18's Blue kicked off the Power League tournaments at Albany's Boys and Girls Club on January 7th. Blue had a slow start losing to Salem, their first opponent of the day. Cowlitz then woke up and played solid against VB Alliance posting a win. Against 6th ranked Rose City, Blue played a hard fought set losing 25-21 and then fell apart in the second. In afternoon play, Cowlitz defeated Mactown Ballers and Tillamook before losing to the Suns.

Overall the first Power League was a learning experience which Blue hopes to improve on. Blue was without the offensive power of Kinzie Rustvold but teammates Lacey Flatz and Emily Damschen stepped up to the challenge. Lacey Flatz was the tournament leader for offense, defense and passing. She was unstoppable! Emily Damschen provided power hitting from the outside and was the spark that lit the fire for the team. Kacie DeRosier also did a good job controlling the offense and being a team leader. Setter Hally Bridgewater provided Blue's best serving of the day and contributed offensively at the net. Blue will be competing in the MLK tournament in Bellevue on January 14th and 15th.

Pre-Qualifier Tournament
December 31, 2005 @ Longview, WA

Cowlitz 18's Blue competed on New Year's Eve in Longview's Pre-Qualifier event. The team took advantage of the opportunity to get some playing experience in before next week's Power League. The highlights for the day were the team's solid passing and moments of outstanding defense.

Cowlitz Blue is anchored by setters Hally Bridgewater and Kacie DeRosier. The middle attack was led by Kinzie Rustvold and Trista Staehely; they will be joined next week by middle blocker Janelle Frutchey. The improving outside attack was led this weekend by Lacey Flatz, Stefani Webb-Hail, Natassia Quintrell and Katie Hail. The right side also got a boost with some powerful hitting by Emily Damschen. The defense and serve receive will be anchored by libero BriAnne Culbertson and defensive standout Stefani-Webb Hail.

Cowlitz Blue defeated their first juniors opponent, Power Surge 2, 25-16 and 25-11. They went on to give Power Surge 1 a match after losing the first game, 25-15. The second game, Cowlitz' tough serving and solid passing helped them to a 25-19 victory. The final game found Cowlitz on the short side of a 15-12 outcome. Cowlitz Blue bounced back and gave Cowlitz ASICS a run for their money in their best played match of the day. They gave an outstanding team effort and their never-say-die defense kept them alive until the final score of 25-23. In their final juniors match of the day, Blue defeated the Angels 25-17, 25-15.

Overall the team got their first taste of competition and proved that this year they have the potential to compete with the top teams in the region. Kinzie Rustvold was the outstanding offensive player with dominating play at the net. BriAnne Culbertson and Stefani Webb-Hail were the most consistent passers of the day as well as the defensive leaders. Both girls showed tremendous heart and effort throughout the day as well as leadership on the court.