SEATTLE, WA - 3/22/06
WVBA had mixed results in Seattle and Indianapolis two weekends ago and prepares for a trip to the east side of the state this weekend.

Spring Classic
14-Black won the tournament in the U14 division defeating Team Yakima and Olympia en route to a 2-set win over VIP JRs from Spokane in the finals. The 14s team dropped only 2 games all weekend.

Their stellar performance was anchored by steady work in serve-receive and defense by Abby Wegley which helped Juliana Williams run a consistent offense all weekend. Brittany Webster played her best match yet against a tough Team Yakima in the quarter-finals with keen hitting, serving and defense that kept us in the match. Melissa Gilkey shined in the finals with some timely blocks and kills.

13-Black finished 5th overall in the U14 Gold Division! They fell to Olympia's top 14s team in the first round of bracket play (14-25, 17-25). Their play was respectable since this was their first look at an offense that ran quicks and slides.

Bryce Larson had a great stuff block against a quick and they never ran it again! It was one big brace-filled grin the rest of the day. Hannah Linsenmayer was very steady serving a string of 13 straight serves in one game. Libero Michelle Woodworth passed and played excellent defense all weekend long.

WVBA 18-Red finished 3rd overall in the U18 division. 16-Red finished 2nd falling to Mukilteo Blue Ice in the finals. 15-Black finished 3rd overall in the U16 division.

Mideast Qualifier
WVBA 18-Black, 17-Black and 16-Black traveled to Indianapolis to participate in the Mizuno^® Hoosier Mid-east Qualifier.

This qualifier proved to be very tough in the open divisions.

All three teams ended up in the lowest brackets of their respective divisions, despite being competitive with most opponents they faced.

18-Black finally found success on Sunday with a couple of wins to take the title of Flight 5. 17-Black and 16-Black finished 29th and 35th respectively (for lack of a better term).

"Despite our win-loss record in matches, Andrew and I were very happy with the progress the team made over the three days of competition," 17-Black coach Dave Weitl said after the tournament. "Our trials here against some very strong opponents helped us take another important step in our development. We look forward to building on our experience gained in Indianapolis."

Spokane Qualifier
All eight Academy teams head across the mountains on Thursday to play in the Pacific Northwest Junior Olympic Qualifier in Spokane.

This 3-day tournament provides qualifying bids into the national championship tournament in Atlanta in late June/early July.

Results from Spokane are posted on the PNQ Website.