WVBA Mizuno 14 advanced the hard way in 14 Open competition Friday. They went 1-2 in pool play to finish 3rd and move into a 3-team challenge bracket to remain in the top half. They defeated Mad Frogs of Dallas to remain in contention for the 2nd round Saturday.

Mizuno 14s were the #4 seed in Group 1 Pool 2 Saturday morning. They started the morning with a loss to #2 seed City Beach 14 Black from northern California and then followed that with a win over #1 Texas Titans 14 National. Their first chance to stay in the top 6 came with their match against #3 Laguna Beach 14 Quon from Southern California. Alas WVBA 14s fell in a thrilling 3-set match. Their hopes then hung on the final match. A win by City Beach over Texas would have created a 3-way tiebreaker playoff.

Unfortunately Texas beat City Beach in 2 while our 14s ref'd. Based on head to head WVBA 14s ended up finishing 4th even though the beat Texas who finished 1st. The Acacademy 14s will play OJVA 14 Blue from Portland at 8:00am on court 17. They highest they can finish is 7th, the lowest is 11th.

WVBA Mizuno 13 played in the PM wave Friday afternoon. They lost their first two matches against #2 Payes Black 13-1 and #1 Laguna Beach 13 Katy, both from California. They beat the #3 seed River City 13 Tide from Spokane to finish 3rd.

Mizuno 13s were the #2 seed in Group 2 Pool 3 Saturday afternoon on court 22 along with #1 Golden Bear 13 Blue from Berkeley, #3 Club 509 U13 from eastern Washington, and #4 Splash U13 from Spokane. Mizuno 13s won their first match over Splash 13 in two sets. The Academy 13s followed this up with a decisive win over #3 Club 509 (25-11, 25-13) to move to 2-0. WVBA 13s lost their final match to Golden Bear 13 Blue to finish 2nd in their pool. Mizuno 13s will play VIP Jrs 13 Mare at 9:00am on court 20 Sunday. They will be playing for 25th place.

You can follow along with all teams in the Spokane Qualifier through the AES Website. Click on the 'Schedules / Results' link on the left column and select the 'Pacific Northwest Qualifier' link from the list of current tournaments.

Cami Silverman Returns
WVBA 17 outside hitter Cami Silverman returned to the gym after nearly five months away from volleyball. Cami has been working hard to heal herself after suffering a concussion during a practice with her Eastside Catholic High School team on October 13th. Cami hit the back of her head very hard on the floor while playing defense and rolling over her shoulder.

The symptoms Cami experienced included headaches, sensitivity to light and sound, and difficulty concentrating. She has now been symptom-free for several weeks and has begun exercising to regain her strength.

Her teammates weren't going to take any chances with Cami's safety. They welcomed her back by requiring her to wear a helmet, safety glasses, bubble wrap, caution tape, water wings and a lifesaver to protect her from any potential injury.

Cami will be building her strength and very slowly easing back into volleyball over the next couple of months. Her progress will be monitored closely by her doctor and physical therapist while her teammates will keep her a safe distance away from any danger.

Welcome back Cami, your WVBA family is overjoyed to see you in the gym again.

WVBA Spring League

Once again WVBA will be hosting a spring youth league for boys and girls currently in the 1st-6th grades. This will be our second year offering the spring youth league.

The league will be held on Wednesday nights from 6:30-8:30pm beginning on April 21st, then continuing on April 28th, May 5th, May 12th, and concluding on May 25th. All sessions will be held at Northshore Junior HS in Bothell.

The league is designed for all players whether or not they have any prior volleyball experience. Our dedicated staff of qualified coaches will teach the game in a fun and fast-paced environment.

Each evening session will include approximately 1 hour of training and 1 hour of competition. Traditional volleyball rules, court size and net heights will be modified to emphasize hitting and blocking at the net.

Cost for the league is $125.00 and includes USA Volleyball membership and a t-shirt.

All registrations will be handled online through our website. Space will be limited so register today!

Click here to go directly to our online registration form. If you have any problems with the online form, or any other questions about the league, contact us at Yleague@wvba.org.

Once you have submitted the registration form, you will be directed to a waiver form that will need to filled out and mailed in along with payment to our offices to complete your registration.

Please help us spread the word to everyone you know in the 1st-6th grades. They will thank you for the opportunity later.

Click here to download a flyer to print and pass out or email to your friends.

If you have any questions about WVBA, please contact our Operations Manager, Jill Gunsolus.