SEATTLE, WA--August 27, 2009
The 2009 WVBA International Team completed an amazing trip to Brazil with their return home on August 13th.

Their 10-day stay in Brazil started on the post card perfect beaches of Northeast Brazil at Porto de Galinhas and in Tamandaré, PE about 2 hours outside of Recife.

Thank you to the family of Julio and Maria Ferreira including Marcela and Guilherme for their incredible hospitality during our brief stay. We really wish we could have spent a month there it was so beautiful.

The team then traveled to Belo Horizonte to spend the next week at the beautiful Minas Tênis Clube. The relationship between WVBA and this indredible Brazilian club dates back six years now and we have built our partnership into something very special.

The American girls are hosted in the homes of the Minas players and are treated just like family. They have the rare opportunity to see what life is like for someone their age in a different culture and country. The experience is priceless and we would like to extend a huge thank you to the coaches, directors, players and their families of the Minas Tênis Clube.

We can't wait to reciprocate with them next May when they return for a visit to Seattle and the Emerald City Classic Invitational.

The final day in Brazil was spent in the dynamic city of Rio de Janeiro. We flew in early and went directly to the beach at Leblon, near Ipanema. After a nice lunch at a Churrascoria (Brazilian steak house) we boarded the train to travel up to the Corcovado where we viewed the sunset.

Then it was back onto the bus for the ride to the airport and the long flight back to the USA. What a great trip!

Thanks to Felipe Fonseca and Gelson Kawassaki of DPF Sports & Exchange for their support during our stay in Rio.

WVBA Ends 2009 Strong
WVBA ended their 2009 campaign on a high note. The Academy sent three teams to Junior Olympics in Miami and four teams to the JVA Championships in Louisville.

WVBA Mizuno 17 played in the Open Division and played a 3 out of 5 match format. The WVBA 17s went 1-6 over the four days to finish 27th overall.

WVBA Mizuno 16 went 8-3 and finished first in Silver or 9th overall. They played in the Club National Division.

JVA Championships
WVBA Mizuno 16-Gold finished 41st overall in the 16 Club Division and went 2-9 over the four days in Louisville.

WVBA Mizuno 15 went 4-6 but managed to finish 9th overall in the 15-Open Division. Their losses were real heartbreakers with several 3-set losses. They did withstand the biggest butt-kicking in coach Weitl's history (9-25, 8-25) at the hands of an amazing Lions team from Chicago on day 3. Their final win to take 9th and medal was in part due to the awesome cheering by the WVBA 14-Gold team that maintained the Academy momentum through an emotional roller-coaster win over Jammers of Hawai'i.

WVBA Mizuno 14 also went 4-6 over the four days at JVDAs but ended 19th overall in the 14 Open Division. One of their highlights was taking the Sports Performance 14-1 team to 3. Coach Ness was very impressed with their 14-year old setter. They also lost narrowly to the Illini Elite 14-1 team going the distance twice.

WVBA Mizuno 14-Gold went 4-6 with all four of their wins coming in their last four matches. If only the tournament lasted a few more days they might have won it all! They also played in the Open Division and faced many of the strongest U14 teams in the country for some great experience for this young Academy team.