Anatomy of a Club Volleyball Tournament

They come from all over Western Washington and even Canada. Parents and their teenage athletes. Working hard all week to stay in shape and master the skills, these kids don't just play the regular school season and take 9 months off. When the school season ends they change their jerseys and keep playing, pretty much all year round. Saturday's tournament at Evergreen was 10 full hours of matches on 4 courts. And it was just one age bracket, U18 (17-18 year olds). Most of these girls have been doing this for years, moving up through the age brackets. And this is it, the final year of HS and Juniors play. They're good at it. For some it will mean a college scholarship, the chance to take it to the next level and get a 4 year education at the same time.

Mostly I'm just impressed by everyone there, the athletes and their families who make long drives and spend long days to make it all happen.

The Gallery is here: U18 Evergreen Volleyball 3-24-07

The Game:

the serve: