Coaches
U14 Red (Flare): Dori and Natalie
U14 White (Eclipse): Karen and Natalie
U14 Black (Galaxy): Tamara R and Dori/Karen
February 18, 2012: Stars Dazzle in Delta!
FLARE:
What a great day in Delta, Flare! We had fantastic energy and effort all morning! Everyone did great work on defence, and we had some amazing spikes! Especially that second game - we played so amazingly well! It is so awesome to see how much we have improved over the past few weeks! Great job, everyone!
Michelle: Fantastic team leadership! Way to go for those second balls! You had some great sets and really good movement on defence. You have totally mastered the 6-2 system. Way to go!
Emma: Stellar hits all morning! Your spike approach has really improved, and you are really starting to kill those balls! Great job!
Treya: Amazing! You had such a fabulous morning! GREAT digs in 6-back, and great movement on the court! And you had so many killer hits! I am so impressed!
Emily: Most improved player definitely goes to you! You had the best hit of the day! Way to really swing hard in the middle. Also, you had some great battles at the net - fantastic work!
Megan: As always, you are so consistent and reliable with your digging - way to go! Fantastic serve receive - way to get some great passes off of those tough servers we faced. Awesome talking on the court - you really help the team keep the energy up! Great job, Megan!
Mikaela: Superb setting - way to get those sets outside and high! And fantastic serving - you are such a powerhouse and you are so consistent! Fabulous work!
Danielle D: Your passing was AMAZING! You totally owned the back-row on defence and went for every ball! The team can always count on you to hustle for balls and get that ball UP! And good job jumping on those spikes. Way to go!
Sasha: As always, your serving is fantastic - lots of serving runs that earned the team a lot of points! Way to really focus on positioning - your knowledge of the 6-2 system is really coming along!
Dani P: Great court movement! You really saved the team by getting a touch on those tough digs - way to go! Fantastic job on serve receive - way to get those passes up to the setter! And thanks for your positive contributions and tips at team meetings! Great job!
Rheannon: Great net-play! Way to get some big blocks up there! Your positive energy and enthusiasm is a huge asset to the team. Great job developing your knowledge of the 6-2 system! Fantastic work!
Danielle H: Great work getting those high sets! Your movement on the court was amazing - way to hustle and get to those tough digs! You are a fantastic team leader - keep it up!
Sara: Way to keep the energy up on the court! Your positive energy is such an asset to the team! You had some fantastic spikes - way to get out there for a full spike approach! And great job toughing out that thumb injury! Way to go!
Rebecca: AWESOME setting! You look like you've been a setter all year!! Way to hustle in there and go for those second balls! Amazing team leadership, energy and focus! Keep up the fantastic work!
Way to go, Flare!!!
Coach Natalie
ECLIPSE:
What a great day for Eclipse! We started a little rocky, but built up momentum and confidence as the day turned into evening. Stellar effort in the playoff games, especially the Gold Medal match! Thanks to all the support and assistance of the parents.
Anniqa: Fabulous setting and leadership on the court! You are such a great help to your teammates with the system and keeping up the good energy on the court.
Caitlin: Great job on getting your sets higher and excellent work solidifying your knowledge of the system over the day. It's great to hear your voice on court - keep that up. Very impressive hitting!
Cynthia: You are truly an amazing setter! Beautiful high sets and nice job mastering the system - you are ready to be a leader on the court! Also some great passing and serving.
Emme: Best serving run of the day! Great leadership on the court making sure the team is set up for serve receive, and amazing hustle to get to the second ball - no matter where it is.
Allie: Excellent middle hits and some great passes (good job on getting a good angle on your platform)! You are really learning your new position - by the end of the day, you rocked the rotations!
Amy: Fierce serving and awesome middle hits! Great hustle in front row and back to not let that ball touch the ground. Nice adjustment to your back row defence starting position as the day went on.
Grace: Best hit of the day to finish off the Galaxy match! - and lots of other great middle hits. Also some brilliant passing! You are really hustling to the ball and you are getting a much better angle on your platform.
Katie: Powerful middle hits and some awesome 6 back defence. You got some balls on defence I thought were impossible to dig - nice effort! Also some very thoughtful and positive comments in our team meetings. Volleyball is a thinking game - nice thinking!
Mary: As always you are so awesome at converting any set into a good middle hit. Great hustle on defence and pursuit on broken plays, and a couple of really nice sets to our setters so they could hit - nicely done!
Chloe: Our secret weapon!! Nice job hitting down the line - keep that up, no U14 team can dig those up! Way to focus on your passing and awesome job of learning your new position over the day - you've got it!
Lauren: What a trooper for playing when you were sick! Get better soon. Awesome overall play - great passes, awesome hits and stellar serving!
Megan: Awesome team play! Your positive attitude, great hustle and fabulous passing helped us win matches all day.
Rielle: Best passing of the day and best pursuit of shanked passes. Congrats on scoring points on your overhand serve!
Coach Karen
GALAXY:
Galaxy had an amazing day out in Delta on Saturday. Our serving, hustle, and some great hitting earned us really good results and some fantastic team play. Awesome work girls! Special thanks to all the parents who helped us out with the lines and scorekeeping.
Sabrina: You had an awesome day at the net! Some great blocks and really good hits out of the middle. Your serve was very reliable and consistent and your voice continues to contribute to the positive energy of the team. Well done!
Chiara: Amazing job yesterday! You had some killer hits in the middle and your serve receive was stellar - very reliable. Your hustle, digging, and pursuit of balls in the back row really pumped up the team and kept us going in some games.
Maggie: Your netplay really stood out at this tournament! Your hitting was really on and you had great reactions during some of those scrappy net rallies. As always, tough and consistent serving, great work!
Olivia: Awesome job getting your consistent overhand serve going again! You had some amazing blocks and your free ball and serve receive passing were spot on. It’s great to start to hear your voice a little bit more on court, keep it up!
Jane: Way to go on that overhand at the end of the day! You had some great digs yesterday, never giving up on any balls. Your hitting was also incredible, keep working on backing all the way out and you’ll be a powerhouse!
Payton: You were a huge asset in the back row on Saturday. Your hustle allowed you to pick up a bunch of short serves that were going to hit the ground and your defense was excellent. You also had a couple of killer hits from the outside. Awesome work!
Neeku: Awesome job transitioning from your underhand to overhand serve! Your serve receive continues to be one of the most reliable on the team, and I can really see the improvement in your defensive positioning and system play. Keep working hard!
Natalie: Amazing serve receive yesterday! Your passing off of serves and on free balls was great, always high and up to the setter. You also had some incredible runs with your tough and consistent serve, and your thoughtful and positive contributions to team meeting are really appreciated.
Savannah: Incredible serving yesterday – your overhand is very reliable and difficult for the other team to get a good pass off of! You also had some great high passes and some awesome hits from the outside. Amazing work, keep it up!
Alyssa: You had a great day all-around yesterday. Your serving was fantastic, and your setting keeps getting better and better! You also had a couple of great hits and some really good digs picking up those short balls in the middle of the court. Keep it up!
Kelsie: Definitely deserving of the best hustle award on Saturday! You were all over the court, making sure you got to every second ball and saving some tough shots on defense. Great work getting some of those overhands down!
Hayley: Beautiful high sets as always, great work on starting to think about your set placement. It’s awesome to start to hear your voice more on court, and you were a powerhouse at the serving line! Great work, Hayley!
Alexa: Great work getting back to your reliable and tough overhand! You had some serving runs that really got the team momentum going. Awesome job working on your set height, it’s really getting there! Keep it up!
Coach Tamara
February 5, 2012: Stars Sizzle (and Shiver) at the Dome!
FLARE:
Brrrrr! What a chilly but extremely hot day on Sunday at the chilly dome. We have almost mastered the 6-2 system, so nicely done ladies! Kudos to Treya and Rebecca for learning new positions without much practice at it. You both rocked and with a constant smile on your faces too. Amazing serving and passing by everyone, which is what we have worked on this week.
Highlights from the tournament:
Danielle D: Loved the way you owned those free balls in the last match. That is the way to hustle in and be confident to take that ball. Your serve is a nice float serve that will be really tough to return once you nail the power and consistency. Keep up the great attack approach!
Sasha: Your serve continues to be a huge asset to the team. Much improvement with learning your positions on defense and serve receive. Thanks for hustling from soccer to volleyball and showing commitment to both sports. Nice loud voice towards the end of the day. Really demonstrates confidence to the team, to match your stellar passing abilities.
Dani P: Again, your net play is very intuitive and effective. Your serving was definitely your strong point this tournament. Well, your passing was also stellar so all round, amazing playing.
Rheannon: Awesome hitting. Your approach is coming along so keep up that great work. You are probably the most consistent player at calling the ball nice and loud. Keep up that excellent communication. It helps the team build more confidence.
Megan : Once again, you bring some excellent energy and enthusiasm to the team dynamics. Your passing was stellar today. You are well versed in the 6-2 now and showing excellent leadership both on and off the court. Keep up the great work.
Danielle H: Consistent setting and amazing court sense. All round steady player with superb confidence and team play. Lovely hands to set some amazing sets. Keep up the great work.
Emily: Great things happen to those who jump. Way to take the risk and get up there in the last match. When you nail that approach, you will be unstoppable!!! Way to be uber-coachable and be a wall at the net on those close sets.
Sara : It’s a cool thing when player is super-coachable. You nailed some serves in that last match with a small adjustment to your stance. Way to go. Your attack approach is becoming more aggressive. Keep it up!
Emma : WE MISSED YOU!! Hope your gymnastics competition went well.
Michelle: SO AWESOME to hear that loud deep voice come through on the court. You sooooo own that second ball. Nicely done. That is the mark of a great setter. Your underhand serves are quite remarkable. Imagine what will happen when the overhand serve is mastered??? Look out other team!
Mikaela: You have mastered the setter routine and system and display amazing calmness and confidence on the court. And your serving was superb today. All round great day for you.
Treya : WOW, what an amazing feat to change positions without much practice and be able to be so effective as middle blocker. We noticed how happy and confident you looked on the court despite the position change. We think that you are going to master this position and be a huge “STAR” as middle blocker. Keep up the amazing attitude and melting smile.
Rebecca: Not many players can walk into the dome and be a setter without much practice. And you did! Despite the few mixups during the day, you didn't seem frazzled at all and maintained your composure. True leadership! You took everything in stride and kept pushing through to learn this new position.
Coach Dori and Coach Natalie
GALAXY What a great day we had! Our team goals of mastering the 6-2 system, keeping up our energy, and pushing to get three hits were truly achieved. Our team play and transitions are improving so much - just a little more practice and you guys will have it totally down! It was a particularly great day for serving, with very few missed serves and a bunch of long runs of tough serves from almost every player! Great job ladies.
Kelsie: You worked really hard to catch up in system play after missing most of the last tournament, and it showed! Your voice and leadership on court kept up the team energy, and I'm impressed by how hard you worked to make sure you got to every second ball. Great job today!
Alexa: You had some great runs of those deep underhand serves! You're starting to use your voice more on court, which is really benefiting the team, along with your constant focus.
Hayley: Beautiful sets and some great serving. You have really good court sense, and it is great to see you starting to take on more on-court leadership.
Savannah: Wonderful energy, your cheerful attitude is contagious and keeps the team spirits up. You had some great hits down the line and some really tough serves today.
Jane: Excellent leadership and energy on court. You had some killer hits today, very consistent and tough!
Payton: Awesome high passes on serve receive and defence. Your pursuit and determination to not let balls hit the ground are an inspiration for the team.
Neeku: Best serve receive of the day! Your passing was consistently great, with nice high balls up to the setter position.
Sabrina: Great net play today. You had some awesome blocks that really pumped up the team's energy, as well as some great hitting out of the middle.
Chiara: Great all-around play and positive energy. Your serve receive and defence were incredibly reliable, and you had some amazing hits. You are a consistent and tough force in the middle!
Olivia: Definitely best stuff block of the day! You were a force at the net, and your smile and positive attitude kept the team going through some tough moments.
Natalie, Alyssa, and Maggie: We missed you guys!
Coach Tamara
ECLIPSE: Awesome job in our first tourney at 'the Dome', Eclipse, especially since we had so many players learning new positions!! Thanks to the parents for shivering through all our matches to cheer us on, and special thanks to those who started to learn the scoring. (It's really not that hard!). Our goals were to practice the system and to have fun by playing focused and determined. We actually had amazing focus all day! Well done!
Caitlin: Great improvement in learning the system. And way to go on those fabulous spikes from the middle! A very nice serving run too. Keep up the good work talking to your teammates so they know where you are.
Cynthia: Awesome setting Cynthia! You have gorgeous high sets (and nice high passes). You are really getting to learn the system and hustling to get to the second ball. Some pretty fierce serving too - overhand and underhand.
Emme: What would we do without you?? You are the queen of knowing the system, and it's great to see you helping your teammates get set up on serve receive. Great job trying to set more with your hands and very nice coverage. Excellent serving, and one of the nicest hits of the day.
Chloe: Great start to your new position as a big power hitter. You are learning it quickly. Some really excellent net play today - way to take advantage of those springs in your legs. Also some excellent serving - you got us a lot of points
Lauren: You really got us rolling today with that long run of tough serves in the first match! And a couple of fabulous digs in the last match, with lots of good passing in between. You really have the system mastered now, and excellent focus today - well done!
Megan: Superb passing and really awesome defence again today Megan. Our setters love you! You have very good movement on the court and your great focus and positive energy really helps the team.
Rielle: Well done on getting the system mastered! Your passing is getting very consistent and once again your hustle was inspiring to the team - you get the Speedy Gonzales award! And some very nice serving and hitting today too.
Allie: Great job adjusting to your new position! Some very nice passing and a great serving run. I can see you are really starting to move nicely in 6 back defence. And your coachability is amazing! Keep asking questions and trying hard - your skills are improving so fast.
Grace: Awesome net play and blocking, and some really great hits. You own the middle! Good focus on getting that platform at the right angle on passing.
Katie: You are a natural in your new position as a middle - front row and back! Very nice hitting and blocking, and fabulous movement in the back row. Also some excellent passing.
Mary: Awesome net play and blocking - you are a real force in the middle. And fabulous hitting. Our setters love you - you can hit anything! Good job on your passing and defence too - way to work on not swinging your arms so much!
Amy and Anniqa: Missed you!
Coach Karen
January 29, 2012 : Stars Shine in Surrey!
Congratulations to all three teams for a stellar shining in Surrey this weekend. All three teams showed vast improvement in the 6-2 system an gelling as teams. HIghlights from the tournament include:
Congratulations to Galaxy on a great first tournament! We truly met our goals of improving our 6-2 system play and coming together and getting to know each other as a team. It’s shaping up to be an awesome season!
Kelsie:Awesome setting in that first game. Your system play is really coming along.
Maggie:Great serving all day long; tough and consistent. Your runs of multiple serves really kept up the team energy.
Neeku:Really nice, high platform on serve receive. You were constantly improving by asking questions to work on your understanding of the system, which was great.
Hayley:Great consistency in your overhand serve and some really nicesets. Thanks for pushing through not feeling 100% in the morning.
Sabrina:Some great net play and blocking, and your passing and defence are really coming along. Your positive attitude really shone in some tough moments.
Natalie:Awesome energy and talking on the court, as well as some nice, high passes on serve receive. Your consistent overhand serving kept us in a lot of games.
Alexa: What a superstar for playing all the way through the afternoon! You are really starting to get the system down and you had some great, high sets.
Chiara:You’ve been a great team player in making such an easy transition to a new position. Your coverage in the 6-back defence position was awesome – great movement! You really showed your flexibility and positive attitude when you stepped up to play right side in that last game.
Savannah: Great coverage from your back row defensive position, you were picking up lots of tough balls. Some killer hits down the line too!
Alyssa:Great work stepping up to set all afternoon long. You were really going for those second balls, AND working hard to get your hands on all of them, which was impressive!
Olivia:Great passing platform and some really awesome netplay. You had some stellar blocks.
Payton:Great team spirit and commitment sticking around all day to support the team after getting hurt early on. Awesome hustle in that first game!
Jane:Great energy and leadership on the court. The team really benefited from your hustle, pursuit, and refusal to give up on those tough balls!
Coach Tamara
FLARE:
Wow! What a superb day in Surrey yesterday. For the most part, our goals of having fun, getting a sense of where everyone is at, learning the 6-2 system and becoming more comfortable with each other were achieved.
Highlights from the tournament:
Danielle D: Awesome hustling!! You are a master of trying for every ball and making sure the ball doesn’t drop on our court. Amazing athleticism!
Sasha: Unbeatable serving! You have a very wicked serve and amazing focus under pressure. Awesome! It will definitely be our secret weapon!
Dani P: Very noticeable net play with natural ability to anticipate the ball and do something amazing with it. Also superb platform with serve receive and defense passing. Keep it up!
Rheannon: Superb hitting, blocking and excellent sense of play at the net. You were on fire at the net! Excellent movement on defense and understanding the vast amount of room you need to cover!
Megan : Excellent team spirit and energy. Aggressive net play and very coachable. Quick uptake of the 6-2 system. Love your hustle and constant ‘in the game’ attitude. Your positive demeanor and presence is an asset to this team.
Danielle H: Admirable leadership on court and consistent setting. Excellent court sense and taking ownership of the ball when needed. Wonderful! And filling in for setter with the Black team who was down a setter. Way to fill in!
Emily: Excellent movement on defense and beginning to understand the role of middle blocker. Overhand serving is coming along nicely and soon to be a threat to the other team!
Sara : Outstanding leadership especially with players who are still learning the 6-2. Suberb sense of the game. Your on-court presence is an asset to the team. And you were fighting off a cold. Keep up the great work!
Emma : Tremendous focus and determination to learn the 6-2. By the end of the day, you were becoming so comfortable and natural with switching and knowing where to go Love the positive attitude and consummate smile. A wonderful addition to the team dynamics.
Michelle: Superb positivity and humour throughout the day. Great leadership both on and off the court. Your confidence and willingness to try harder is a stellar role model for everyone. Keep smiling and having fun!
Mikaela: Beautiful sets throughout the day. Nice and high outside. Wonderful touch on the ball. Great court sense and thinking very strategically.
Treya : Huge improvement throughout the day with learning the 6-2 and focusing on the setters position in both front and back row. Excellent passing and finding a louder voice on the court. Keep up the great work!
Rebecca: Most versatile star of the day, being able to play superb defense, knowing the 6-2 system, stellar serves and awesome net play. Great court sense and confidence on the court. Natural leadership!
Dori and Natalie
White: ECLIPSE
What a great day in Surrey yesterday at our first Club Volleyball Tourney! It was a long day, but we learned a lot, tried hard and had lots of fun moments. Our goals were to get more comfortable with the 6-2 system, start to learn how to play together as a team, and to have some fun., so I would say we did a great job achieving all our goals!
Highlights from the tournament:
Anniqa; Wicked overhand serving, great setting, and some truly amazing smashes. Great energy, humour and leadership, which helped keep up the positive spirits on the court
Allie: Great coachability (always listening and trying to improve your game). You really mastered the System this weekend. Great hustle to get the second ball, and put some beautiful high sets out to power. You are really getting the idea of ‘defence first’. Nicely done!
Caitlin: Great all around performance. You really learned the setter’s movements in our System. Very strong passing and hitting too. Great to hear your voice telling your team mates where to pass to. Well done!
Emme: You were a dynamo out there! Strong serving, great passing, amazingly reliable setting, good hits, talking it up and stellar job helping your teammates set up on serve receive.
Grace: All of your skills improved so much over the day – good work on the platform. You are really getting the System. Fabulous blocks and good hits in the middle, and excellent serving – you got us a lot of points on those serving runs.
Mary: Really excellent movement - you were getting balls all over the court on defence. You have a hard serve, and very strong down ball and hit. Great blocking as well. And you have such a wonderful smile, it really brings the team spirits up.
Chloe: Awesome job this weekend! Superb passing on serve receive, great movement on 6 back defence, and good movement on the net. Great focus and determination, and good job starting to remember to back off the net to hit.
Amy: Stellar serving, excellent aggressive net play (best block of the day!), great court sense and amazing chasing down the ball. You have almost mastered the 6 back defence position, and have great movement to the ball
Megan: Great passing, good hits, strong serves and nice job remembering the defence starting position (ON THE LINE) and movement in. Your fabulous work ethic court – always trying hard –is inspiring for the team.
Cynthia: Wonderful leadership on the court with your positive energy, effort and hustle. Really great passes (our setters love you), and strong hits. You are really getting the System now. Awesome!
Rielle: Amazing hustle yesterday! You came out of nowhere to get some short serves or tips from the other team. Great effort thinking about where to go on serve receive and switching. I think you have the System now. Congrats! [P.S. How did you break your toe AFTER the Tourney???]
Lauren: Great all round effort yesterday! Killer serves, best smash of the day, excellent passing on serve receive, and great hustle on defence – way to get those short balls in the middle! Your energy really inspires the team.
Katie: We missed you!! See you soon.
Great job team! I was really pleased with how hard everyone tried. It’s going to be a fun season. Thanks to Keith Lee for being our scorekeeper and (assistant coach on Sundays), and to all the parents who called the lines for us, allowing our players to play an important role on the bench. Keith is away next weekend, so we will need some volunteers to learn how to score keep – it’s really easy.
Coach Karen
