TNT and Major K-2 Enjoying Festival

 

Zia has  two entries into the Volleyball Festival going on at the Convention Center this week in downtown Phoenix.

    

The 450 team tournament is here till the end of the week and will come back next summer and is one of the biggest volleyball tournaments in the country.

Best of luck to Coaches Hiltz and Beck and their staffs on an exciting week.

 

 

Zia Ends Season on High Notes!

 

The 15-2 Gravity stunned the 16-A division by getting the finals of that division before losing to the Az. Mile High 16 Region squad in one of several top 10 finishes by Zia’s teams this past season.

• The Gravity, coached by Peirce Stewart, Clay Llewellyn and Ashley Kelty took second in the 16’s division despite being a 15’s team.
• The 18-Kaotic, coached by Marideth Nelson and Jenny Croxford put together a nice showing and finished 8th in the 18-Championship division.
• The 14-D-Fusion won the 14 Championship Silver division and finished 7th overall in the Region. Well done Coach Samantha!
• The 14-TNT knocked off the Az. Fear 14 Red and won the 14 Gold Flight 2 division championship. Congrats to the team and Coaches Tamara Beck and Cathy McCoy.
• Also props go to the 13-Eclipse who chose to play the tougher division. Coaches Doug and Megan Rhoades saw their youngsters finish as the 5th highest 13’s team in the Region.
• As previously reported, our 12- Terminators took 6th overall in the Regionals held back in April.
• Our 15-Havoc finished ranked as the #10 15’s team in the Region’s Championship division. Congrats to the girls and coaches Kristin Marin and Tracey Camping.

 

Congratulations to all our teams and Coaches on an outstanding 2008-09 season!

 

 

Sullivan, Phillips Selected for H.P.

Sierra Sullivan from the 13 Eclipse squad and Chelsea Phillips from the 17-Crew team have been selected to participate in USA Volleyball's High Performance Programs this summer after their tryout in March.

Sullivan was selected for the HP Select Training Camp to be held in Colorado in early July. Phillips was selected for the A3 Youth Training Camp in July as well.

Congratulations to both of these young ladies on a terrific accomplishment!

 

 

 

Arizona’s longest running Club Beach program entered its 8th season filled to the brim with 35 teams and some stellar play in its first couple of weeks.

In the 12’s division, the Spirit and Fluid Az. are the two teams being chased at the top of the leader board. In the 14’s division, it’s the Crush and the Regret (or the Peccaries) that are easing their way to the head of the pack.

Karra and Lauren and Ashley and Tatum are holding down the top of the 16’s division while Shelby and Kelsey and the Muscles are keeping the older teams on their toes.

The league championship will be held the night of July 8th.

 

Terminators Finish 6th in Regionals!

Zia's 12-Terminators finished off a stellar season with a 6th place finish in the Gold Division at the Region tournament held in Buckeye April 18th. These girls worked hard all season and saw their hard work pay huge dividends in being one of the highest finishing 12's teams in Zia's history.

Congratulations to MIchele and Madison on a terrific job, and to Asha, Chelsea, Hope, Jimena, Mikayla, Miquie, Paityn, Rachel, T and Taylor on a great season and a job well done!

 

 

Congrats 17-Crew at X Roads

 

The 17-Crew team took a top ten finish at Colorado Crossroads this past weekend with a 9th place finish and a 6-1 record for the tournament. Congratulations Pat, Katie and the girls on a job well done.

 

 

 

 

 

Our Deepest Sympathies...

Long time Zia standout Olivia Thompson lost her mother this past week. Cythia Thompson

 passed away March 19th. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund for Cindy's children has been established at Wells Fargo Bank (Cynthia Thompson Memorial Fund)

To read about Cyndi, go here.

Our deepest sympathies, prayers and best wishes go out to the Thompsons.

 

 

 

 

 

Tonya Lee Focus of Republic Article on VV Boy's

 

Valley Vista volleyball grows despite setbacks

New team keeps its goals in sight

Morgan Urtso, The Arizona Republic

 

Volleyball is a sport of strength and strategy -- talent combined with technique.

In its first year, the Valley Vista boys team is learning how to combine those elements in its search for success.

Starting at 0-6 is common for a team in its first year, but the team has shown growing potential despite its record.

Coach Tonya Lee is focusing on continuing to teach the fundamentals of the sport to the team of 11.

"My main focus with this team is to teach them the correct way to play the game," Lee said.

"They have to know what each position's role is, what is expected from them, and how to do each technique the right way."

Boys define their ability on how hard they can hit the ball, Lee said. She hopes to merge their strength with the technical aspects of the sport.

Lee sees a lot of potential in her players.

Sophomore captain Denver Bower is really stepping up, Lee said.

"He is a spark plug on the court," Lee said. "He will go out of his way to help his teammates when they are down, or he will be the first one to congratulate them. I am expecting a lot from him athletically as well."

With six matches left in the regular season, the team is working to overcome the obstacles it has faced this year.

Not only has the team seen challenges on the court, but a lack of exposure to the student body has resulted in low interest in the sport. Support from classmates and fans would help the team to grow in its first few years, Lee said.

Lee, who also coaches the girls team, sees extreme differences between the two.

"Girls have to bond to battle," Lee said. "Boys have to battle to bond. Girls have to have fun to win and boys have to win to have fun. It is a completely different world."

Boys teams are not prevalent in the West Valley, but schools in the East Valley have had teams playing for six to eight years. Lee saw immense talent in PE classes, and wanted to provide another team to compete with the teams in the East Valley.

Although halfway into the season, the team has not forgotten its goals.

"(Our goal) this year is to finish with every player understanding that we might not win every game," Lee said. "But we are going to play hard every time and not give up."

Lee wants the boys to have fun in their first year while developing a love for the sport, so that next year they will come back wanting more.

 

 

 

 

For a copy of the 2008-09 Arizona Region schedule, click here.