The Silver State Volleyball Club's 17-gold team placed fifth in the prestigious Southern California National Qualifier, just missing an automatic berth to the United States Junior Olympic National Championships.
The team, comprised of juniors and sophomores from Carson City, Minden, Fallon, Lake Tahoe and Reno, lost by just a handful of points to teams that finished first, second and third in the tournament. The top three finishers received automatic berths to the Junior Olympics, which will feature the nation's top 32 clubs.
"We had an excellent tournament. One the girls cam be very proud of," coach Steve George said. "We were a couple of plays away from attaining the team's goal of securing one of the automatic bids and just came up a little short. But the fact that we can compete with teams with much more experience and height is a real credit to the physical talent of these players."
George said 75 to 100 Division I coaches attended the three-day tournament. He said several of the players on the 17-gold team are being recruited by top college programs.
The 17-gold team will travel to Kansas City to play in the Crossroads National Qualifier April 12-14. The team will tne compete in the Far Western National Qualifier April 26-28 in Sacramento.
Team members are: Tristin Adams and Carly Sorensen (Fallon); Rachael DeRiemer, Shannon Devereaux adn Alyssa Wilson (Carson City); Teal Ericson (North Tahoe); Brittany Addeo, Emily Haas and Michele Paterson (Minden); and Joanna Hixon (Galena).
For more information about the Silver State Volleyball Club, call 882-5711 or visit the web site at silverstatevolleyball.com.