It's club volleyball season, and Ava has one or two tournaments every month between now and May. We really enjoyed watching her play in her first (unexpected) tournament just before Christmas, so we were excited for this one. It's amazing how much of a difference we already see in the way this team plays together, even after just over a month of practice. It is going to be a fun season! Since I'm writing this post several months after the tournament actually happened, I don't remember what games they won and lost. I do know they played 3 games, and I do remember that the parking at this place is a nightmare. They have very little space in their parking lot, and none of the businesses (despite being closed on the weekends) in this industrial area allow volleyball parking. You have to just drive around and look for street parking, which can be several blocks away. I think it's a common problem with some of these volleyball facilities that we'll need to get used to. Anyway....
Even though I don't remember specifics about the game, I know that we had fun watching Ava and her team. She plays middle blocker, which means her two main jobs are to hit/spike the third hit over, and block anything coming back over the net. The taller she gets and the more she can work on her vertical jump (and get stronger, of course), the better she'll do in that position. I think she's off to a pretty good start!
This is something I really like about this team, which they've done since day one. Whenever they are in a huddle listening to Coach (even during practice), they stand like this. I don't see other teams doing it very often, but I think it's a really cool way to share a bond with your teammates, and show respect for Coach while he's talking.
They always have to ref at least one game, and Ava ended up being line judge again. I think this would be a stressful job! They are making the calls about whether or not a ball is in or out, and parents can get feisty if they disagree with the call! This is Ava saying that the ball was in (I'm learning about volleyball as we go).
I know Ava is tall, but it's interesting that she's the tallest one on her team. Saharra is tall too, but Ava has her by an inch or so. I rarely get a "normal" picture from Ava these days....but that's ok. She's cute.
I'll try to share a video of her serve in each post about a volleyball tournament so we can watch her progress throughout the season. Serving is the part she gets most nervous about, since she's still a little inconsistent at getting them over. She's definitely getting better though, and will only improve as the season progresses. It's so much fun to watch this team--the kids are great, they seem to have a strong bond already, and I really enjoy the parents too. It'll be fun to see what this season holds for Club VOS!
