The Sound Premier Team Poised to Make a Title Run at the Premier Volleball League National Championship Tournament

Kylin Munoz
Image Courtesy of Volleyblog Seattle

Phoenix, AZ

The Sound Premier Volleyball Team is arriving in Arizona with a few new faces for the 2014 Premier Volleyball League National Championship Tournament.  University of Washington alumni and USA National Team player Kylin Munoz has joined the team along with Kimika Rozier who played college volleyball at Washington State University and University of South Florida and Stephanie Shiramizu who played at Michigan State University and is rejoining the team for the tournament.

The new players join a familiar core of players including Sound Premier veterans from the 2013 tournament, Katie Silliman, Sara Bendorf, Jessica Vanzant and Whitney Buck.  Portland State University product Jessica Hansen is traveling for nationals this year and first year head coach Paula Schwan also brings a collection of players who are new to the team for 2014 including Hannah Orcutt, Sabrina Hoeks and Cassie Robbins. 

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The Sound Premier team will start their tournament on Saturday May 24 against some familiar Northwest faces who are representing the Florida Wave at this event.  UW alumni Evan Sanders and Bianca Rowland are both playing for the Wave in this year's event and they are expecting to challege for the title and start with the #2 seed.  The Sound Premier Team will have their work cut out for them, but can draw from a full season of match experience against the Florida Wave who are playing together for the first time the day before the tournament.

Sound Premier Pool Play Match Schedule

1	R1 P2	Florida Wave Women (FL)	Court 3 at 5/24 2:00 PM
2	R1 P2	Team GEVA (GE)	Court 3 at 5/24 8:00 PM
3	R1 P2	Chesapeake Rising Tide (CH)	Court 2 at 5/25 12:00 PM
4	R1 P2	Carolina Flight (CR)	Court 6 at 5/25 4:00 PM
5	R1 P2	Team Great Lakes (GL)	Court 3 at 5/26 8:00 AM
6	R1 P2	Heart of America Havoc (HA)	Court 3 at 5/26 12:00 PM

Don't Miss the Live Streaming Matches at USAVolleyball.org

Sara Bendorf connecting at the Sound Premier Showcase Match on March 9 at Everett CC.
Image Courtesy of Dig That Shot Photography

Sound Premier Team PVL Championship Roster

S  Gretchen Killebrew  UW

S  Whitney Buck  CWU

OH  Sara Bendorf U of Jacksonville

OH Jessica Vanzant  Portland State

OH Sabrina Hoeks  U of Maryland Baltimore County

MH  Katie Silliman  Arkansas State

MH  Hannah Orcutt  Christian Brothers University

MH Kimika Rozier  WSU/U of South Florida

OPP  Cassie Robbins  WSU

OPP  Kylin Munoz  UW

L  Jessica Hansen  Portland State

L  Stephanie Shiramizu Michigan State

Head Coach Paula Schwan

Asst. Coach Zach Calles

Asst. Coach Mati Bishop

Sound Premier at Their Home Opener on Feb. 21
Image Courtesy of LindseyDenmanPhotography.com

@USAPVL  #USAPVL

The Sound Premier will Face the Norcal Dream Team in Premier Volleyball League Action Twice Sunday April 13

Fife, WA:  The Sound Premier Volleyball team will face the Norcal Dream Team in a Premier Volleyball League double header at Fife High School on Sunday April 13.  The trip is the first to the Puget Sound Region for the Norcal Dream Team and will mark the first time the two teams have met in regular season play.  The matches are at noon and 3pm.  Tickets are $5 and allow entrance to both matches.

Both teams are founding members of the Premier Volleyball League, a USA Volleyball sanctioned grass roots professional volleyball league.  The Norcal Dream Team finished fourth at the 2013 Premier Volleyball League Championship Tournament.  That was the best finish for either team at the national championship.

The two teams will meet again in Reno on April 26 as part of the Premier Volleyball League Tournament associated with the Far Western National Qualifier.  They will both play in the Premier Volleyball League Championship Tournament being held in Phoenix, AZ from May 24-27.

Tickets to the double header match are available at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/606990.  More information about the Sound Premier Volleyball Team is available at http://psrvb.org/premier-vb-league. 

Getting to Know the Sound Premier Team... Jessica Hansen

Image courtesy of Dig That Shot Photography

 

Jessica Hansen

Height: 5’6”

College: Portland State University 2003-2006

Club: Puget Sound Volleyball Academy/KJVBA

 

Jessica Hansen is returning for her second year as a libero for the Puget Sound Premier team.

College Career:

Hansen played for Portland State University from 2003-2006.  In 2006 Hansen was named Big Sky Player of the year and All-Conference first team selection. She was named the Portland State University Female Athlete of the year.

As a senior, Jessica Hansen was named Co- Offensive Players of the Year, and Hansen shared Defensive Player of the Year honors. Hansen ranked seventh in the nation and led the conference with a Viking all-time best 5.43 kills per game. She also collected 4.15 dig per game and a conference-high 0.52 aces per game. In 2006, she had five matches with over 30 points, and collected 21 double-doubles.

As a junior Hansen was named Co-Offensive Players of the Year and named first team All-Big Sky after tremendous 2005 performances. She earned BSC Player of the Week on Sept. 12 after landing 71 kills and hitting .294 from the field during the Crowne Plaza Volleyball Showcase. On the defensive side, Hansen was named Co-Defensive Players of the Year.

As a sophomore Hansen was chosen as Co-Defensive Players of the Year. Hansen ranked seventh in the Big Sky with 3.99 digs per game. Hansen also placed her name in the single season record books (top 10) next to digs (4th, 463), attempts (4th, 1,348) and kills per game (9th, 4.05) and was named Co-Coaches Player of the Year.

Hansen currently coaches for the Puget Sound Volleyball Academy. 

 

Image courtesy of Dig That Shot Photography

 

The 2014 Sound Premier Volleyball Team has Signed 15 Players for the 2014 Season

University of Washington Alumni Gretchen Killebrew is one of seven returning members of the Sound Premier Volleyball Team.  Image Courtesy of Dig That Shot Photography.  

The Sound Premier Volleyball Team has signed 15 players for the 2014 season.  Seven players return from the 2013 roster and have been joined by a new batch of women's volleyball players dedicated to showcasing and growing the sport within the Puget Sound Region.

The Sound Premier Volleyball Team is a grass roots professional volleyball program that participates in the Premier Volleyball League.  The Premier Volleyball League is a national program sanctioned by USA Volleyball designed to seed a professional women's league in the United States.  The league's competitive schedule is highlighted by the Premier Volleyball League Championship held at the USA Volleyball Adult National Championship Tournament each May.

In 2013 the Sound Premier Volleyball Team held a series of showcase matches throughout the Puget Sound Region.  This year, they have planned a showcase schedule as well as a professional Women's Volleyball Championship Tournament taking place in Mid-April.

Click Here for the Sound Premier Volleyball Team Showcase Schedule for 2014

2014 Sound Premier Volleyball Team Roster

#	Player	Position	College	Club
1	Kelsie Peterson	Setter/ DS	Green River CC	Saturday Warriors
2	Jessica Hansen	Libero/OH	Portland State	Puget Sound VBA/Kent Jrs
3	Jenny Freed	OH/DS	Bellevue College	Northwest Juniors
4	Jessica Petersen	OH	Trinity Western University (CA)	Kent Jrs.
5	Stephanie Shiramizu	Libero	Michigan State	Premier Volleyball Academy
6	Gretchen Killebrew	Setter	University of Washington	Saddleback Valley VBC
7	Hannah Orcutt	Middle/OPP	Christian Brothers University	Sudden Impact
9	Whitney Buck	Setter	Central Washington	VIP Juniors
11	Sara Bendorf	OH/OPP	Jacksonville U	Puget Sound VBA
12	Cassie Robbins	Middle	Washington State	Team Yakima
13	Jane Collymore	Setter/OH	Florida
16	Katie Silliman	Middle	Arkansas State	Tri Valley Volleyball
17	Sabrina Hoeks	OH	U of Maryland Baltimore County	Ohana
18	Deviny Mo	Opposite	Washington (Club)	Washington Volleyball Academy
19	Jessica Veris	Middle	University of Washington	South Bay- Southern California

Click Here for the Official Site of the Sound Premier Volleyball Team

Sound fall 35-37 to Heart of America Havoc to Finish Their 2013 Premier Volleyball League Campaign

The Sound Premier Volleyball team fell to the Heart of America Havoc in heartbreaking fashion early Tuesday morning 0-3 after rallying to take the third set to 35-37 in spectacular fashion.  Their Premier Volleyball League season finished with a 13th place finish in the Premier Volleyball League Championship Tournament.

Sara Bendorf plowed through the first row of seats to make a save.  Angie Alvord and Katie Silliman punished every overfeed.  Leilani Ramsey dug like she was trying to get to China and Marlayna Geary flew through the air putting together a collection of crucial kills and saves.  Lindsey Denman, Deviny Mo and Emily Jepsen provided sparks off the bench and Ashley Allen displayed her versatility by playing on the right side when her team needed her to and still be able to switch gears and take over the setting responsibilities when required.  Despite the fantastic efforts required to fend off more than 10 match point opportunities for the Havoc,the Sound Premier saw their season end before 6:15am Pacific time on Tuesday morning.

The team provided some of the most entertaining play of the tournament through the course of the weekend, despite many of their players getting their first taste of professional volleyball.  After three days of competition, they were still able to set aside their aches, pains and frustrations to come together and fight the battle they faced all the while building a foundation of experience for future competitions.   

Through the course of the competition, the Sound Premier Team continued to be ambassadors of the game of volleyball in the same manor they had all season in their own community.  They conducted themselves with class and dignity, wore their uniforms with pride and put their best efforts forward in the face of adversity.  They embodied all of the traits they promised to teach the junior players of the Puget Sound Region and set the expectation high for the future athletes to participate in the program. 

As the team enters the off season, conversations can already be heard about how they can improve for next year.  Next year the competition will be in Pheonix, Arizona and the Sound Premier Team will be working to return to the National Championship tournament with a team stronger for the experience gained this season.

Thanks to all of the fans who came to the showcase matches and supported our season ticket efforts.  Thanks to all of the kiddos that came out to see what professional volleyball was all about.  Thanks to our sponsors who helped make this dream a reality and thanks to the Puget Sound Region for planting the seeds for professional volleyball.  The Sound Premier Volleyball Team is excited about being an active part of helping those seeds grow.  See you all again soon.

Sound Premier Qualify for the Bronze Bracket of the Premier Volleyball League Championship After Two Close Losses.

The performances of the Sound Premier Volleyball Team have steadily improved throughout the Premier Volleyball League Championship tournament and today they treated fans to two exciting matches against the Pioneer Mayhem and Team Great Lakes.  The Sound came out on the losing end of both matches, but performed at their highest level so far.

The team struggled through an 8am match against the #4 seed Pioneer Mayhem losing 0-3 with two close set loses in set two and three.  Sara bendorf had no problem waking up for the early match.  She put up 10 kills and Lindsey Denman contributed six more.  Angie Alvord scored eight points in the early morning match with four kills, two blocks and two aces.  The Mayhem went on to qualify for the Gold bracket and will be among the four best teams in the tournament.

Sound Premier came out strong against Team Great Lakes winning the first set 30-28.  Angie Alvord scored 14 points for the Sound on a team leading eight kills, four blocks and two aces.  The Sound nearly pulled off the upset, but the fast tempo offense of Great Lakes was just a touch too strong.  Katie Silliman, Whitney Buck, Emily Jepsen and Jessica Vanzant all had a hand in three blocks.  The team tallied five total aces.

Next up for the Sound is an 8am Eastern time match against the Heart of America Havoc on court 4.  The match will be streamed live through usavlive.org.

PVL Gold Bracket Qualifiers
Iowa Ice
Pioneer Mayhem
Florida Wave
Dream Team North California


PVL Silver Bracket Qualifiers
Hoosier Exterminators
Team Great Lakes
Team North Texas
Badger Blizzards

PVL Bronze Bracket Qualifiers
Puget Sound Premier
Heart of America
Arizona Sizzle
Team Evergreen
Great Plains Tornados





Follow all of the Results Here

Congratulations to the Iowa Ice for the upset of the tournament against defending champion and number one seed Hoosier Exterminators.

Sound Premier Qualify for Second Round of the Championship Bracket at the Premier Volleyball League Championship

The Sound Premier Volleyball Team recovered from a difficult first day at the Premier Volleyball League National Championship to earn a spot in the second round of championship bracket pool play.  The team won against the Western Empire squad to start the day 3-1 and lost a wild match to the Badger Blizzard 1-3 which was enough to finish fourth in pool one and advance to the next round.

The Sound Premier offense finally found its tempo against Western Empire with four players scoring double digit kill totals.  Jessica Vanzant paced the offense with 14 kills.  Sara Bendorf had 12 and Katie Silliman and Marlayna Geary both tallied 10 kills.  Angie Alvord came up with nine kills three blocks and four aces.

After earning their first win of the tournament, the Sound played a wild match against the Badger Blizzard who are having a fantastic first season in the Premier Volleyball League.  Badger won the first set, before the Sound Premier service game heated up and allowed them to win the second match easily.  Through the match the Sound tallied 14 aces, led by four aces by Whitney Buck and three by Alvord.  Geary had eight kills and Silliman had three blocks.  Emily Jepsen provided a spark off the bench with four kills and for the second day of the tournament every player on the Sound Premier Team saw playing time.

The Sound will face the Pioneer Mayhem at 8am Eastern time Monday morning in the first match of the three team pool.  At 1pm Eastern time, the Sound will play against Team Great Lakes.  The winner of the three team pool will be assured a finish in the top four of the tournament. 

Click here to see the results and schedules for the entire Premier Volleyball League Tournament.

Sound Premier Volleyball Team Falls Twice on Tough First Day of Volleyball at the Premier Volleyball Leauge National Championship Tournament.

#11 Sara Bendorf led all hitters at the 1st day of the PVL Championship.
Image Courtesy of Dig That Shot Photography

The Sound Premier Volleyball Team started their first match of the Premier Volleyball League Tournament at 5am Pacific time, which was 8am local time in Louisville, KY.  Not only did they face a tough time difference, but they also faced the number one team in the tournament, defending champions The Hoosier Exterminators.  The Sound fell in straight sets to the Exterminators and lost by the same score later in the morning to the Northern California Dream Team.

Outside hitter Sara Bendorf led all hitters for the Sound with 11 kills.  She also tallied two blocks for a team leading total of 13 points scored on the day.  Captain Katie Silliman had five kills in the middle to go with her team leading 6 blocks.  Angie Alvord also had a good day in the middle with seven kills, two blocks and an ace.  Outside hitter Marlayna Geary contributed eight kills and opposite Jessica Vanzant scored seven points on four kills and three blocks.

Leilani Ramsey anchored the Sound defense through the course of the day and was the foundation of their rapidly improving serve receive.  Whitney Buck and Ashley Allen shared time at setter through the two matches as head coach Bill Neville searched for winning combinations.  All 12 players on the Sound Premier roster say playing time on day one of the tournament.

The Sound will continue to pool play starting at 8:30am Pacific time on Sunday May 26 against the Western Empire team.  They will play their final match of the initial five team pool at 1:30pm Pacific time on Sunday.  The top four teams of the pool will be seeded into the second round of the championship tournament which will be played on Monday May 27.  The bottom team will be seeded into the consolation bracket.

PVL Update

Pool 1
The #1 seed Hoosier Exterminators are undefeated after the first day of the tournament.  They postedvictories over the Sound Premier Team and the Badger Blizzards.  They will likely face the North California Dream Team for the Pool One top spot on Sunday.  Pool 1 Standings

Pool 2
Team North Texas leads Pool two with a two win zero loss record.  Arizona, Great Plains and Great Lakes are all in the hunt to finish at the top of that pool.  Team Evergreen is 0-2 and nervously hoping that outside hitter Meghan Ganzer will be able to play in the rest of the tournament after rolling her ankle on Saturday.  Pool 2 Standings

Pool 3
The Pioneer Mayhem arrived on the PVL scene and declared themselves contenders with wins over the Iowa Ice and Team New England.  Iowa Ice pulled the upset of the day with a five set win over the #3 seeded Florida Wave.  The Heart of America Havoc suffered through a tough first day of the tournament with a pair of losses.  Pool 3 Standings

Live Streaming of the PVL Championship
Click Here for Live Streaming of the 2013 Premier Volleyball League Championship
Court 3 Sunday May 26 vs Western Empire  8:30am Pacific TimeCourt 4 Sunday May 26 vs Badger Blizzard  1:30pm Pacific Time

The Sound Premier Volleyball Team Announce Their Roster for the Premier Volleyball League National Championships

Whitney Buck and the Sound Premier Team will face competition from around the country at the Premier Volleyball League National Championship Tournament May 25-28 in Louisville, KY
Image courtesy of Dig That Shot Photography

The Sound Premier Volleyball League announced their travel roster for the Premier Volleyball League National Championship Tournament taking place in Louisville, KY May 25-28.  This will be the Sound Premier Team's second year competing in the grassroots professional competition against teams from around the country.  In 2012, they finished 11 out of 12 teams.

Sound Premier Team Travel Roster

Setters
#9  Whitney Buck  Setter, Central Washington University
#3  Ashley Allen  Setter, Bingham University

 Outside Hitters
#8  Linsey Denman  University of Puget Sound
#10  Marlayna Geary  Western Washington University
#11  Sara Bendorf, Jacksonville University

Middle Hitters
#4  Katie Silliman,  Arkansas State University
#15  Angie Alvord,  Western Washington University
#16  Emily Jepsen,  Western Washington University

Opposites
#6  Carolyn Farny,  University of Washington
#7  Jessica Vanzant,  Portland State University
#18  Deviny Mo,  University of Washington (Club)

Libero
#20  Leilani Ramsey,  University of Hawaii-Hilo


You can follow the Sound Premier Team as they take on the best teams in the country at the Premier Volleyball League National Championship at Facebook.com/soundvolleyball and Twitter.com/soundvolleyball. 

You Have Three More Chances to See the Sound Premier Volleyball Team This Season

The Sound Premier Volleyball team will play three more showcase matches as part of their 2013 season.  Here are the dates and details.

Friday April 26, 2013
Carver Gym Western Washington University, Bellingham
Triple Header
Western Washington University vs Seattle University  5:30pm
Sound Premier vs Seattle University  Approx. 6:45pm
Sound Premier vs Western Washington University Approx 8pm
This event is free to the Public!

Friday May 3
Sunrise Courts, Puyallup
This Event has been Canceled.  Please join us May 10 at Competitive Edge for our match against Seattle Pacific University. 

Friday May 10
Competitive Edge, Puyallup
Sound Premier Volleyball Experience  6pm  Click Here to Register
Sound Premier Volleyball Team vs Seattle Pacific University 7pm Click Here for Tickets

Match Stats from the Sound Premier Team's PVL Match vs Team Evergreen

The Sound Premier Team lost to Team Evergreen 1-3 on April 13 at Lake Stevens Volleyball Training Center.  Here are the Sound Premier Team stats for the match.

Click Here for Season Stat Totals

Sound Premier Fall 1-3 to Team Evergreen

The Sound Premier Volleyball Team lost their first ever Premier Volleyball League home match Saturday night at the Lake Stevens Volleyball Training Center.  Team Evergreen earned the 3-1 victory (25-20, 26-24, 20-25, 25-18) and avenged their loss to Sound Premier last month.

Team Evergreen's outside hitter Meghan Ganzer caught fire and led all hitters with 19 kills on the night.  Kari Chavez tallied the majority of Team Evergreen's assists and libero Kayla Mainer was sensational in defense.  The result takes both team's records to one win and one loss in Premier Volleyball League play.

Sara Bendorf and Marlayna Geary led the Sound Premier attack with 21 kills between them.  Katie Silliman captained the side and led the team with four blocks.  Whitney Buck and Gretchen Killebrew shared the setting responsibilities and Jessica Hansen put in a quality performance as libero.

Next up for the Sound Premier Team is a trip to Bellingham where they will play a double header against Seattle University and Western Washington University on April 26. 

Sound Premier vs Team Evergreen in Premier Volleyball League Action Saturday Night

There are a limited number of tickets still available to see the Sound Premier Volleyball Team take on Team Evergreen in Premier Volleyball League action Saturday April 13 in Lake Stevens.  The match is the second of a home and home series that will qualify both teams to participate in the Premier Volleyball League National Championship Tournament in Louisville, KY May 25-28.

Click Here to Get Your Tickets

Saturday Night is Sound Premier Volleyball Team Poster Night!
Every person attending the match on April 13 will receive a poster and have the opportunity to have it signed by the team!  

The Sound Volleyball Experience
This one of a kind program gives junior players the opportunity to get on the court with the players from the Sound Premier Volleyball Team.  Limited space is available.  

Click Here to Register

Match Stats from March 29 PVL Match vs Team Evergreen

Sound Premier 3-0 over Team Evergreen.  25-15, 25-17, 25-23

Click Here for Season Stat Totals

Catch The Sound Premier Volleyball Team's First Regular Season Match at PNQs Friday Night!

Images of the March 16 Showcase Match vs M.O.B.

Here are the images from the March 16 Showcase match vs M.O.B at the Lake Stevens Volleyball Training Center.


Tickets are still available for the next home match on April 13 in Lake Stevens. Click Here to Get Them

Sound Premier Volleyball Team Survive and Early Onslaught By M.O.B. To Earn Their First Showcase Victory of 2013

Jane Collymore led the Sound Premier Volleyball Team with 11 kills against the M.O.B
Image Courtesy of Dig That Shot Photography

The Sound Premier Volleyball Team defeated the M.O.B. in all four sets played at Lake Stevens Volleyball Training Center on Saturday night.  The match was the first against an opponent for The Sound whose only previous showcase event was an inter-squad scrimmage on February 22 in Puyallup.  106 fans came out for the match against M.O.B and were treated to a highly competitive event.  

Click Here for the Stats from the March 16 Match

The M.O.B took control of the first set behind the powerful hitting of former Sound PVL player Jenny Freed, who led all hitters on the night with 17 kills, but it was the outside hitting duo of former USA National Team member Jane Collymore and reigning Greater Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year Marlayna Geary who combined for 13 kills in the first set and led the Sound to a narrow 27-25 comeback victory.  

Sound Head Coach Bill Neville, adjusted the line-up for the second set giving players a chance to be looked at in different combinations as he mulls over the team selection for the teams upcoming trip to Spokane for their first ever regular season Premier Volleyball League Match on March 29.  Sara Bendorf and Lindsey Denman replaced Collymore and Geary and the M.O.B took advantage of some early serve receive problems as the pair got up to speed.  

The big blocking duo of Jessica VanZant and Katie Silliman combined for five blocks in the second set and Vanzant added four kills to keep the Sound in the match through their struggles.  At the end, it was the savvy play of setter Gretchen Killebrew that put away the M.O.B with a couple of dump kills.  The Sound earned a 25-23 victory to take a two set lead into the intermission.  

After the intermission, which featured a serving for prizes contest for the junior players in attendance, Neville again shuffled his line-up.  Collymore returned to the match and teamed with Bendorf.  Whitney Buck returned to the match as setter and Deviny Mo made an appearance playing Opposite. 

In midst of all of the changes, it was the defensive duo of Jessica Hansen and Leilani Ramsey (both playing libero) who stole the show in set three.  Their adjustments to the M.O.B hitters produced a series of crowd pleasing digs and provided the Sound a more comfortable victory than in the first two sets.  

With the result of the best of five series decided, the teams agreed to play one more set to allow coach Neville the chance to look at a couple more combinations and give his team additional quality competition ahead of the trip to Spokane.  The Sound responded with their best effort of the night.  As a team they earned 18 of their 25 points on 13 kills, four blocks and one ace while committing very few errors.  

Click Here to Get Your Tickets to the April 13 Match in Lake Stevens

Next up for the Sound Premier Volleyball Team is a Pair of Premier Volleyball League regular season matches against the Evergreen Region PVL Team.  The first will be March 29 at Reese Court on the Campus of Eastern Washington University.  The second match of the home and home series will be at the Lake Stevens Volleyball Training Center on April 13.  

Stats from the March 16 Showcase Match vs M.O.B

Score Sound Premier Volleyball Team 4-0. 27-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25,15  

Click Here to see the Season Stat Totals

The Sound Premier Volleyball Team Serves Up An Evening of Fun and Volleyball To Start the 2013 Season

Players look on in disbelief at the broken net.
Image Courtesy of Dig That Shot Photography

Associate Head Coach Brad Saindon made a point of saying the team didn't need to go out and break the net to put on a good show before the Sound Premier Volleyball Team's first ever home match, but  middle hitter Jessica Vanzant did just that on the 25th point of set three to give her team the victory and all 193 fans in attendance a memory of the beginning of professional volleyball in the Puget Sound Region they won't soon forget.

#7 Jessica Vanzant sheepishly accepts her teammates applause.
Image by Dig That Shot Photography

The broken net was the highlight of a collection of memories that were created on what will be remembered as the night that the seeds for a professional volleyball team were planted in the Puget Sound Region.  A new team reached out and recruited new fans from all ages and all walks of life.  The players shared their skills and their smiles and took the first step to developing a sustainable women's volleyball program. 

A coachable moment during the
Sound Premier Volleyball Experience.
Image by Dig That Shot Photography

Before the showcase match, the event began with the Sound Premier Volleyball Experience.  The Experience gave junior players from the Puget Sound Region a chance to get on the court and play with the players from the Sound Premier Volleyball Team.  45 minutes of fast paced queen of the court action stoked the young players desire to someday count themselves among the best players The Puget Sound Region has to offer. 

After warming up with their fans, the team switched gears and worked to put on a showcase of the best volleyball the Puget Sound Region.

Marlayna Geary Led Team Olympics with 10 Kills.
Image by Dig That Shot Photography

Vanzant wasn't the only one who held nothing back when the match began.  Despite being an inter-squad scrimmage, the match had more intensity than your average exhibition as the talented and competitive members of the team worked to put on a show for their new fans. 

Former USA National Team player Jane Collymore led all hitters with 11 kills on the night.  Michigan State University Alumni Jessica Sanborn was the leading scorer with 14 points on 10 kills, two aces and two blocks.  Both featured for Team Cascade who swept the match 3-0.

Click Here to Get The Point Scoring Stats for the Match

Carolyn Farny with her new fan.  Dig That Shot Photography.

After the match, the players took the time to autograph everything from volleyballs to t-shirts and practice notebooks.  The players mingled with their new fans in a way that is uncommon in professional sports and made sure that everyone had the opportunity to go home feeling a connection to their new team.  

Jane Collymore
Dig That Shot Photography

Whitney Buck with her biggest fans.
Dig That Shot Photography

Sara Bendorf and her Lil PJ.  Dig That Shot Photography

The Sound Premier Volleyball Team will be at the Kirkland Boys and Girls Club for an outreach event on March 8.  Their next showcase event will be March 16 at Lake Stevens Volleyball Training Center. 

Sound Premier Volleyball Team Inter-Squad Showcase Event in Pictures by Dig That Shot Photography

Prior to the Sound Premier Volleyball Team Showcase match, the team took the time to play queen of the court with a collections of USA Volleyball Junior Players participating in the Sound Volleyball Experience.

Team Cascades won the Inter-Squad Scrimmage 3-0 on the strength of 11 kills by Jane Collymore and a 14 point performance by Jessica Sanborn. It was the Lil PJs who stole the show as they escorted their new friends to the court.

Following the match, fans young and old got the chance to get autographs and take pictures with their new heroes. The team signed everything from volleyballs to sweatshirts for their fans.