SW WA Beach Season Recap: Top 14U Performers
The 2020 Beach season was, to say the least, a little different this year. As the largest beach tournament in the Pacific Northwest was cancelled this Summer in Seaside, OR, small tournaments were put on by club groups doing all…
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Continue ReadingThe 2020 Beach season was, to say the least, a little different this year. As the largest beach tournament in the Pacific Northwest was cancelled this Summer in Seaside, OR, small tournaments were put on by club groups doing all they could to help bring the passion of volleyball to life in our area.
Some tournaments included wearing masks to play, others allowed play without masks but once they stepped off the court they had to be back on. Whatever the rules or regulations were, many athletes consistently made it out to compete in the sand. Some in particular, consistently stood out as top contenders either in their age group or playing up in age groups.
Here are some tournament recap records and highlights of the Top Performers who reside in South West Washington at the 14U age level:
Halle Reiter (2024) & Elizabeth (Lizzy) Andrew (2024)
2020 Record:
Undefeated in their age division, the duo was encouraged to play up to challenge their skills, eventually playing up in one 16U tournament (winning it too) and then two 18U tournaments to really gain some valuable experience. As indoor players, Halle is flexible between the Libero and Setter positions. While Lizzy moves across the net from Outside Hitter to Middle and Right Side. A strong balance of positional skills is the foundation of any great beach partnership. Another contributing factor to the pairs success might attain to their background experience together. Lizzy and Halle have both played on the same club team for the last three seasons with Excel NW’s top teams; 12 Rox (2018), 13 Rox (2019), 14 Rox (2020). They also have trained together the last three summers with Aloha Ball Club NW for their beach experience; Halle (4) & Lizzy (3). However, what can really set a beach team apart from the rest is their work ethic and goals they set. The pair consistently put in 8-10 hours per week of work in the sand together in the summer as well as extra individual time whenever they could. Now that online school has started and season is slowing down, they are scaling back to 4-6 hours/week. When a pair executes work goals such as theirs, the chemistry for the team comes easy.
Aloha Ball Club NW Coach, Lisa VanSickle, quotes, “Lizzy for a tall player has great ball control. Her hitting is consistent and powerful. Halle reads so well and has beach IQ off the charts. They complement each other so well.”
The pair still has a couple tournaments planned for the end of their beach season.
9/19/20 Aloha Beach Tournament (16-18s) *Wildfires and smoke in SW Washington will determine the probability of this tournament.
9/26/20 Woks up in Portland (18s)