Sisters volleyball players shine at festival

Oregon Volleyball Academy's 17-and-under team finished 14th in the nation at the 25th Annual Volleyball Festival held in Reno, Nevada, last week.

It was the best finish a Bend-based club has accomplished at this distinguished tournament.

The volleyball festival, held June 28-July 3, is one of the largest annual amateur sporting events in the world, with a history of drawing some of the best teams in the nation. Over 10,000 participants, and more than 100 college scouts attended the event.

The festival is a test of endurance and stamina, as it is extremely demanding both physically and mentally.

Team OVA 17s is made up of 9th- through 12th-grade players from Sisters, Mountain View and Summit high schools.

On their quest to make the Sweet Sixteen bracket, the team played some tough competition, including teams from Southern California, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Alaska.

Coming into the tournament, Team OVA 17s were ranked 46 out of 83 teams and made a steady climb through the ranks, raising eyebrows on their way to a 14th-place finish.

The only other team from Oregon to grace the Championship Bracket in the 17s division was Portland Volleyball Club (PVC) which ended up winning the title.

Team OVA faced PVC earlier in the tournament, in a closely contested match. Although PVC prevailed, Team OVA was the only team to score more than 21 points in a single game against them throughout the entire tournament.

"I couldn't be more proud of this team," said JJ Riley, OVA 17s Coach and Director of Oregon Volleyball Academy. "It's a remarkable finish in only our second year as a club. Usually teams from Central Oregon are the underdogs since we have a smaller population pool to draw from and are going up against clubs that have been established for over 10 years. These girls are fighters and really made a name for themselves.

Oregon Volleyball Academy's 15&Under team also had a strong showing, climbing to a 44th place finish out of 113 teams in their division.