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2008 WESTERN SLOPE MIDDLE SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIPS
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GRAND JUNCTION VOLLEYBALL CLUB IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE
THEIR NAME TO WESTERN COLORADO VOLLEYBALL CLUB
The Grand Junction Juniors started in 1994 with the intent of offering competitive volleyball outside the high school season. The Club was started by former USA National Team member Jeff Wells (1986-88) along with his wife Tammy. Over the next five years, club volleyball in Grand Junction quickly grew. In 1999, the Club was recognized as a non-profit organization and was renamed the Grand Junction Volleyball Club. With the reorganization came the expansion from a Junior Olympic program to hosting tournaments and offering training for coaches, officials and scorekeepers. In 2003, the Grand Junction Volleyball Club launched a much needed league called the Gold Cup Invitational Series for boys and girls ages 10-14. The league started with ten teams and has continued to grow with teams from all over western Colorado. In 2008, the league had 32 teams and expansion plans are currently being considered. To be more consistent with its mission and service area, the Board of Directors has decided to change the club's name to the Western Colorado Volleyball Club. WCVBC will continue to grow volleyball throughout western Colorado as the sport gains momentum.

2008 TOURNAMENT RESULTS:
Western Slope Championships - Eagle (April 12-13, 2008)
The GJVBC 18 Jeff Team went undefeated 14-0 and won the tournament. Special honors went to Brianna Verble as she was named the Most Outstanding Player. Ashley Wells and Haleigh Higgins were named to the All Tournament Team.

The GJVBC 16 Tammy Team won their age level and finished 9th overall in the tournament. The GJVBC 15 AJ Team went undefeated on day one(8-0) and won the 15's crown. The 15s finished 5th overall in the tournament.

Gold Cup Series
The 2008 Gold Cup Volleyball Series is in the books. Congratulations to all 32 teams that participated in this year's event. It is so fun to watch the improvement over the five tournaments as the players develop as individuals, as well as a team.

2008 Gold Cup Volleyball Series Champions:
14's Division:
Gold - Grand Junction Volleyball Club 14 - Dane
Silver (tie)- Defiance Volleyball Club 14 - Shelli (Glenwood Springs) and Lady Knights Volleyball Club 14-1 (Grand Jct)
Bronze - Sugar n' Spikes 14 (Grand Jct)

13's Division:
Gold - Grand Junction Volleyball Club 13 - Keli
Silver (tie)- Defiance Volleyball Club 13 - Dru and Summit Velocity 13 (Summit County)
Bronze - Defiance Volleyball Club 13 - Calvin

12's Division:
Gold - Defiance Volleyball Club 12 - Michael
Silver - Grand Junction Volleyball Club 12 - Sandy
Bronze - Grand Junction Volleyball Club 12 - Boys


Crossroads National Qualifier - Denver (March 14-16, 2008)
The GJVBC 18s Jeff team lost a couple of close games to go 0-3 on day one. They bounced back big with a 3-0 day two. On day three, they lost in the flight championship match 15-12 in the third game. The GJVBC 18s Jeff team ended up 58th out of 110 teams.

Crossroads National Qualifier - Denver (March 8-10, 2008)
The GJVBC 16s Tammy had a rough day one and went 0-3. Tammy's team played the eventual tournament champions, El Paso Wildfire, in their first pool. They bounced back on day two and went 2-1. On day three, Tammy's team went 0-1 and finished 84th out of 131 teams.

The GJVBC 15s AJs team got an unlucky draw on day one and went 1-2. The two teams that beat them went onto the Gold Division and finished 5th and 9th in the tournament. Day two
was a good one with three big exciting wins as they went 3-0. Day three started with a fun win, followed by a two hour break, and then a loss in three games to 900 Mizuno team from Texas.
The GJVBC 15s AJ team finished 67th out of 135 teams.



Diggin it in Durango (March 1-2, 2008)
The GJVBC 18s Jeff team lost in the championship match and finished second to the Four Corners 18s team in three games. The GJVBC 16s Tammy team finished third in the 16s age division. The GJVBC 15s AJ team finished second in the 15s age division.

Earning All Tournament Honors was Ashley Wells from the GJVBC 18s Jeff Team.
All Sportsmanship Honors went to both Meghan Woodland from the GJVBC 16s Tammy Team and Madeline Minzy from the GJVBC 15s AJ Team.

 

Rio Grande Festival - Albuquerque (February 16-17, 2008)
Jeff's 18 team went 3-3 on the weekend and 5th overall.

Tammy's 16 team got into the Silver Championship Match and came up short, taking second.

AJ's 15s made it through a marathon day on Saturday(9am to 9pm) and on the Sunday, won the Silver Championship Match.




Defiance Shoot Out - Glenwood Springs (February 2-3, 2008)
Jeff's 18 team went undefeated (16-0) the whole weekend for the second tournament in a row to win the Defiance Shootout.

Tammy's 16 team had a rough weekend, but still managed to win their age division. They finished 9th overall.

AJ's 15s went undefeated through pool play at 12-0 to win the 15's crown. They finally fell in Division 1 to Rockslide 17s in three games and finished 5th overall.

Grand Junction Invitational (January 19-20, 2008)
Jeff's 18 team went undefeated the whole weekend and captured the tournament and 18's crown. They were challenged and came together for a spectacular Sunday. Unfortunately, Jeff was struck ill on Saturday and was not able to attend on Sunday. Jeff ended up in the hospital and had to have surgery.

Tammy's 16s team placed third in the16s age level. Finally, falling to the Defiance 18s.

AJ's 15 teams went undefeated in Pool 1 and then struggled in Pool 2 against the older teams. The final result was AJ's 15s took second in the 15s division. They split in pool play with the winner of the 15s division, Defiance 15s.

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2007 GJVBC SKILLS CLINIC
With the gym overflowing with young ladies and gentlemen ages 10-15, the GJVBC hosted a fundamentals clinic on Sunday afternoon, October 28, 2007. The fee was $10 and it was a very constructive three+ hour clinic. Thank you and good luck to all who attended.

2007 WESTERN SLOPE MIDDLE SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIPS
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RICHARDSON MAKES RMR HIGH PERFORMANCE TEAM
Grand Junction Volleyball Club is proud to announce that Britney Richardson from the GJVBC 17s team has made the Rocky Mountain Region's High Performance Team. This is a first from the western slope and is quite an honor. Girls from all over the state tried out and only nine members were chosen to represent the Rocky Mountain Region in an inter-regional USA Volleyball High Performance Event in July called the USA High Performance Championships. The High Performance Championships will be held July 22 – July 26 in Ft Lauderdale, FL. The goal of the RMR High Performance Program is to provide volleyball athletes an opportunity to compete against other top national and international athletes at this elite event.

KOVACH SIGNS WITH METRO STATE OF DENVER
The Grand Junction Volleyball Club is pleased to announce that Shayne Kovach has signed a Letter of Intent to play college volleyball at Metropolitan State College of Denver. Metro State won the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference last season. Kovach was recently named Player of the Month by Volleyball Magazine. The 17s Head Coach AJ Egli had this to say about Kovach: "Shayne was a great asset for our team and our club this year and I expect great things from her in the future at Metro State."


2007 TOURNAMENT RESULTS:
High School Boys Team WINS in Denver
The Grand Junction Volleyball Club's High School Boys Team played the 2007 Boys Invitational Championships on April 21st, 2007 in Denver and went 8-0 and won the tournament.

Gold Cup Series
Wow, what a season. A record 33 teams participated in this year's Gold Cup Volleyball Series for 12-14 year olds. The league continues to grow and volleyball in western Colorado continues to be strengthened. I wish everyone could see the growth that I saw from the first Gold Cup in January through yesterday's final event. We saw by far the best volleyball of the season yesterday as most matches went three games, including a couple of final matches.

We handed out a lot of prizes and awards yesterday as the season concluded. Along with our usual tournament winners, we awarded Gold Series trophies and medals to those teams that finished in the top three positions in each age division. I've attached the final team standings for the 2007 Gold Cup Series. Listed below are the tournament and series winners for each level.

Gold Cup Series Winners
14's Division: 1st - Fruita Wildcats 14 (Fruita); 2nd - Lady Knights 14-1; 3rd GJVBC 14 - Tammy & Defiance 14 Valley Girls.

13's Division: 1st - GJVBC 13 - Keli; 2nd - Sugar n' Spikes 13; 3rd - Defiance 13 - Jean.

12's Division: 1st - GJVBC 12 - Sandy; 2nd - Defiance 12 - Lynsey; 3rd Defiance 12 - Michael.

Congratulations to all! A special congrats to Keli's 13s and Sandy's 12s.

Grand Junction Invitational - LaQuinta Open (March 24-25th, 2007)
AJ's team suffered another setback with one of his outsides tearing a tendon in her foot on Day 1. They fought back and finished 2nd in the 17s age level and 3rd overall.

Tammy's 16s team won the Silver Division as they defeated Defiance VBC 17 (Glenwood Springs) 20-22, 21-13, 15-13. They won the 16s age level and finished 7th overall.

Dane's 15s won their age level and finished 11th overall.


Crossroads National Qualifier - Denver (March 16-18th, 2007)
AJ's team started off with a blow... 10 points into the first match, the libero got poked in the eye and had to go to the emergency room. She was done for the tournament. They ended up 1-2 on Day 1, bounced back 2-1 on Day 2 and went 1-1 in the bracket. The result was a finish of 83rd out of 128 teams.

Crossroads National Qualifier - Denver (March 10-12th, 2007)
Tammy's 16s had a rough beginning to their Crossroads tournament as they went 0-3 on Day 1. They had a good day and went 2-1 on Day 2, 0-1 in the tournament. The team finished 85th out of 128 teams.

Dane's 15s also had a rough beginning to their Crossroads tournament as they went 0-3 on Day 1. They also had a good day and went 2-1 on Day 2, and then 2-1 in the tournament. The team finished 82nd out of 128 teams. Dane's 15s were the highest finishing 15s from the mountains.


Dig n' It - Durango (March 3-4, 2007)
AJ's 17s team was biten by sickness and injury with one middle going to the hospital sick and one outside twisting her ankle. The team finished third in the 17s division.

Tammy's 16s team had a good showing and won the 16s division.

Dane's 15s team took 2nd in the 15s division.


RMR Showdown - Greeley (February 17-19, 2007 - President's Weekend)
AJ's 17s lost in the Grand Reserve Championship Match to the Socovo 18s by two points in the third game. 15-25, 25-23, 16-14. The 17s took 2nd in the Grand Reserve Flight.

Tammy's 16s lost to the Socovo 16s by two points in the third game. 25-13, 17-25, 15-13. Seems like we have a trend here. The 16s took 3rd in Flight 1.

Dane's 15s lost to the eventual Grand Reserve Champions Club One 15s Silver. 25-23, 25-13. The 15s took 5th in the Grand Reserve Flight.

Defiance Shoot Out - Glenwood Springs (January 12-13, 2007 - MLK Weekend)
AJ's 17 team won the 17s crown and took second in the 18s Division (Gold) to the Defiance Volleyball Club 18 Team 25-19, 25-14.

Tammy's 16 team won the 16s Division (Silver) by defeating the High Mountain 16's team by a score of 19-25, 25-23, 15-12.


Bighorn Toyota Friendship Tournament - Glenwood Springs (January 12, 2007)
14's Division: GJVBC 14-Tammy defeated Defiance 14-Shelli 21-12, 21-11
13's Divison: GJVBC 13-Keli defeated Defiance 13-Jean 25-11
12's Divison: GJVBC 12-Sandy defeated Defiance 12-Lynsey 21-10, 21-17

GJVBC ARTICLE IN GJ SENTINEL
Click here go to the article.

GJVBC PLAYER HONORED IN VOLLEYBALL MAGAZINE
March 2007 Issue on page 10, Shayne Kovach of the GJVBC 17s AJ Team was named Player of the Month by Volleyball Magazine. Congrats to Shayne.

Shayne Kovach is a 5'10" middle blocker for the Grand Junction Volleyball Club 17s Team. Shayne was named this past season to the 2006 Southwestern League (SWL) Class 5A All-Conference first team. Shayne had 142 kills, 32 aces, 18 solo blocks and 209 digs in 55 games this past season. Shayne was also named to the Colorado State Class 5A Academic first team for the second straight year. She sports a 3.38 GPA.

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2006 WESTERN SLOPE MIDDLE SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIPS:
The Grand Junction Volleyball Club hosted the Western Slope Middle School Championships October 8th, 2006 in Grand Junction, CO. For more information and results, click here.

2006 TOURNAMENT RESULTS:
Chill Out - Colorado Springs (April 15-16, 2006)
This was the first time for the Club to go to Colorado Springs Chill Out Tournament. AJ's team cruised through the first pool undefeated and really unchallenged with the new makeup of the team now including Katie Sickler and Brianna Verble both bringing the hammer as outsides. AJ's 15s ran into the Pikes Peak 15s team that are reportedly off to the Junior Olympics in July. The Pikes Peak 15s took 9th at Crossroads so you can be sure they are a quality team. AJ's team played them twice and on Saturday had them beaten, but couldn't close the deal. AJ's 15s lost 24-26, then won handily 25-15 and lost the third 15-13. So when Sunday's matchup of AJ's 15s and the Pikes Peak 15s came to be for all the marbles, it looked like it would be a war. Pikes Peak came ready to play and AJ's team struggled a little and fell 25-17 and 25-18. AJ's 15s lost to only one team in the whole tournament and took second place in Colorado Springs.

Gold Cup Series:
Congratulations to Tammy's 14s for winning the Gold Cup 14s division. Congratulations goes out to Kelley's 13s who took second in the 13s. Shane's 12s ran away with the 12s division. Well done ladies.

Crossroads National Qualifier - Denver (March 17-19, 2006)
Jeff's 18s went 2-1 on Day 1. They were one of only four teams from the 20 mountain Club teams to finish in the top half of their draw. That in itself is very impressive... Crossroads is where the best of the best get together to play so the competition is top-notch. Jeff's girls had a rough Day 2 at 0-3, but could have easily been 2-1 as they just couldn't close the deal. On Day 3, Jeff's 18s went undefeated at 3-0 and won their Flight 1B Championship Match to end the season with a win. They took 49th out of 128 teams. Jeff's 18s were the highest finishing 18s team from any of the mountain clubs.

Dane's 16s went 1-2 on Day 1 to fall into the bottom half of their draw. They fought back with a outstanding Day 2 and went 3-0! All three GJVBC teams got to experience at least one 3-0 day at Crossroads... going undefeated at Crossroads is quite a feat in itself! On Day 3, Dane's 16s lost a close one and finished the season strong. Dane said "My girls were playing HARD and fought for every point. I'm proud of them." Dane's 16s took 77th out of 144 teams. Dane's 16s were the highest finishing 16s team from any of the mountain clubs.

Crossroads National Qualifier - Denver (March 11-13, 2006)
AJ's 15s lost their first match of Crossroads to the Juggernaut 15s. They played Juggernaut 15s twice more in the tournament and defeated them handily both times, but that one match loss forced them to the bottom half of the draw. After Day 1, AJ's 15s never lost again and went 6-0. Day 1: 1-2. Day 2: 3-0 and Day 3: 3-0. 7-2 overall at Crossroads and they won their Flight 2A Championship Match. That put them at 57th out of 110 teams. The girls showed great character in fighting back from a tough Day 1... winning their Flight 2A Championship Match was a really sweet victory. AJ's 15s were the highest finishing 15s team from any of the mountain clubs.

Dig'n It in Durango (March 4-5, 2006)
AJ's 15s went 12-0 in pool play to win the 15s age division. This is the third tournament this year the 15s have finished as the top 15s team. After going undefeated the 15s drew the #1 seed in the 18s division to play, The Duke City Enfuego 17s. AJ's 15s had game point twice, but couldn't get it done and lost the first game 23-21. The 15s fought back and took the second game 23-22 and in the third game lost a heartbreaker 12-8. The whole crowd was cheering the 15s on. "I had people coming up to me for over an hour after that match congratulating me on how we played. They couldn't believe that my girls were only 15. I told them... "only 2 or 3 of them are actually 15, the rest are still 14. How about that?" They just shook their heads in disbelief... "You have a great team there coach." Yes, yes, I do." said Coach AJ Egli. The 15s finished 5th overall in the 18s and first in the 15s.

RMR Showdown - Greeley (February 18-20, 2006)
Jeff's 18s went undefeated over the three day invitational tournament to take the win in the 24 team division. Jeff said "I finally found a rotation that works"... yeah, I guess so. They defeated the FlatIrons 18s in the Grand Champion Flight championship match 25-17 and 25-13. Dane's 16s ended up in the Grand Reserve Champion Flight and took 13th in the 32 team field. AJ's 15s ended up in the Grand Champion Flight and 9th out of 40 teams. A highlight in AJ's 15s run was playing the eventual tournament champion Norco 15s Black on Saturday where AJ's 15s lost in the third game by 2 points. It was a nail biter.

Grand Junction Invitational (January 14-15, 2006)
22 teams were on hand for the Grand Junction Invitational Tournament that was held over Martin Luther King Weekend, January 14-15th, 2006 at Saunders Field House on the Mesa State College Campus. Jeff's 18s finished 3rd in Gold Division(18s) at his first tournament of the year. Dane's 16s finished 5th in Gold Division(18s) and his team was the highest finishing 16s team. AJ's 15s took 3rd in Silver Division(16s). AJ's 15s were highest finishing 15s team for the second tournament in a row.

Defiance Shoot Out - Glenwood Springs (January 7-8, 2006)
The Grand Junction 16s and 15s traveled up to the Defiance Shootout in Glenwood Springs over the January 7th and 8th weekend to do battle with 18 teams from around the state. Dane's 16s started in Division 1(18s) went 1-2 in Pool 1, 3-0 in Pool 2 and beat the Uncompaghe 17s in round 1 of the playoff bracket. They got eliminated by the Rockslide(Palisade) 17s and tournament champions in round 2 of the playoff bracket. The GJVBC 16s finished 3rd overall.

AJ's 15s started in Division 2(16s) going undefeated on Saturday with a 4-0 in Pool 1, and 3-0 in Pool 2. The 15s at 7-0 moved up from the 16s division to the 18s division. The 15s drew the #1 seed Defiance 17s(Glenwood Springs) and the team that eventually took second in the tournament. The 15s lost to the Defiance 17s in two games and finished 5th in the 18s.

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2005 WESTERN SLOPE MIDDLE SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIPS:
The Grand Junction Volleyball Club hosted the Western Slope Middle School Championships October 22nd, 2005 in Grand Junction, CO. For more information and results, click here.

2005 SUMMER CLINIC:
The summer clinic went pretty well for our first attempt with 42 girls in the program. I saw some girls really excel and step up their game and that was very rewarding. We are looking for feedback on the clinic from both the girls and the parents. Feel free to email AJ.

2005 RALLY FOR THE VALLEY CHARITY TOURNAMENT:
Congratulations to the Beach Babes on winning the recreational division of the tournament on Saturday, May 7th in Columbine Park in GJ. The Babes are Lindsey Henke, Charlotte Mooney, Maia Sadler and Nicole Kikes. The girls went undefeated all day and beat the Grand Junction Police Department's team 25-16 to take the championship. The Babes were members of the GJVBC 14 Tammy team.

2005 CLUB TOURNAMENTS HIGHLIGHTS:
Gold Cup Series - Tammy's team took second in the 14's division, Sandy's team took sixth and Raylyn's team took eighth. Congratulations to Keli's team for winning the 13's division by a serious margin. Jeff's Boys team took second. It was a solid start for a boys team in GJ. Sheliah's team finished the series second in the 12s division. Congratulations ladies and well done men.

Asics Colorado Crossroads National Qualifier Tournament - Denver March 18, 19, 20 - 103 volleyball courts inside the Colorado Convention Center is quite a sight to behold. It is the biggest volleyball tournament in the country and GJVBC teams played against some of the best teams in the country. AJ's 15s took 45th out of 108 teams in the 15 Club Division. Dane's 16's took 114th out of 124 teams in the 16 Club Division. Jeff's 18s did not play this tournament.

Glenwood Springs 1-day Tournament - Jeff's 18s took second in the 18s division. Dane's 16s took fifth. AJ's 15s team did not play this tournament.

Durango Tournament (Dig'n It) - Jeff's 18s won their age division and the whole tournament. Dane's 16s finished tied for fifth overall and AJ's 15s won their age division and finished tied for fifth overall. This is the third tournament this year the 15s have finished as the top 15s team. It was a great tournament and a beautiful site on the Fort Lewis College Campus overlooking Durango.

Grand Junction Invitational - Jeff's 18s won the tournament (Division 1). They played really well in the championship match against Colorado Corners. AJ's 15s team beat Dane's 16s team in the championship match of Division 2. AJ's 15s were the top 15 finishing team. The Club did really well as a club by taking #1 in Division 1 and #1 and #2 in Division 2.

Greeley Tournament (RMR Showdown) - Congrats to AJ and his team for winning the Grand Reserve Champion Division at Greeley RMR Showdown in the 15 Division. This made them 9th of 32 teams. Jeff's 18s lost in the Grand Reserve Champion Finals and finished 10th out of 32. Dane's team finished 13th in the 16 division.

Glenwood Springs Martin Luther King Tournament - AJ's 15s took third in the 16's division. AJ's 15s were the top 15 finishing team.