The U18 Avalanche competed this past weekend at the Emerald City Classic, held at the University of Washington in Seattle. The girls (and coaches), trying to get accustomed to the Puget Sound area and USVA rules, posted a 5-3 record to finish 2nd in the U18 Club Bronze Division.

The team became the first Apex team to compete across the border and therefore, the first to experience the wacky rules of American volleyball. Aside from the roof and rafters being in play, liberos were permitted to serve, and unlimited substitutions totaling 12 could be made to one position, as long as the player coming into the match had not previously played in the set. Timeouts were also only 30 seconds in length, and changeovers in the last set were made by simply ducking underneath the net. The speedier game and different rules provided a new level of excitement for our girls, and they proved to be up to the challenge, defeated several strong teams by using strong defense and tough serving to knock off powerhouses from Washington, Oregon, and others from BC.

Adding to the fun of a cross-border tournament were the opportunities to shop, sightsee in the Emerald City (Space Needle!), and enjoy the company of each other for one last time. Congrats to our U18 girls for a fun and successful season.