Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
A9
WEDNESDAY
July 11, 2018
Contributed photos
Alcie Moore returns the ball, her teammates Hailie Wright, left, and Mariah Moulton in back, at the national AAU tournament in Florida.
Gold Diggers AAU volleyball team takes on nationals
Volleyball bond
brings many U.S.
teams together
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
It was the journey of a lifetime
for the Gold Diggers AAU volley-
ball team, which competed at the
June 25-28 AAU Junior Girls Na-
tional Volleyball Championships
in Orlando, Florida.
“It was a brand new experience
for the girls,” said Kristi Moore,
who coached the 18U Gold Digger
team.
Held at the ESPN Wide World
of Sports complex, the tournament
had over 80 courts in just one por-
tion of the convention center.
“It was kind of crazy,” said
team member McKeely Miller. “I
wasn’t expecting so many teams.”
Two girls on the team of seven
had never flown before, and none
had previously visited Florida.
The Gold Diggers won the June
8-9 regional tournament, the RI-
VAL AZ Championships, in Lake
Havasu, Arizona, to qualify for the
national championships.
At the Florida competition, the
team was pushed to new heights.
“They had to make a lot of ad-
justments with size of the court and
speed of the game as well as the
size of the competition,” Moore
said. “They adjusted well, though,
and got to witness ways that in-
From left: Kaylee Wright, Alcie Moore, Baylee Combs, Mariah
Moulton, Katlyn Wells, McKeely Miller and Hailie Wright.
The Gold Diggers compete at the National AAU tournament in
Orlando, Florida.
ternational volleyball speeds the
game up.”
The biggest change was having
6 feet of service space, when they
are used to having more space for
the jump serve.
Some differences in the game
gave them greater flexibility, while
other rules were more strict.
“The girls adjusted well and
grew more confident as the tourna-
ment progressed,” Moore said.
She said because they were
playing in the 18U division, most
of their opponents had already
said. “Trying to get through the
block was a challenge.”
She said although the teams
they faced were tough, it was a
benefit because it forced them to
be more strategic.
“It definitely made me a better
player,” she said. “It was a really
good experience to go and play
as hard as we could. It was a fun
trip.”
The girls had three days of pool
play, and the girls improved every
day, Moore said.
“By day four, our team worked
together, communicated and
graduated from high school.
The other teams had also been
practicing and competing togeth-
er since last fall, while the Gold
Diggers teammates have been
involved in other sports, includ-
ing basketball, track, softball and
golf.
“It was a good insight into a
higher level of volleyball play,”
Moore said.
Miller said one of the greatest
difficulties was facing taller teams.
“We have tall teams over here,
but we don’t play them often,” she
showed their athleticism,” she
said.
They won their first match on
the final day.
While the competition was their
main focus, the trip also gave the
seven Grant County girls and their
coach an opportunity to sightsee,
including visits to Gatorland and
Cocoa Beach.
Now that the trip is over, the
team will be fundraising for the
rest of the summer.
“The girls have already been
talking about returning next year,
but we will see,” Moore said.
Some changes affect Grant Union’s 2018-19 sports
Blue Mountain Eagle
The 2A Grant Union Prospec-
tor varsity volleyball, basketball
and track teams will be in a new
league, the Blue Mountain Con-
ference, starting in the 2018-19
school year. The teams were pre-
viously in the Wapiti League.
Grant Union will compete with
Enterprise, Union, Heppner, Pilot
Rock, Stanfield and Weston-McE-
wen in the new league.
Elgin and Imbler schools are
now in the 1A class.
The Prospector football team
will be in a special district with
Heppner, Stanfield, Riverside and
Weston-McEwen.
Grant Union’s softball team
will move from the 3A class to 2A
next year.
All participating OSAA dance
teams will perform in a one-day
competition at state, instead of
two rounds held in two days.
Three coaching positions
opened after the 2017-18 school
year for Prospector volleyball,
girls basketball and baseball.
Ali Abrego, a Humbolt Ele-
Kuhn wins
PNGA
championship
at Silvies
Blue Mountain Eagle
Eagle file photo
Grant Union outside hitter Sydney Brockway (11) delivers in a
homecoming volleyball game against Imbler last year. Grant
Union’s volleyball, basketball and track teams will compete in a new
league, the Blue Mountain Conference, next year.
mentary special education teacher,
was hired as the new volleyball
coach.
The new head girls basketball
coach has been selected and is
awaiting board approval in Au-
gust.
The baseball coaching position
will be posted soon and closed
when filled.
Eagle file photo
Grant Union head coach Jason Miller
leads his Prospector football team in a
game against Weston-McEwen last year.
The teams will be in a special district next
year for football with Heppner, Stanfield
and Riverside.
Darren Kuhn of Pocatel-
lo, Idaho, won the Pacific
Northwest Master-40 Ama-
teur Championship at The Re-
treat & Links at Silvies Valley
Ranch.
The 22 seed beat 1-seed
Jeff Byrnes of Buckley,
Washington, in the match-
play championship June 29.
The 43rd championship,
conducted by the Pacific
Northwest Golf Association,
consisted of amateur male
golfers over 40.
The competition began
June 26, and the top 32 scores
advanced to the single-elim-
ination championship flight.
The competitors golfed the
two reversible courses during
the tournament.