SVBC team drops first two at Junior Olympics

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Squaring off against two of the top U16 volleyball teams in the nation, the Sandpoint Volleyball Club U16 team lost its first two matches on Wednesday during the first day of pool play at the Junior Olympics in Columbus, Ohio.

Sandpoint, the No. 45 seed in the 48 team tournament, lost the best two out of three matches to Arizona Premier and the Arkansas Volleyball Club in straight sets. The elite competition, coupled with an injury to a key player, made for a tough opening day for Sandpoint.

“One of our outside hitters hitters hurt her back a little which was tough on us, but we played OK,” said head coach Jack Dyck, whose team must bounce back today with three matches in pool play. “It’s going to be tough.”

Sandpoint will face No. 4 seed Miami, No. 29 seed Deleware and a team from Cleveland. Every team at the Junior Olympics had to win a rigorous qualifier to even get there.

“This is a high level, and you have to play really good for long periods of time,” said Dyck, who thinks his team’s best volleyball is still to come. “Hopefully we’ll pick it up a little bit tomorrow.”

The top three teams from each six-team pool will advance to the gold bracket, where they’ll compete for a top 24 national finish.

The team of SHS underclassmen includes Hailey Dunn, Taylor Martin, Amy Shepard, Emma Liband, Lexi Riley, Trinity Young, Mariah Kluver, Hailey Olin, Hannah Neumann and Kennedy Search.