Spring Volleyball Comes to an End

Bradleigh's Snake River U-16 Volleyball team played in their last tournament of the spring season yesterday in Spokane.  The team struggled against some really good teams in the morning pool play and ended up in the Silver Bracket for the afternoon tournament play.  I sat next to Judy, one of the directors, during Pool play.  She's watched Bradleigh play since she was in sixth grade and she mentioned how strong she is as a setter.  Karen and I were fussing a little about the way she plays defense and Judy said she just lacks confidence and doesn't realize how strong she could be if she could overcome those fears of digging and landing on the floor.

But what Judy noticed most is that Bradleigh smiles a lot now.  "I remember that serious, almost sad look on her face years ago.  She's so much happier now. Nevena's done a great job forming these girls into an effective team."   Club ball might be over, but the conversation on the ride home was where to attend a summer VB camp.

Nevena Dragovic coached this team.  She is from Serbia and plays women's volleyball for LCSC. She's been labelled as "tough" by parents of other teams.  She may be tough in that she insists the "bench" remain standing during the matches and the girls eat nutritious food rather than sugary snacks during the tournaments.   The team presented her with a framed picture, but her gift to them was even more impressive.  She took the time to recognize their strengths in front of their peers.  She looked at each girl and spoke about her improvement and how she contributed to the team. These girls may not have won the trophy, but they won big by the way they played together and made their coach very proud of them.  Thank you, Nevana!