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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels May 6, 2004 Grizzlies shine at tourney By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Four Ashland High girls helped the 16-and-under Southern Oregon Volleyball Club elite squad take eighth place Sunday at a prestigious tournament. Grizzlies Lindsey Stone, Maddison Thivierge, Sarah Holgen and Jamie Marvin each played important roles as the club team, comprised of players from Ashland, North Medford and South Medford, exceeded its own lofty expectations at the 140-team North California Volleyball Association regional tournament in Sacramento. Led by coach Carrie Manning, an AHS and Southern Oregon University alum who coached the Grizz sophomore team last season, the club squad shocked the No. 4-ranked team in the tournament in pool play and went from being ranked 83rd to fourth heading into the championship bracket. "I was unbelievably proud of them, especially on Day 1," Manning said. "We played out of our minds. They're a steady team, and they've stayed in that top-20 very consistently." The local club team ended the tourney with a 5-4 record, including a three-game upset of Empire Mizuno, one of the Bay Area's top club squads. The SOVC team came through in the clutch to edge Empire 15-13 in the third and deciding game. "The second day was a little bit of a letdown, but overall I could not be more proud of them," Manning said. "They really went above and beyond what they were expected to do. A very talented group." SOVC elite players are hand-picked by South Medford High head coach Adam Wagman and Ashland High head coach Josh Rohlfing. Once selected, those players take on a grueling schedule that includes nearly weekly road trips to tournaments that are hundreds, sometimes thousands of miles away. Manning, 21, says it's like playing two extra seasons a year, and against top-notch competition to boot. "So, you're playing really the best of the best in terms of 16 year olds." Stone, a setter, saw significant playing time with the Grizzlies last year, but Thivierge, Holgen and Marvin spent most varsity matches on the bench. Manning says their SOVC experience will help prepare them for varsity competition in the years to come. "Those three coming up are definitely the top youths," Manning said. "They're so talented and so energetic, practice is over and they're still peppering in the corner. They're a lot of fun to be around." DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams