Woodside defeated Sequoia last Thursday in an exciting 4 set match to win the PAL Ocean League and qualify for the CCS Championships. Sequoia came out strong winning the first set 15-25. However, Woodside's tournament experience provided the team the confidence to work hard and come back. They won the next set 25-22 in a tough battle. The tied turned and Sequoia ran out of gas losing the next 2 sets 25-17 and 25-13. Woodsides finishes with a 13-1 league record becoming the automatic league qualifier for CCS.

Woodside will host St. Francis on Wednesday night at 7pm for the first round of the CCS championships. Bring your family and friends to see this exciting match.

Winning 3 key matches against Leland, Rio Americano and Burligame, the varsity team made it to the Gold Bracket at the Milpitas Spikefest 2 tournament. The team finished 4th out of 32 teams after losing to Sacred Heart Cathedral and Central Valley Christian. This was the best Spikefest tournament finish for the team in the last 5 years and the team continues to improve in preparation for the last week of league play.

After beating South San Francisco in a tough 4 set match last week, Woodside is the undisputed leader in the PAL Ocean league. If they beat Sequoia next week, they will have an automatic berth in the CCS postseason championships.

We're in the last 2 weeks of the season and both Varsity and Frosh-Soph teams are having the best seasons in 5 years. The Varsity team is 23-6 overall and 9-1 in league play. They are tied for first with South San Francisco. Tomorrow will be the BIG GAME as they face off again. If Woodside wins they will be on the way to a first place finish in the PAL Ocean league.

The Varsity traveled to the Stockton Classic this weekend. It was a huge 64 team event and Woodside was seeded in the top 16. Teams from as far as Nevada and Oregon attended. Woodside won 2 matches and lost 2, finishing in 10th overall. A solid showing against some of the best teams in NorCal.

The Frosh Soph team is in undisputed first place with a perfect 10-0 season. They have not lost a single set in league play. This weekend they played in the Independence High JV Tournament and finished tied for 3rd in a 24 team event. Woodside faced Campolindo in a tight semi-final match. It was close all the way with Campolindo the eventual winner of the match and the tournament.

The Varsity volleyball team is off to a strong start with a 4-1 finish at the Independence High School Spikefest 1 tournament, defeating Willow Glen, San Benito, Evergreen and Castellija. Their only loss for the day was against Bishop O'Dowd.

Varsity matches follow Frosh-Soph at approximately 5:30pm

• Varsity Schedule and Roster
• Frosh Soph Schedule and Roster

Schedule:

Old Gym

Aug 13-17: FS 3-5pm, Varsity 5-7 pm

Aug 20-21: FS 3-5pm

Aug 20: Varsity 5-7 pm

Aug 21: Varsity 6-8 pm

Aug 22-24: FS + Varsity shared - 3.30-6pm (until New Gym cleared of Arena Check-in)

New Gym
Aug 27 - rest of season: FS + Varsity - 3:30-6pm

Tryouts for the 2012 Fall Volleyball season will start August 13 and run every day. If you can't make it the first day, it's a rolling tryout until school starts so you have time. However, the earlier you get to tryouts, the better your chances as we will begin making rolling cuts after the first few days. The number of players trying out varies each year so it's difficult to know how easy or difficult it will be to make the team.

Tryouts and practices are one and the same and we will be both evaluating new players and working to get everyone ready for the season.

Once school starts, practices for both Frosh-Soph and Varsity will be from about 3:30 to 6pm Monday through Friday. League matches will take place on Tuesdays and Thursday with at least 3 Saturday tournaments during the season.

The most important thing to do right now is fill out your Athletic Participation Packet which can be found under Student Life, Athletics, Athletic Participation Packet. You will need a physical to complete this packet. Try to turn in the packet before the end of the school year or early in August as it takes 3-5 days to process and you may not tryout until this packet has been approved. Don't plan to turn in the packet on August 13th and expect to play that day. You may end up waiting a week because of all the new students trying out for various sports. The administration offices have a lot of work to clear at this time.

It's also a good idea to attend some volleyball camps or clinics over the summer to prepare - see below for some suggestions.

If you have any questions you can contact me at:

kmashima@comcast.net.

Thanks

- Kyle Mashima, Head Varsity Volleyball Coach

For the summer I would recommend going to open gyms or attending camps to maintain or improve your skills. If you are an incoming freshman with limited experience, attending a camp is a good idea.

Open Gyms:

Menlo Park - Burgess Gym: T, Th, Fri 12-2 $2, Sun 6-9 $3

Payes Peformance - San Carlos: http://payesperformance.com/opengym.php

The Foundary - Redwood City: http://foundrysport.com.dnnmax.com/BuildYourGame/Volleyball/OpenGym.aspx

Camps:

The Foundry - http://foundrysport.com.dnnmax.com/BuildYourGame/Volleyball/Camps.aspx

Notre Dame Belmont - http://www.ussportscamps.com/volleyball/nike/notre-dame-de-namur-university-nike-volleyball-camp/

Payes Performance - http://payesperformance.com/clinics.php

Sacred Heart - http://www.shschools.org/page.cfm?p=976

Stanford Volleyball Camp - http://www.stanfordwomensvolleyball.com/

We're just passed the halfway mark on the our season. The varsity continues to work hard in the tough Bay PAL league. Currently 1-7 in the season, they lost a tough 3 set match to Mills 22-25, 24-26, 22-25 on Thursday of last week. In the prior weekend, they have a excellent tournament in Gilroy and had a 3 way tie for the first place at the tournament. Eventually came in second on point spread. A good day of volleyball beating Watsonville, Monterey and Christopher.

The Frosh Soph is having an excellent season and is now 6-2 and in third place. They have beaten all but MA and Burlingame with each of these matches being very close. Led by the hitting of sophomore Ana Oropeza and the steady passing and defense of Francesca Fioresi and Juliete Del Selva, the team has had consistent performances all season long.

See the photos links below.

• 2011 Varsity Schedule & Roster
• 2011 Frosh-Soph Schedule & Roster
• Peninsula Athletic League Fall Volleyball Schedule
  You can find all the teams playing each week.
• Varsity Photos
  San Mateo Match 1
• Varsity Photos - MA and Mills
• JV Photos
  San Mateo Match 1

Parents and Players

Tryouts for volleyball began August 15th. However, the district requires that any student can tryout until Sept 2 provided your athletic participation forms have been cleared. We have had a very large turnout this year. The largest in the 4 years that I have been at Woodside. While this is good for the team, it makes the tryout process more competitive. If you have interest, please get your forms processed ASAP and come to the practice times listed below. The coaches are already working to prepare for their first pre-season match which is Sept 1 against Sacred Heart Prep in Menlo Park.

Please remember that you will need knee pads. We will do a lot of defensive work and knee pads are essential to keep you from getting bruised. Also, if you have a pair of old socks, cut holes in them to let your fingers through. These sock 'gloves' will protect your palms as we will be sliding on our hands to dig balls. This wil protect your palms from getting burns. The gym floor has been newly refnished and a bit sticky.

The schedule for tryouts and practice is:

Aug 15-19, 22-24: Old Gym

• Frosh-Soph: 1-3:30 pm
  
• Varsity: 3:30-6 pm

Aug 25, 26 (first days of school)

• All: 3:45-6pm Old Gym (New Gym will still have Arena Check In )
  

Aug 29 - to end of Season

• All: 3:45-6pm New Gym

If you are a Freshman or Sophomore, you must tryout for the Frosh-Soph team. You cannot tryout for Varsity unless you are invited by the coaching staff. Juniors and Seniors can only tryout for Varsity. It's best to get to the earliest tryouts as we will begin our decision making fairly quickly. However, if you happen to be returning late from vacation or find out late about tryouts, come to the gym and talk to us or email me at the address below. Everyone who is interested and eligible may try out.

To answer a question that has been asked a lot, there is no difference between Tryouts and Practice. We will be practicing volleyball and getting to know you in the process. We will assess skill level, motivation and teamwork. Our league is very competitive, so we want players who show a lot of effort, determination and ethusiasm. We will be working very hard at each practice. Practice is 5 days a week after school and once the season starts matches are twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursday afternoon. See the schedule section below for exact times. We will also be playing pre-season matches and tournaments. Tournaments will be on Saturdays. Frosh-Soph and Varsity have 2 tournaments each this year. We may sign up for one more each.

In order to participate, you MUST have your Athletic Participation Forms completed and processed. It will take 3-5 days for the processing so please get your forms into the office ASAP. There are many sports in the fall so the office has a lot of forms to clear. Every year there are a number of players who are ready to practice but have to wait because their forms are not done. You will find the forms by going to "Student Life" and selecting "Athletics Program". You will also find instructions on that page.

If you have any questions, I can be reached at:

kmashima@comcast.net

Kyle Mashima, Varsity Volleyball Coach

If you are new to Woodside High School or a bit rusty, summer volleyball camps are a good way to prepare for the season. We are in a very competitive league so a little extra training will help you. There are many good camps in the area. Most of the camps are now done. You will need to search to find ones in August. Here are a few choices.

• City Beach Santa Clara
  July 11-14, 25-28, Aug 1-4
• Pat Powers VB Camp (former US National Team player)
  Aug 6-7 Peninsula Jewish Center
• Payes Performance
  Clinics in August. Also private training is available.

Last week the varsity and frosh-soph teams scrimmaged Gunn High and played their first pre-season match against Sacred Heart Prep. Both were tough matches with the Wildcats frosh-soph falling 14-25 and 15-25 and the varsity losing 9-25, 14-25,15-25.

On Saturday, the varsity team attended SpikeFest in San Jose along with 31 other teams from the area. It was a better day with a varsity finishing with a 2-3 record beating Cupertino and Pinewood while losing to Clovis West, Westmont and HIllsdale. The Wildcats will meet Hillsdale again next week for a pre-season match.

Today the team traveled to San Francisco to face Mercy High School. They have a beautiful new gym with an entire wall that is glass. Almost looks like an aquatics center. Mercy's teams were very good. The frosh-soph lost 15-25 and 8-25. The varsity faired a bit better winning one set. The final scores were 14-25, 25-10, 5-25 and 10-25.

Next week the Wildcats will have 2 more pre-season matchs at Hilldales and at home against Mercy Burlingame on Friday. Hope to see you there.