Practice Schedule

Tuesday, 01/06/2009

Wednesday, 01/07/2009

Thursday, 01/08/2009

Check the Club Calendar to view all scheduled practices.

Player Spotlight

More Player Spotlights will be coming this season. Keep an eye out for rising Tsunami Volleyball stars to be featured here throughout the season!

News

– Work For Play Fundraising Tournament Details
– Setters Clinics on Sunday, January 4th
– Online Payments Now Available
– Angela Jubb commits to Belmont Abbey
– Jennifer Dunn commits to Nicholls State University
– Work For Play Fundraising Tournament
– Alumna Elyse Chubb named Southern Conference Freshman of the Year
– The 2009 Season is Getting Started
– Coaches Dani Huffman and Eric Hawes win NCAA Championship
– Coach Tad Sahara named AAA Coach of the Year
– Cheri Smith named GHSA AAAA Player of the Year
– Katie Briggs commits to West Point
– Tsunami Players at the top of GHSA Playoffs
– Tsunami Committment Night
– North 15 & Under Teams Selected
– South 17 & Under, 18 & Under Teams Selected
– Tsunami South 18 Callbacks are at Our Lady of Mercy
– North 18 & Under Team Selected
– South 16 & Under Teams Selected
– North 16 & Under Team Selected
– South 15 & Under Teams Selected
– Callback Lists for North 15, 16, 18 & Under
– North 13 & Under Team Selected
– Callback Lists for South 15, 16, 17, 18 & Under
– Tsunami 2008-2009 Try-out Dates and Times
– Remember Daylight Savings ends Sunday Morning!
– Tsunami North Details
– South 14 & Under Teams Selected
– South 13 & Under Teams Selected
– Callback Lists for 12, 13, 14 & Under
– Alumna Casey Howett Named Peach Belt Conference Specialist of the Week
– Coaching Assignments
– Parent and Player Information Nights
– Tsunami Volleyball Club shares love of the game with Special Olympians
– 2009 Commitments
– 2008 Commitments

Archive

2007-2008 News

Come watch your very own 18 Black, 17 Black, 17 Blue, and 16 Black compete against Tsunami alumnae and coaches in a tournament to raise money for Work for Play. ALL alumnae are invited to attend. Email Jeff (jeff@tsunamivolleyball.com) for details. A donation box will be available for those interested in donating to Work for Play.

• Session 1 (Jan. 4th, 1pm - 3:30pm) All Levels
• Session 2 (Jan. 4th, 4pm - 6:30pm) All Levels

Tsunami will have two setters' sessions on January 4th at Landmark's Brickhouse (Main gym). For each session we will have a maximum of 20 players, and will be grouped based on your level. Please email Jeff (jeff@tsunamivolleyball.com) if interested. Include the following information: name, team name, and session preference (1 or 2).

The Online Payment system is now available, just in time to accept credit cards for the December payment deadline. Please read the instructions on the Payment page, and let us know how it works (or doesn't work). The link to the Payment page will live permanently at the top right of the site, as well as on the Finances page and here: http://www.tsunamivolleyball.com/New/Payment.

Another early season signing! Congratulations to Angela Jubb who has committed to play for the Belmont Abbey College Crusaders in Charlotte, N.C. for the 2009 season. Angela's incredible versatility and unbeatable positive attitude will be a huge addition to the team at Belmont Abbey. Good luck!

Read the full article.

Tsunami would like to congratulate Jennifer Dunn on her commitment to Nicholls State University. Jenn will be taking her intense positive energy and outside hitting prowess to the Colonels for the 2009 season. We wish her the best of luck!

Read the full article.

On December 28th, Tsunami will be hosting a tournament to raise money for Work For Play. Come watch your coaches and Tsunami alumnae play against several 2009 Tsunami teams. All Alumni are invited to participate and should email jeff@tsunamivolleyball.com if interested. Check back for more details, we will put them on the web site as the details are finalized. We look forward to getting everyone back together, so be there!

College of Charleston Freshman middle blocker Elyse Chubb (Tsunami Alumna, 18 Black 2007-2008) was named Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, Second-Team All-Conference and earned a berth on the All-Freshman team... at the Southern Conference banquet Thursday, November 20.

Elyse Chubb has been one of the most dominant players in the league in 2008 as she leads both the Cougars and the Southern Conference with a .377 hitting percentage and 1.50 blocks per set and also adds an average of 2.59 kills. She has also made her mark on the NCAA National Rankings, coming in at 28th in hitting percentage and 33rd in blocks. Following a weekend that included a conference-high .765 hitting percentage against Western Carolina and an overall mark of .656 with nine blocks, Chubb was named the Player of the Week for the week ending November 16.

Read the full article.

Hello Club,

What an exciting time of year! Our teams are set and practices are to begin soon. We have the first couple of dates listed on the website and will be posting the rest soon. I just wanted to touch base with all of you to let you know where things stand.

WEBSITE

As you may recall, I mentioned our website at Commitment Night. Our website and email are the primary ways we will communicate with you. Please check these on a regular basis.

CLINICS

We are finalizing the dates and times for several clinics. These include Refereeing/Scorekeeping, Setters, and Recruiting. Please watch the website for more details.

PRACTICES

Practices are to begin Sunday 11/30. All teams will practice on this date. Check the website for location and time. Some teams will have their next practice on Monday Dec 1st. Please be aware of the back to back possibility.

Many of our athletes were involved in the FInal Eight teams of the State playoffs (see below). Because of this, we felt like there was a need to give some of you guys a break and start practices a little bit later. Please show up to the first practice ready to work.

STORE

Our webstore will be open in a few days. You will be able to purchase optional items at this point. NONE of the items in our store are mandatory. We are providing all of the items you are required to have as part of your uniform package. Also, in the past, we have charged exactly what each item costs us. However, this year we are going to use the store to help raise money for Work for Play. We will post two prices on the website. The lower price is how much that item costs Tsunami. The second price will be your price. For instance, if an item costs us $12, we will post for approximately $15. Upon checkout, you will receive a receipt that will include how much you have donated to Tsunami ($3 in this instance). You can use this amount as a tax write-off.

RUSSELL

Several of you missed the announcement at Commitment Night. Tsunami has partnered with Russell Athletics. Out of all the clubs in the country, we are the ONLY club to have a partnership of any kind with Russell. We are the premiere (and only!!!) spokespeople for Russell nationwide on the Junior Olympic level. It's a huge honor for the club and a testament to the level you guys play. Russell also owns Spalding, so they are supplying volleyballs as well.

Just like Russell's relationship with GA Tech, Russell is using us as test athletes. We will be wearing some items that are exclusive to Tsunami! Our role will be to give them honest feedback throughout the season as to how well our apparel is working. More on this at a later date.

As always, feel free to email me at anytime. My email address is jeff@tsunamivolleyball.com. My cell number is 770-490-7878. I look forward to a GREAT 2009 season.

This past weekend, Emory University won the NCAA Div III Women's Volleyball National Championship! 17 Black Assistant Coach Dani Huffman led the Eagles of Emory to their first ever volleyball National Championship. We're SO proud to have Dani on staff with us. Here are a few highlights from Dani's resume this season:

NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player

First team All-American

First team All-Conference

In the Elite Eight, Final Four, and Finals matches, Dani hit .314 with 49 kills. She had a career high of 25 kills against Ohio Northern. She also had 19 blocks and 15 digs over those three matches.

We would also like to congratulate Board member and 14 Black Head Coach Eric Hawes. Eric is an Assistant Coach for Emory and has been with Tsunami going on 5 years now.

Tsunami has a great relationship with Emory and we're very pleased for them. Emory Head Coach Jenny McDowell will be leading our recruiting seminar again this year. Watch the website for details. Congratulations again to Dani, Eric and the rest of our friends at Emory University.

Coach Tad Sahara from Woodward Academy won his THIRD GHSA AAA Coach of the Year Award. Along with being the head varsity coach for this year's AAA State Champion Woodward Academy War Eagle's, Tad is a founding member and Board member of Tsunami. He is also this year's 13 Black head coach. Also coaching on Woodward's varsity team is Coach Tim Grooms. Grooms is the assistant coach for 18 Black this season.

We want to extend huge congratulations to Cheri Smith. Cheri is the GHSA AAAA Player of the Year. The Setter/Right Side hitter is a member of the AAAA State Champion Sandy Creek Patriots. Cheri has played with us throughout her club career and is a member of Tsunami's 18 Black team this season. Look for her on the court. She's hard to miss! We'll have a little more about this in a later Player Spotlight.

Congratulations are due to Katie Briggs for her commitment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Katie has been a big contributor to the success of many Tsunami Black teams throughout her career with us, and has always made us smile along the way. She will no doubt make a great addition to an outstanding volleyball program at West Point. We look forward to seeing her in action with the 18 Black team this season.

Speaking of GHSA State Playoffs...

Tsunami was exceptionally well represented this season in the Elite Eight at the GHSA State Playoffs. Listed below are the schools in each class that contained at least one Tsunami player (from last season's rosters and this season's rosters). Congratulations to you for playing at such a high level:

AAAA

• Sandy Creek CHAMPIONS!
• Marist
• McIntosh
• Whitewater

AAA

• Woodward CHAMPIONS!
• St Pius X
• Columbus

A/AA

• Westminster CHAMPIONS!
• Lovett
• Landmark Christian
• Walker

Tsunami Club Commitment Night, for all teams from North and South
Wednesday, November 12, 6:00 - 9:00pm
Our Lady of Mercy

Please check our North 15 & Under Teams Selection page to see the list of try-out numbers who have been invited to be part of our Tsunami North 15 & Under teams.

Please check our South 17 & Under, 18 & Under Team Selection page to see the list of try-out numbers who have been invited to be part of our Tsunami South 17 & Under and 18 & Under teams.

In case I caused any confusion, I would like to point at that Tsunami South 18 Callbacks are at Our Lady of Mercy on Thursday, 11/6 at 7:45pm. I had unintentionally listed them at an incorrect location previously, and apologize for any confusion. See everyone there!

Please check our North 18 & Under Team Selection page to see the list of try-out numbers who have been invited to be part of our Tsunami North 18 & Under team.

Please check our South 16 & Under Team Selection page to see the list of try-out numbers who have been invited to be part of our Tsunami South 16 & Under teams.

Please check our North 16 & Under Team Selection page to see the list of try-out numbers who have been invited to be part of our Tsunami North 16 & Under teams.

Please check our South 15 & Under Team Selection page to see the list of try-out numbers who have been invited to be part of our Tsunami South 15 & Under teams.

Please check our North Team Callbacks page to see the list of try-out numbers who have been invited to our callback nights for the Tsunami North teams.

Please check our North 13 & Under Team Selection page to see the list of try-out numbers who have been invited to be part of our Tsunami North 13 & Under teams.

Please check our South Team Callbacks page to see the list of try-out numbers who have been invited to our callback nights for the Tsunami South teams.

Tsunami South

Thursday, November 6 – Our Lady of Mercy

Wednesday, November 12 – Our Lady of Mercy

Tsunami North

Thursday, November 6 – the Decatur Recreation Center

Wednesday, November 12 – Our Lady of Mercy High School

Please check here often to account for updates and possible time or location changes. If you have questions about which try-out age group your child should attend, use the Age Group Calculator below. If you have questions about this information, please email our Director Jeff McClellan. Thank you, and see you at try-outs.

Age Group Calculator

Not sure what age the player qualifies for? Enter their birthdate here:

Just a friendly reminder that Daylight Savings is ending this Sunday. We move all of our clocks back by one hour Sunday morning before try-outs begin. We look forward to seeing everyone at try-outs!

Tsunami Volleyball is growing! We are very excited to be expanding in the Atlanta area for this coming club season by starting "Tsunami North". Catherine Zidow, the Head Coach of Parkview High School's Varsity Women's Volleyball team, will be managing this newest addition to the Tsunami Family. Over the last several months she has worked with our Tsunami Board of Directors to find practice facilities and assemble a great coaching staff. Information about our "Tsunami North" teams and tryouts is below. However, if you have any questions, please contact Catherine Zidow at catherine@tsunamivolleyball.com.

Information Meeting:

We will be having an Information Meeting open to any parents or players who have questions or who think they might be interested in trying out for one of these teams. This meeting is completely optional and has nothing to do with the actual tryouts. The meeting will be held at Parkview High School on Monday, October 27th beginning at 8:00pm in the new gym.

Teams:

Tsunami North will be made up of the following 4 teams this season:

• 18 & Under
• 16 & Under
• 15 & Under
• 13 & Under

These teams will be practicing at one of these two locations:

• Parkview High School
• Decatur Recreation Center

Coaches:

• Catherine Zidow
• Fred Earley
• Brian Welsch
• Amy DeMarrais
• Susan Coole

Please check our South 14 & Under Team Selection page to see the list of try-out numbers who have been invited to be part of our Tsunami South 14 & Under teams.

Please check our South 13 & Under Team Selection page to see the list of try-out numbers who have been invited to be part of our South 13 & Under teams.

Please check our Callbacks page to see the list of try-out numbers who have been invited to our callback nights.

Tsunami would like to spread the word that 2008 Tsunami 18 Black player Casey Howett has been honored as the Peach Belt Conference Specialist of the Week for her play with Armstrong Atlantic State University. Casey was a phenomenal Libero for the strong 18 Black team last club season, and she is obviously continuing her excellent career by playing insane defense and gathering the stats to prove it! Statistics like "double-digit digs in eight straight matches" don't come easy, they come from serious dedication and refusing to allow the ball to hit the floor. Congratulations Casey!

Tsunami has a unique approach to team selection compared to several other clubs in the Atlanta area. Our philosophy on team selection coincides with our overall club philosophy in that not only are we invested in our members as volleyball players but also as people. Because of this, Tsunami does not select players for a team before tryouts like some other clubs. We feel every athlete deserves the chance to prove they belong on our teams through their effort and performance at tryouts. Recruiting players in advance of tryouts does not fit with the spirit of fair competition which we believe in.

Also because we always try to put the players first, we allow for some flexibility in arranging our coaches. We want to make sure athletes are not denied positions on teams because of the schools they go to. We expect an athlete to make a team based on her talent and merit, not the school she attends. We feel that our approach is the only way to run a fair tryout and provides the best opportunity for selecting the strongest team possible. Anything less would be a disservice to the player and the team.

That being said, below you will find the list of Tsunami’s head coaches for our Power teams for the 2008 - 2009 season. You'll notice for some teams that after the first coach there is an alternate listed in the event of a school conflict. We believe that one of these options will work out no matter which schools the players who earn spots on these teams come from.

• 12 Black - Tad Sahara
• 13 Black - Kyle Zak or Wendy Weaver
• 14 Black - Eric Hawes or Kyle Zak
• 15 Black - Dun Hahn or Eric Hawes
• 16 Black - Kirbie Wallace
• 17 Black - Lindsey Gray
• 18 Black - Wendy Weaver or Dun Hahn

While we can't think of any reason one of these options won't work, if a conflict does arise during the tryout process that requires a coaching substitution other than what is listed here, we will notify you about who that team's coach will be before Commitment Night. We understand that choosing a quality club team is a very important and personal decision and while we are extremely proud of all our Tsunami coaches, we would not expect any athlete to make a commitment of this magnitude without first knowing who their coach will be.

Tsunami is also very proud of the players and coaches from our club level teams. In the past few years, our club teams have shown tremendous improvement and have elevated their play to the level of most other clubs' power teams. We are excited to have many of our past club coaches returning for the upcoming season and we will also be adding several fantastic new coaches to our staff. However, at this time, a few of our club coaches are still confirming their availability for this season. We have more than enough qualified coaches for all of our teams, but we don't feel it is right to post someone’s name as the official coach of a team until they are 100% sure they will be available to coach for the entire season. As soon as we know this, we will be posting our club team coaching assignments on the website. Please check back as we will try to have this list up as soon as possible.

At Tsunami we have the utmost confidence in all our coaches. They have been selected because they display the skills, qualities, and characteristics we feel are important not only for instructing the skills of volleyball but also for providing a positive role model for your daughter. We believe that we have the best coaching staff of any club in the Atlanta area and we couldn’t be more excited to get started with the 2008 – 2009 club volleyball season.

As the new season quickly approaches, we wanted to let everyone know that we have scheduled some informational meetings in the coming weeks. This important informational meeting is designed for both returning and new club members. If you plan on trying out for Tsunami this year please try to attend an info night to learn about several improvements in our club for this season!

• October 6th, 7:30-8:30pm at Our Lady of Mercy
• October 16th, 7:30-8:30pm at The Bedford School

Last Saturday, May 10th, Tsunami Volleyball teamed up with the Atlanta Alliance on Developmental Disabilities (AADD) to host the Special Olympics Volleyball Invitational. This event marked the third year that Tsunami has provided volunteers at the annual invitational held by the AADD. Over 40 Tsunami players, coaches, and parents volunteered last weekend to help run the event that draws Special Olympics teams from all over Georgia. Thank you to all who volunteered - it was an outstanding act of service to our community!