Final AAU volleyball assessment Saturday

By Joe Naiman

The second and final assessment session for girls interested in playing on one of the Ramona Youth Girls Volleyball teams is this Saturday.

The assessment sessions will be at the Ramona High School gym. The session for fifth-grade and sixth-grade girls will be from 4:15 to 6:15 p.m. while the assessment for seventh-grade and eighth-grade players will take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

The Amateur Athletic Union club teams will be formed based on age, skill, and experience. Program Director Connie Halfaker, who is also Ramona High School’s head girls volleyball coach, expects to have three elementary school teams, two middle school squads, and two high school teams.

“I feel good about the product that we give,” Halfaker said. “It’s real fun to see that it’s catching on.”

Practices, which will be on Saturdays through Feb. 20 and then on Tuesday and Thursday evenings through May, will be held at Ramona High School.

The matches will be contested at the Epic Volleyball Center in Poway on Saturday mornings or afternoons. The first of the six tournaments will be on Jan. 28.

There are no travel expenses, but the $324 cost for fifth-grade through eighth-grade players includes AAU fees.

The matches are sanctioned by the Southern California Volleyball Association, which also sanctions travel club tournaments.

“First-time beginners are welcome. This is appropriate for brand new players,” Halfaker said.

Additional information may be obtained from Halfaker at 760-310-3686.