Sunshine Volleyball Club, a local girls volleyball club directed by Palisadian and Marymount High coach Cari Klein, held its first annual College Camp June 7-8 at El Camino College in Torrance.
Intended for current freshmen, sophomores and juniors, the camp gives high school athletes an opportunity to meet and learn directly from college coaches. Klein knows a thing or two about prep and collegiate volleyball, having led Irvine to the state championship before going on to play at Pepperdine University. Many of her club and high school players have gone on to PAC-12, Big 10 and Ivy League schools.
Colleges attending the two-day camp included Brown, Columbia, Amherst, Bucknell, Cornell, Colgate, Dartmouth, Davidson, Harvard, Kenyon, Princeton, Rice, Penn, Virginia, Yale, Fordham, Cal Tech and Williams. Each day consisted of a three-hour morning session and two-hour afternoon session, followed by an hour-long informational seminar. More than 80 players from across the country came to showcase their talents.
Players were assigned to one of six courts, with coaches assigned to each court for high-level instruction, drilling and competitive team play. The 18 college coaches also worked with players individually, providing insight and teaching techniques to prepare the girls for the next level.
Local players who participated were Gillian Ondaajte, Hanna Klein, Michaela Keefe, Caitlin Keefe, Bella Edwards, Delaney Arth, Isabel Kelly, Kate Bolkin, Ryan Netter, Sadie Gray, Grace Rose, Lauren Douglas and Sarah McCrosky.
Since Klein started Sunshine Volleyball in 1998 her club program has grown to more than 20 teams with over 100 bids to Junior Nationals and 18 Top 5 finishes at Junior Nationals.
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