Central Oregon Volleyball Club’s loaded 18U team is headed to the National Championships

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) - The Central Oregon Volleyball Club is digging, setting and hitting their way to the 18U nationals.

Gracie Vohs was the 3A player of the year at Sisters High School and is committed to St. Mary's University.

"So excited!" Vohs said. "Our team has never really done anything like this before, and it's a super great opportunity, traveling this far to see some great competition. We're all just so pumped!”

The D1 commit and her club teammates have been playing together for several years. Now they've achieved a long sought after goal - a trip to the Junior National Championships,

"All of our different experiences and the different programs come together, it is super-unique and like makes it so much different than school ball, but so much more fun,” Vohs added.

Director Heidi Wood started the club six years ago. She knows this final ride for the seniors is one they'll never forget.

“We call them our home-grown. They've been with our club for a very long time, and they've been working towards this goal for a lot of years,” she said.

Senior Libero from 1A Trinity Lutheran, Madison Hernandez, is enjoying this final season with the team.

"We only have two more tournaments, nationals and then our regionals," she said. "I feel like it's a good end of the year, like kicking it off the bucket list -- especially since we're all seniors and none of us have gone to nationals before. "

She was the conference player of the year, and is headed to Corban University, “We're all family, we're all super -lose. We've kind of grown together now,” Hernandez, said.

Madison is one of the eight seniors committed to playing college volleyball next season. Throughout the years, this sensational roster competed against each other in the fall. In the spring, they came together, formed a strong bond, and will now compete against the best in the nation.

Wood couldn’t be happier to see what the club has become.

"Then they come together, they establish great friendships that are lifelong friendships, and they come together as one, and become one team with one goal," Wood said.

Vohs will cherish the memories she made and the growth she has seen with COVC.

"Any team that I've been a part of, it's been really important to make it feel like a family and just have everybody having fun and we all come from very different place," Vohs said. "But that is part of what makes us unique, so having fun with that, laughing and doing our thing.”

The National tournament is in Baltimore, Maryland, April 23rd to April 25th.