VOLLEYBALL FESTIVAL CHAMPIONS:

RENO, Nev. — Eight locals helped the Orange County Volleyball Club 16-year-old girls’ team capture the Volleyball Festival championship on Tuesday at the University of Nevada-Reno.

Newport Harbor High’s Kirby Burnham, Melissa Fitzsimmons, Katey Thompson and Jackie Graham, as well as Corona del Mar High’s Sydney Brombal, Sara Folks, Madie Smith and Alexa Ossipoff helped the top-seeded OCVC team go undefeated in the 10 matches it played in the division that had 181 teams.

The Orange County Volleyball Club girls reached the final by beating a team from Portland in two games.

In the title match, they took down Sports Shack, a Los Angeles-based team, in two straight games, 25-21 and 25-20.

“They had been in the finals two years ago and were really on a mission to win it this year,” said Charlie Brande, the OCVBC director. “They have all been in the program for four or five years [and] had a feeling they could win it this year.”

The team also included Maddie Baird and Alma Serna and was coached by Jim Downey (head) and Kevin Birch (assistant).

Volleybal Festival, in its 25th year, is the largest amateur female athletic event in the world. It played host to 680 teams and 9,240 participants that competed over a span of five days in Reno, Nev.

— From staff reports