The EYF 2013 championship volleyball team members are (front row, l-r) Madison Jones, Hannah Jones, Dahyona Wyatt, Taylor D’Lugo, Jada Bennett; (back row, l-r) Haley Neubert, Erin Bennett, EYF Sports Director Dwayne Sanders, Abby Love, Renee’ Robinson, Alexis Jones. Not Pictured: Madison Sanders.

KNOXVILLE — Emerald Youth Foundation’s volleyball team, "The Force," won the EYF recreation league 2013 championship recently, besting 11 other teams in the fall season which ended December 6. This was the league’s seventh season.

About 132 middle and high school girls play in the league, directed by EYF Sports Director Dwayne Sanders and Sports Coordinator Derrick Long. Team members attend Fulton, Austin-East, Central, Gibbs, Powell, Halls and West high schools and their feeder middle schools.

Volleyball is a rapidly growing sport among girls in urban Knoxville, said Sanders. “It's exciting that girls are learning volleyball younger and are going to high school now already knowing how to play. Last year we had 85 girls in the league playing volleyball. We had 132 playing this year, with a waiting list.”

The championship team members are (front row, l-r) Madison Jones, Hannah Jones, Dahyona Wyatt, Taylor D’Lugo, Jada Bennett; (back row, l-r) Haley Neubert, Erin Bennett, EYF Sports Director Dwayne Sanders, Abby Love, Renee’ Robinson, Alexis Jones. Not Pictured: Madison Sanders.

Emerald Youth is an urban ministry in North Knoxville that serves about 1,350 youth yearly with faith, education, health and sports programs. For more information, please visit www.emeraldyouth.org.