08/31/2026
This Sourdough lady is turning off the oven this week!! I’ll be back next week in full swing!!! Send all the love and prayers for these girls as we travel to Hawaii!! Let’s GO Owls!
🦉 🏐 👸🏽 💪🏽
The Joshua High School Lady Owls Volleyball team is embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure this week! The destination is paradise, and the story of how they got there is all about determination and community.
The journey officially began in the spring of 2025 when an email from KSA Events landed in head coach Jordan Whitworth's inbox about a tournament in Oahu, Hawaii. Recognizing the rare potential of such an opportunity, it immediately caught her attention, and she began researching the logistics, the financial commitment and whether it could realistically happen.
After determining that the team could participate in a tournament located so far away, they quickly got to work making it happen.
Starting in May 2025, the team launched an ambitious fundraising effort, with direct ownership from the student-athletes and the goal of not using funds currently in the booster club account.
The endeavor was also designed to build a connection with the community. Each student-athlete personally visited local businesses to secure raffle basket donations and sell raffle tickets.
"I wanted our athletes involved in the process," Coach Whitworth shared. "I wanted them out in our community, talking to business owners and community members, explaining what they were working toward."
The local effort paid off massively. The raffle raised around $25,000, and alongside sponsorships, a calendar fundraiser, and a Varsity Showcase, the team surpassed its financial goals. Over 2025 and 2026, they raised enough money to cover all expenses.
"That is something our girls should be extremely proud of. They worked for this opportunity, and our community stepped up in an incredible way to support them," Coach Whitworth said. "We are so thankful to every person and business that bought a raffle ticket, donated, participated in a fundraiser, or supported these girls in any way."
Now, a contingent of student-athletes, coaches, and parents is set to take off for Hawaii. The travel roster is uniquely family-centric, with almost every player accompanied by at least one parent, creating a shared celebration for families who have invested so much into the squad and Joshua Volleyball. Ohana, the Hawaiian word for family, is embodied in this experience.
The tournament schedule features six matches against a diverse slate of opponents, including four local Hawaiian squads, one team from Oregon, and another from Colorado. The lineup offers the Lady Owls a chance to test their skills against vastly different teams that they would never encounter during a normal season.
Yet, despite the travel, academics remain a priority. The team will miss three days of school. Still, the coaching staff coordinated with teachers to gather coursework and materials ahead of time, opting for hard copies so students can study during flights and during designated study time. Coach Whitworth stressed to her team that this incredible opportunity comes with responsibility, especially keeping up with their schoolwork.
Between matches and study sessions, the trip also includes educational events. The itinerary features visits to Pearl Harbor, a trip to Kualoa Ranch, where Jurassic Park and many other movies were filmed, and participating in a traditional Hawaiian luau.
"I want them to come home having learned something, experienced something new, and gained an appreciation for a place and culture that is very different from home," Coach Whitworth said.
The volleyball team boasts 11 seniors, the largest graduating class in Coach Whitworth's tenure, and this trip serves as a capstone to all the early mornings, late nights, practices, tournaments, sacrifices and celebrations.
The volleyball program sees this trip as a chance to teach important life lessons and build lasting friendships that go beyond just the game. This adventure represents more than a year of planning and fundraising, and will be a completely new experience for all involved. This will be a story reminisced about for many years to come.
Coach Whitworth knows that volleyball seasons inevitably end and student-athletes graduate, but the memories made will last long after the final whistle blows.
Good luck in Hawaii, Lady Owls!
