South Tahoe High volleyball player competes in Europe

It's not every day a teenager from South Lake Tahoe goes to Croatia to play volleyball for the summer, but that is exactly what Kaitlynn Watson did. Watson, a senior at South Tahoe High, participated in the 11th Annual European Global Challenge Volleyball Tournament as the starting libero for the U.S. Westside, California U17 team .

The team, made up of players under the age of 17 from California, placed 7th in the challenge tournament which was played in Pula, Croatia. The California squad played several teams from Europe, including the Italian and Croatian national champions between July 8 and 18. The U.S. was also represented by teams from the Midwest, South and a second team from California.

The tournament also featured under 22-year-old teams, including the United States Junior National team and the Mountain West All Star team. UNR's Lyndsey Anderson played on the Mountain West team. The U.S. Junior Nationals won the U22 division, defeating the Italian Junior National team 3-2.

"It was an honor to be selected for the team, and then participate against some of the best teams in Europe," said Watson. "To be able to represent not only South Tahoe, but the United States, is mind-blowing."

Kaitlynn is the daughter of the South Lake Tahoe City Attorney Tom Watson and Jennifer Watson, Professor of Educational Leadership at Fresno State.