Year after year, Washington state gains national recognition as a producer of some of the country’s top high school football and basketball talent.

But, this week, a group of Bellevue, Kirkland, Issaquah and Sammamish area athletes will help the state gain more national exposure in another spot, volleyball.

“(Recognition) has picked up in the recent years,” Issaquah High volleyball coach Todd Parsons said. “Probably about 10 or 12 years ago, nobody would have ever thought about any talent coming out of Washington.”

Eleven girls from the area, including four from Bellevue, are headed to Miami, Fla. with their club teams for the 2009 Junior Olympic Volleyball Championships, which runs from June 26 to July 5.

“Every team worked their hardest to get to this point,” said Eastside Catholic’s Sarah Pacotine, a Bellevue resident whose Washington Volleyball Academy U-17 team earned an Open bid. “It’s like the big bang, you don’t always get to go. You earn the right to be there, and every other team just wants it as much as we do.”

Along with Pacotine, three other Bellevue athletes will play in the event. Eastside Catholic teammates Cami Silverman and Kameron Mclain will play for the U-16 Washington Volleyball Academy team in the National division, while Newport’s Amy Imus, who will be a senior next year, will travel with her team, the Sudden Impact Storm, who play in the 17 National division.

Other area athletes headed to the event include Eastside Catholic’s Ellie Radich (Kent Junior Volleyball Club U-18), who will play at the University of Pennsylvania next season and Crusaders teammate Brooke Bachesta, a Sammamish resident who will play with the Impact Volleyball Team in the 17 National division.

Juanita’s Brittany Webster will play alongside Pacotine on the WVBA u-17 team.

Issaquah High School is also sending five athletes.

In all, there are 14 teams competing from Washington state at the Junior Olympics, which have three levels (Open, National and American) with various age groups. The National and American classifications each contain 48 of the top teams from around the nation in 12-18 year-old divisions.

Silverman is one of two Eastside players who have gone before, making the trip the last three years.

“It’s fun to compete with the other teams,” she said. “You might not necessarily win all the time, which is a bummer, but the fact of being able to compete with these really high-end teams is excitement in itself.”

Bachesta is also looking forward to returning for another go at the tournament.

“It’s going to be a big competition,” she said. “It’s the last big tournament with your team, so obviously you all want to really do well, and go out with a bang.”