It took a little bit, but the Battleford Volleyball Club Heat U13 girls team found their stride at the right time over the weekend in Saskatoon.
The Heat rattled off a perfect 4-0 record in round-robin play Saturday and then won three playoff games a day later to win the Tier One gold medal in their division at the Saskatchewan Provincial Championships.
“We weren’t quite at our full potential in those first few games, but the girls were playing awesome as soon as the playoffs got underway,” said Regan Lavallee, who coaches the team along with her husband Cliff.
“I think in whatever sport you play, the higher intensity of the game when something is on the line brings up the competition level even more. When we got into the quarter-final, it was a situation where we needed to win to have a shot at the medals and the girls brought everything they had to the table.”
Following wins over the Saskatoon JCVC Fusion and the Saskatoon JCVC Attack, the Heat captured the provincials with a straight set win (25-20 and 25-18) over the Saskatoon Huskies Volleyball Club team.
“Our hitting was really good in that game as was our serving,” Lavallee said.
“Our defence came up huge as well in all three playoff games. The girls were able to get to where they needed to be out on the court and helped everyone out if they were in trouble.”
The provincial title capped off a very successful season for the Heat, as they made it on to the podium in all six events they took part in.
“We got a silver medal in our first tournament in Saskatoon and then we got a bronze medal at the first Sask Cup in Warman against 20 teams from around the province,” Lavallee said.
“After that, we won our home tournament in North Battleford, another 20-team Sask Cup event in Regina and a tournament in Prince Albert before we went to the provincials.”
With the entire team moving up to the U14 level next season, Lavallee hopes that the players can build on the lessons that they learned throughout this year as they continue their volleyball careers.
“Having the support of your teammates is always important,” Lavallee said. “It’s important to keep that team spirit up both on and off the court, as it’s huge to have that ability to gel as a group.”
