With only three provincial spots up for grabs over the weekend at the SHSAA 5A senior girls’ north region volleyball tournament, the battle among all eight teams was a tense one at the North Battleford Comprehensive High School gym.
While the host Vikings and the John Paul II Collegiate Crusaders were both on the outside looking in when all was said and done, both teams could hold their heads high with how well they played.
The Vikings made their way into the quarter-finals against the Prince Albert St. Mary Marauders, where they lost in a thrilling three-set affair.
After winning the first set by a score of 31-29, the Vikings dropped the second set 25-21 and found themselves trailing 13-6 in the third and final frame.
With their season on the line, the Vikings roared back to tie the set up and traded match points with the Marauders before the visitors came away with a 21-19 triumph.
“A first set with that many points is something you don’t see very often and that kind of set the stage for the rest of the match,” Vikings head coach Jana Friedenstab said. “It was one of those matches where both teams were fighting until the end.”
“We played a better second half and the girls just never gave up. They left it all out there on the floor and we’re really proud of them.”
The Vikings finished in third place in Pool A play with a 1-2 record and advanced to the playoffs with a win over the Martensville Royals Saturday morning.
The Crusaders, meanwhile, missed out on the playoffs with a 0-3 mark.
They had a chance to advance to the playoffs with a win in their final round-robin game, but they were knocked out of contention with a loss to the Marauders.
“We’re really proud of how the girls played this weekend,” Crusaders head coach Shari Dueck said. “They really came together as a team and worked their butts off against some really tough teams.
“They played really well on defence and their serving and receiving was very good. They were getting balls off of the ground and they were communicating really well with each other in all three games.”
Although both teams missed out on a spot in the final four, the experience of competing at the regionals is something that both coaches plan to use as a building block towards the future.
“We didn’t have a lot of Grade 12s on our team next year so we will have a lot of our girls coming back, along with a number of junior players that will be moving up,” Friedenstab said. “For the girls that will be returning, I think the ability to play under pressure in an environment such as this will give them extra confidence as we move forward.”
“There’s so much that our team can build on, especially with seven Grade 10 players that come back next season,” Dueck added. “Competing against the top teams in Saskatchewan was a great experience for them and I think you’ll see a lot of improvement from the girls as a result.”
The Warman Wolverines defeated the Prince Albert Carlton Crusaders in a three-set final to win the tournament.
The Marauders won the bronze medal game in straight sets over the Meadow Lake Carpenter Spartans.
All three podium finishers will now advance to this weekend’s 5A provincial championships, which will take place in Regina.
Meanwhile, the Vikings senior boys’ team just missed out on a provincial berth at the 5A north region tournament in Prince Albert Saturday.
The Vikings fell in three sets (21-25, 25-19 and 15-11) to the Meadow Lake Carpenter Spartans for a spot in the provincials in Regina this weekend.
They had defeated Yorkton Sacred Heart in the quarter-finals, but lost in the semis to the host Prince Albert Carlton Crusaders.
The Crusaders would end up losing in the finals to the Prince Albert St. Mary Marauders.
The John Paul II Crusaders also took part in the tournament but missed out on the playoffs following losses to the Spartans, the Crusaders and to Yorkton Sacred Heart.
