This weekend is perhaps the busiest in the province for high school volleyball and the Northwest will be thoroughly represented at all levels, as the hunt for provincial and regional championships continue.
1A Boys - Medstead will host the north regional playoffs Saturday and joining the host team Saturday will be Goodsoil, Borden, Perdue, Pelican Lake and Glaslyn.
Last year, Glaslyn won bronze at provincials while Perdue and Borden made the provincial tournament, but lost in the first playoff round.
Glasyln and Goodsoil advanced to regionals after conference playoffs in Glaslyn Nov. 9. Glaslyn took first place by winning in straight sets over Goodsoil. Pelican Lake and Medstead advanced from the five-team conference playoffs in Leoville Nov. 9, as both teams held 3-1 records after a round robin playoff. Borden and Perdue played in Perdue Saturday and edged out Landis and Hafford to advance to the regional playoffs.
The provincial tournament will be held in Broadview Nov. 25 and 26.
1A Girls - Medstead will compete in the 10-team provincial tournament this weekend in Yellow Grass and Midale against some strong competition which includes, the top four finishers from last year: Loreburn, Holdfast, Saskatoon Christian Centre Academy and Fox Valley.
The last time Medstead played in the 1A girls' provincial championship was in 2006, when they went 1-4 in their pool.
The 1A girls' regional playoffs were held in Saskatoon Saturday. There Medstead earned a silver medal after losing 25-8, 25-21 to Saskatoon C.C.A. To go along with their regional silver medals, Medstead earned silver at the conference playoffs in Borden Nov. 5 after losing to Maymont in the championship game.
Maymont and Edam also competed at regionals last weekend in Saskatoon. Edam failed to advance from the round robin while Maymont was knocked out in the semifinal by Saskatoon C.C.A.
2A Boys - For the third straight weekend the Maymont Central School will host a senior volleyball tournament. The first was their home tournament to get the team some game experience before the provincial season started.
The second tournament, Maymont went 4-0 to win the conference playoffs, which included Edam, Senator Allan Bird School in Montreal Lake, Luseland and Ahtahkakoop.
The top three teams, Maymont, Edam and Montreal Lake advanced to regionals, which will once again be played in Maymont Saturday. The other three teams at regionals will be Paradise Hill, who won conference playoffs in Pierceland Nov. 8, Chief Napew and Pierceland.
The top finishers from the four regional playoffs this weekend will advance to provincials in Muenster Nov. 25 and 26.
2A Girls - The Northwest will not be represented at provincials this weekend in Hepburn at the 2A girls' level, as the remaining teams were eliminated in the smeifinals of regionals Saturday. St. Walburg lost to Pierceland in straight sets while Neilburg lost 18-25, 25-23, 25-19 to Loon Lake to end their season.
Last year, both Neilburg and St. Walburg were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs at the provincial championship in Bruno.
3A Boys - Cut Knife will host Makwa, Lashburn, Hillmond, Neilburg and Minahik Waskahigan for the regional playoffs Saturday.
Nielburg, Cut Knife and Lashburn all advanced from the conference playoffs in Neilburg Nov. 8 while Maidstone went 0-3 during the day and was eliminated.
In the other northern conference playoff in Hillmond, Turtleford was the lone team eliminated.
The provincial tournament will be next weekend in Carduff and of the six teams at the north regionals this year, Neilburg is the only team that was at provincials last year in Maidstone.
3A Girls - Paradise Hill will host nine other teams for the provincial championship this weekend.
Cut Knife earned a spot at provincials after wining gold at regionals on their home court. Cut Knife beat Paradise Hill in the final 19-25, 25-17, 25-17. Cut Knife also beat Paradise Hill in three sets in the conference championship in Cut Knife Nov. 2.
Along the gold and silver medalists from the north regional playoff, Waldheim, Wakaw, Macklin, Langenburg, Southey, Rocanville, Outlook and Carrot River will compete at provincials this weekend.
Cut Knife enters provincials as the defending gold medalists, while their top competition may be Wakaw - last year's 2A girls' gold medal winners.
4A Boys - Wilkie, Unity, Biggar, Meadow Lake Jonas Samson, Rossignol and Eagleview will travel to La Loche for the north regional tournament.
There were no conference playoffs for the northern teams this year as all seven advanced to regionals.
From there the top two teams will advance to provincials at McLurg High School in Wilkie next weekend.
4A Girls - After hosting regionals, Maidstone qualified for provincials with a silver medal at regionals. Maidstone lost to Martensville in straight sets in the gold medal game after beating Makwa in the semifinal.
Spiritwood also competed at regionals, but failed to make the semifinals and missed a chance to advance to provincials.
Maidstone last played in 4A provincials in 2007, when the team went 1-3 during the tournament in Melfort.
This year they will be up against Humboldt, Oxbow, Melville, Rosetown, Regina Luther, Caronport, Wynyard and Lanigan.
5A Boys - The North Battleford Comprehensive High School Vikings advance to provincials in Prince Albert after earning silver at regionals last weekend.
The Vikings will join Regina Campbell, Prince Albert St. Mary, Saskatoon St. Joseph, Yorkton Regional, Regina Balfour, Saskatoon Bishop James Mahoney, Estevan, Prince Albert Carlton and Weyburn this weekend.
5A Girls - Like the boys, the NBCHS girls will be advancing to provincials, but the girls are going into provincials as regional champions.
The Vikings struck gold over P.A. St. Mary Saturday and will look to keep up that momentum in Moose Jaw this weekend.
Joining the Vikings will be Saskatoon Marion Graham, Regina LeBoldus, Regina Campbell, Saskatoon St. Joseph, Moose Jaw Peacock, P. A. St. Mary, Weyburn, Moose Jaw Central and Meadow Lake.
