Off to their best start in years, the Estevan Comprehensive School boys' volleyball team looked like it might make some noise at 5A provincials in North Battleford.
But after posting a 3-1 record in round-robin play, the Elecs ran into a hotter team in the Meadow Lake Spartans in the quarter-finals, losing in straight sets.
Head coach Nathan Johnson said it was the team's best round-robin performance at provincials since 2005, when they won silver, and he felt his team could knock off Meadow Lake.
The Elecs were seeded sixth in the tournament.
"I think when we saw on paper that we were going to match up against Meadow Lake, they're a very strong team and they were ranked No. 4 going into it, but personally I had a feeling that we were going to be able to win that game," said Johnson.
"The first game, it definitely was nerves. They looked like they were a little more experienced in the tough matches. They served the ball really well and we couldn't get the ball to our setters. The second game was back and forth. We had a real tough time stopping their two power hitters. In the end, when push came to shove, we couldn't get the ball to their floor. Their defence was great despite them being an undersized team. Hats off to them, they played a great game," Johnson added.
The Regina Campbell Tartans were eventually crowned provincial champions after beating the top ranked Moose Jaw Central Cyclones in the final. Prince Albert St. Mary's defeated Meadow Lake in the bronze medal game.
To begin the round-robin, the Elecs upset St. Mary's the second-ranked team in the tournament, two sets to one.
They then beat the Bishop James Mahoney Saints of Saskatoon in straight sets, followed by a two-set loss to Regina Campbell.
"We had a little bit of a hiccup there, we didn't play super strong against Campbell, but it turned out they were a pretty strong team, winning the whole thing," said Johnson.
The Elecs finished the round-robin with a two-set victory over the Yorkton Regional Raiders on Saturday.
Johnson said that Kale Little and William Tabbernor were the team's top attackers, while Keiron Gallipeau also played well.
"We're very happy with the way we played and very proud of the boys," said Johnson.
"Going in, I think we thought we had an outside shot at a medal, and the way we played in the round-robin it certainly looked that way. We just ran into a hot Meadow Lake team in the quarter-finals."
