They ran into a virtually unstoppable team in the end, but the Estevan Comprehensive Schools senior girls volleyball team had a good run at their home tournament on the weekend.
After going undefeated in the round-robin, the Elecs defeated Yorkton Sacred Heart in three sets in the semis before losing to the Oxbow Black Knights in the final on Saturday.
Scores from the playoff games were not available at press time.
"Oxbow's a very strong team and they have been forever. The girls played well. Oxbow is a tough serving team," said Elecs co-coach Marika Ehrhardt, who noted it was the team's second match against Oxbow this season.
"We knew they were a strong team going into it. We just tried to prepare the girls mentally to get past that."
The Elecs won all eight of their sets in four round-robin matches, defeating Radville 25-20, 25-21; Yorkton Regional 25-16, 25-20; Midale 25-13, 25-17; and Weyburn 25-15, 25-20.
The tournament featured 10 teams this year, up from eight in the past, despite a few teams backing out late.
"We didn't have the strong competition we would have liked," said Ehrhardt. "The girls played well together. This was our fourth tournament, so after playing in a few together, they're finally forming as a group and forming as a team. So that's nice to see.
"We lost a lot of girls last year, so that was a detriment to the team. We've had to pick up some girls, so they're finding their roles on the team and working together. Our returning players have been a huge help toward helping them step into leadership roles."
The team's returning players include Kristen Skjonsby, Janay Marr, Brooklyn Boan, Taylor Boan, Macy Earl and Tess Lindquist.
Cassie Blanchette, Cheyenne Odgers, Chantel Zajac, Jenna Holmgren, Shelby Willetts and Abbie Reich make up the group of newcomers.
Ehrhardt is coaching the team with Sheena Summers and Rebecca Aspinall.
In previous tournaments this year, the Elecs finished third in Oxbow, losing to Wolseley in the semis, and placed 18th at the University of Regina 32-team tournament, which was their best finish at the event in recent years.
