The Oxbow Prairie Horizons Black Knights senior girl's volleyball team got off to a successful start to their season last weekend raking up a 5-2 record and ninth-place finish at the University of Regina Cougars' Hank Lorenzen Fall Classic Volleyball Tournament.
Riley Singleton, coach of the Black Knights, said the showing is an improvement of five positions from their play at the tournament last year. He said 32 teams ranging from 1A (one to 20 eligible students in grades 10-12) to 5A (151 or more eligible students in grades 10-12) participate in the Hank Lorenzen Fall Classic making it one of the largest and most competitive tournaments of the year and a perfect way for them to start their season and prepare for more game action this weekend at an Invermay School competition.
“It's all small-town teams,” said Singleton about what they'll encounter this weekend. “It should be a strong tournament. We should place quite well in it.”
The Black Knights volleyball program, in both the senior boy's and girl's categories, has long been one of the best in Saskatchewan. The boy's team won their second consecutive Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association (SHSAA) 3A title last fall, which involves teams that have 31 to 50 eligible students in grades 10-12. For the past two years, the Black Knights senior girl's team has finished fourth following three straight provincial victories.
Singleton said when he began teaching at Oxbow Prairie Horizons School seven years ago there already was a tradition of excellence in their volleyball program. He said it is his job to help that tradition continue as a coach, but it's fairly easy when the team is able to field a group of girls that work so hard to make their time on the court a success.
“It's a big commitment,” he said. “The kids commit to practising two, three times a week. They never miss practice. They travel every weekend in September, October and November except for Thanksgiving weekend. They travel together in a van each weekend, stay in hotels together, sleep in schools or cabins wherever they are. They just do everything as a team.”
Nine athletes from last year's squad have returned to the Black Knights 12-women roster this season, which will feature one Grade 9, five Grade 10, three Grade 11 and three Grade 12 players. Each of these girls is familiar with one another having also played club volleyball with the Oxbow Black Knights from January to April.
Singleton said the team will be using every week and every practise over the next two months to become a squad capable of making some noise at the SHSAA championships Nov. 18-19 at Kipling School. He said they'll be doing a bit of tinkering with their on-court presence in the early goings with a desire to have a set lineup by their home tournament.
“We're going to be moving players around from position to position,” said Singleton. “They're an experienced group, so we're able to do that this year. We're expecting to be quite strong throughout the season. Our goal is to be medalling again. Ideally to win provincials is our ultimate goal, but for sure (we want) to get back into the medals.”
