The Estevan Extreme 14-and-under girls team won the silver medal at the Conexus Saskatchewan provincial volleyball championships in Saskatoon and Warman on the weekend.
The Extreme went 4-3 at the tournament, but they played their best at the right time, as they won their first two playoff games to reach the gold medal match. They were knocked off 2-1 (19-25, 25-18, 15-13) by the Saskatoon-based HVC Green in the final, leaving the Extreme in the silver medal position.
“The team played really well at provincials,” said head coach Krstina Daoust. “They have grown a lot this year.”
Daoust said they focused a lot on communication, and how it improves their play.
“They have come a long way in their defence as well, so we’re able to cover the floor a little bit better,” said Daoust. “Our passing has improved tremendously since the beginning of the year.”
The Extreme finished second despite having just seven players at provincials, meaning they had only one substitute. They needed to draw on a player from the under-16 team to have that substitute.
“If you have an injury, then there’s always fear you’ll run out of bodies,” said Daoust.
But the tournament also has a fair play rule, so each player has to play in a match.
“Even those who were new to sport got lots of minutes, and played in some really tough situations,” said Daoust.
The Extreme beat the Cudworth Volleyball Club 2-0 (25-15, 25-15) and the Prince Albert Optimist Toppers Fuerza 2-0 (25-10, 25-22) to open the tournament, but then they lost 2-1 (23-25, 25-13, 20-18) to the Queen City Volleyball Club Sabatage, and 2-0 (25-18, 25-23) to the Moose Jaw Element Panthers.
In the quarter-finals, they defeated the Saskatoon JCVC Black 2-0 (25-17, 26-24), and then they edged the Queen City Volleyball Club Ghostbusters 2-1 (23-25, 25-14, 15-11) in the semifinal.
