The Yorkton Regional High School (YRHS) Senior Raider boys hosted a 12 team volleyball tournament over the weekend.
After claiming the title at the the Sacred Heart tournament the previous weekend, the Raiders finished as runners up at home, falling to Prince Albert (P.A.) St. Mary's.
YRHS completed the round robin with a 4-1 record in Pool A to finish second in the round robin to advance to the playoff round.
The Raiders faced Swift Current in the quarter final round, winning two of three very close contests to advance to semi-finals.
Following their quarterfinal win, the Raiders seemed to find new energy as they downed Oxbow in two games to win the semi-final to advance to the championship final against P.A. St. Mary's
After a close opening game, Prince Albert proved to be the better team Saturday night as the team swept to the tournament title with a second consecutive win to sweep the final in two straight games.
Regional Raider head coach Dion Pfeifer says he was very pleased with the high quality of play in the tournament. Teams had to fight to get into the playoffs in each of the two pools, he points out.
While he doesn't want to take anything away from pre-tournament favorites, P.A. St. Mary's, he admits the Raiders simply ran out of gas in the tournament final.
Pfeifer believes this was the best tournament performance by the Raiders this season, defeating Swift Current, ranked first in the south in a close contest and downing Oxbow who finished first in their pool in two straight games.
He reports the Raiders were focusing well and hitting the ball. The hitters were being aggressive as well. The team was playing with emotion. "We were slapping hands. We were cheering for each other. It was a team effort," he adds.
The Raiders elevated their game at their home tournament. Pfeifer hopes they will be able to carry their energy into the regional tournament next weekend in Estevan. It's been awhile since the Regional made it to the tournament final. "It's been four or five years since we've been even in the semi-final. To make it to the final in our own tournament was great," Pfeifer enthuses.
While he believes the entire team played very well and contributed to the results, he mentions several players who attracted his attention on the court. "Everybody was a team instead of individuals out there," he states. The middles played well. Jason Blommaert and setter Tyler Boychuk both stood out. Daniel Mandziuk returned to the game after a five week layoff because of an injury.
The one day regional tournament in Estevan will see eight teams from the south competing for four berths at provincials.
Pfeifer hopes the Raiders finish first in their pool which would earn an automatic bid into the semi-finals and an automatic bid to provincials.
Swift Current is ranked Number 1 while the Raiders are ranked Number 2 going into the tournament. "As long as we play like we can, we're hopeful to advance," he comments.
In closing, Pfeifer expresses his appreciation to the officials, parents and fans who took in the event.
