The Yorkton Regional High School (YRHS) Grade 9 girls' volleyball team hosted a 12 team tournament over the weekend. The event saw teams from around the province vying for the tournament title prior to district playoffs.
Oxbow claimed the top place with a final match triumph over the Sacred Heart High School (SHHS) who finished in second place overall while YRHS tied for third with Lumsden. YRHS coach Robin Somogyi feels her girls performed well, improving as the tournament progressed. The players were becoming stronger and playing better as a team. She attributes the team's success at the tournament to a relaxed attitude on the court. "They were actually having fun. They weren't worrying about the score for once," Somogyi states.
The Grade 9 Raider girls have one tournament remaining in Melville before district playoffs, Somogyi reports.
While she feels all players are improving and contributing to team success, Somogyi suggests she has some players who stand out. Setter Tamara Hershmiller and Sarah Kriger and Shelby Stratechuk are improving a lot. The team's strength seems to be their ability to work together, Somogyi proposes.
She'd like to see the girls call for the ball and improve their serving a little during the game before districts.
SHHS?Grade 9 Lady Saints coach Brian Chisholm admits the tournament champion Oxbow team was tough in the final match. "Every kid could hammer the ball. A couple of girls could hit the ball from all angles. Their serving was unbelievable and they really never made mistakes.
They were a tough team to play against," he declares.
He was impressed with his team's performance. He says the girls have come a long way since the beginning of the season. He's proud of their second place finish in the 12 team tournament.
The team's ultimate goal is to repeat as district champions, Chisholm asserts.
The team members are good at lifting each other up and staying positive and focussed, he claims.
He'd like to see a little improvement in serving and serve receiving. "That's where we struggled this weekend," Chisholm suggests.
A couple of power hitters stood out at the weekend event. Kristen Jonassen is strong in all aspects of the game and is definitely the team leader, Chisholm says. The other power hitter, Morgan Shymanski, was able to stay mentally focussed and serve at clutch times in the game. "Against Lumsden we were down 21-18 and she served out seven straight points to win the game for us 25-21," he points out.
Chisholm believes the Grade 9 Lady Saints have a very good chance to fulfill their goal of repeating as district champs.
