The Halo Dome at SHHS was home to senior men's volleyball action as the Saints hosted the YRHS and local 3A and 4A clubs at its annual home volleyball tournament. The highlight of round robin play was undoubtedly the matchup between the Saints and the Raiders as both teams embraced an all too common Gladstone Battle Friday evening. The matchup saw the Saints take the first and only set the Raiders lost in round robin play before eventually losing the match in three sets.
The game was not without controversy as a questionable touch at the net resulted in Sacred missing a crucial point in a two point third set loss. Round robin play saw the YRHS go undefeated from that point on with all their wins coming in straight sets, seeing them face off against Esterhazy in the semi-finals of knockout play while the Saints lost to Kincaid in the round robin and faced them in a rematch in the 2/3 matchup of the semi-finals.
The YRHS cruised to a straight set victory against the overmatched Warriors, with the win the Raiders looked forward to a rematch with the Saints or Kincaid, teams they defeated in the round robin.
A Gladstone Battle final was not in the cards this year as Kincaid's small squad of seven players won a two sets to one match against the Saints, placing them in the bronze medal game, which they ended up winning. Kincaid's talented setter and two athletic hitters proved too much for the Saints as they tipped and smashed their way to victory with a combination of guile and power. However a third place victory and taking the top two teams into the tournament to a third set is a very impressive result for the Saints who very well could have reached the finals had a few bounces go their way very well could have played in the final.
The YRHS ended up suffering the same fate as the Saints in the final, being unable to deal with Kincaid's dumping and tipping offense in a straight sets loss. The first set saw the YRHS reach match point before losing by two after a Kincaid rally, serving as the turning point in the match.
The Raiders easily matched Kincaid skill and talent wise, but the sneaky tactics were just too much to handle on the day and saw them lose their undefeated weekend in what was a frustrating loss.
All in all the weekend served as a promising start to both Yorkton schools volleyball season as they saw the knockout stages in the beginnings of their tournament schedules.
