Photo Credit/Cover Design: Lorne White
The Kelowna Christian School Knights overcame a season fraught with injuries to dominate play at the B.C. School Sports senior A girls volleyball championship tournament on the weekend.
Winning seven straight matches, including 18 consecutive sets, the Knights brought home the gold medal for the first time since their third in a row in 2013. In all, KCS has won four BCSS blue pennants and three provincial silver medals in the school’s history.
Photo Gallery (116 photos) on KelownaNowSports Facebook page.
Photo Credit: ContributedThe Kelowna Christian School Knights were undefeated in seven matches, including 18 straight sets on the way to winning the 2019 B.C. School Sports senior A girls volleyball title in Castlegar on the weekend. Members of the team are Mallory Sader, Taysha Boulter, Aspen Appelt, Maggie Becker, Abby Heinen, Julianna Mazur, Katrina Filipenko, Arewyn Rae, Amy Bennett, Tessa Spoelstra and Grace Denny. Coaches are Jenn Hanenburg and Tracey Bennett.A convincing 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-19) win over Fernie in the gold-medal match capped the perfect weekend for the Knights who lived up to their No. 1 seeding going into the 16-team event hosted by Mt. Sentinel Secondary in Castlegar.
The Knights earned a berth in the title match with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-21) victory over Unity Christian of Chilliwack in semifinal play — following up on wins in the first round and quarter-finals of the championship draw. They opened the tournament with three straight wins in pool play.
Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowTaysha Boulter of the Knights was selected to the provincial tournament's first all-star team.Due to injuries, it wasn’t until the Okanagan Valley championship tournament that the Knights were able to put a full roster together. Despite the setbacks, the team remained the No. 1-ranked squad in the province for most of the season.
With a full roster, there was no stopping the KCS representatives.
“We were ranked No. 1, so we did feel the pressure,” conceded coach Jenn Hanenburg. “But the girls were confident of their abilities and never wavered.”
Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowAmy Bennett earned a first-team all-star team nod.Hanenburg was especially pleased that several of the graduating players who had been playing together since Grade 6 were able to accomplish the longtime goal of winning gold at Provincials.
Two of them — Taysha Boulter (middle), and Tessa Spoelstra (power) — were named to the tournament’s first all-star team while Grade 11 setter, Amy Bennett, was also selected to the dream team. Grade 12 power, Abby Heinen was an honorable-mention all-star.
Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowThe Knights' Abby Heinen was a provincial tournament all-star honourable mention.
Owls 3A silver medalists again
The Kelowna Owls followed an all-too-familiar script at the B.C. School Sports senior 3A boys volleyball championship.
For the fifth time in the past eight years, the Kelowna Secondary School representatives came away from the 20-team provincial tournament with a silver medal. And for the fifth time this season they fell to the eventual BCSS champions in their head-to-head matchup.
Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowTyson Embree led the Owls with a first-team all-star selection.A 3-1 (25-19, 14-25, 11-25, 14-25) defeat at the hands of the pre-tournament-favourite Earl Marriott Mariners in the title match on Saturday at the Langley Events Centre abruptly ended the Owls’ bid for their first B.C. senior boys volleyball pennant in 66 years.
Prior to the four-day event, KSS coach Mike Sodaro talked about confidence being a key for his Okanagan Valley champions’ success. With the opening-set victory, it looked as though the formula was intact.
But the poise of the defending champions from Surrey came through. A key was taking away Kelowna’s line attack, while improving their own block and passing to turn the tide. The Mariners were ruthlessly efficient over the match’s final three sets.
Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowBraden White closed out his high school career with a first all-star selection.“They were just nervous in the first set and we said let’s go back to how we practice in the gym,” said Marriott coach Dale Quiring. “Just like in our own gym . . . forget the crowd and just come back.
“They are so patient, so disciplined. When things don’t go our way, they just keep it together and focus on the next task at hand.”
For the Owls, it was a roller-coaster ride on the weekend as they dropped two of three matches on the first day in power-pool play. One of the losses — a 2-0 (18-25, 14-25) — came at the hands of Earl Marriott and the other (2-1) to No. 3-seed Claremont Spartans of Victoria.
Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowThe Owls' Jayden Lalonde smashes for a point in semifinal play against Claremont.While KSS handled the Penticton Lakers and the Eric Hamber Griffins of Vancouver relatively easily in their first two championship-round matches, they struggled again early against Claremont in semifinal play and had to come from behind to defeat the Spartans 3-1 (16-25, 25-20, 26-24, 25-17) for the right to meet their season-long nemesis in the title match.
Individually, the Owls were led by first-team all-stars Tyson Embree and Braden White, two of nine Grade 12 KSS students playing in their final weekend of high school volleyball.
Meanwhile, a young Okanagan Mission Huskies team served notice it will be a force to be reckoned with next year, reaching the bronze-medal match against Claremont in Langley
Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowAaron Saufferer of the OKM Huskies sets the ball over an Earl Marriott block in semifinal play.They dropped a 3-0 (22-25, 19-25, 10-26 decision to settle for fourth place.
Seeded seventh going into the provincial tournament after starting the season unranked in the Top 20, the Huskies got off to a quick start by winning all three best-of-three power-pool matches to move up to the No. 4 seed going into the championship bracket.
They opened the round of 16 by defeating Steveston-London 3-0 and upsetting previously No. 4-ranked Oak Bay Bays of Victoria 3-1 (17-25, 25-21, 25-23, 25-20) in quarter-final play.
Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowFrom left: Kael Murphy (all-star), Aaron Saufferer, Jovan Hayher and Nathan Loo will all be back for the Huskies next season.OKM’s momentum carried over in the opening set against the eventual gold-medalists from Earl Marriott as they took a significant early lead, only to lose 23-25. Still, the Huskies mushed on and gave the Mariners all they could handle, succumbing finally 22-25, 25-27 in the final two sets.
With six Grade 10s, five Grade 11s (including tournament second-team all-star Kael Murphy) and only one Grade 12 on the current roster, the Huskies’ future looks bright.
Bronze medal for Elliot girls
The George Elliot Coyotes won six of seven matches on the way to claiming the bronze medal at the B.C. School Sports senior 2A girls volleyball championship tournament in Vernon on the weekend.
Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowTessa Ivan was named a second-team all-star for the bronze-medal George Elliot Coyotes.Only a 3-1 (18-25, 18-25, 25-22, 18-25) semifinal loss to the eventual gold medalists at York House Secondary School in Vancouver stood in the way of the Lake Country representatives earning their first provincial title in 43 years.
Following the loss to York House, the Coyotes downed No. 5-seed MEI of Abbotsford for the bronze medal.
Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowChloe Ladd of Elliot was among the second-team all-stars.Elliot, Okanagan Valley champions for the first time in more than 20 years, opened the 20-team event by winning three straight pool matches and followed up by victories over both John Barsby of Nanaimo and Summerland Rockets in three straight sets for the right to play York House in the semifinal.
Tessa Ivans and Chloe Ladd of the Coyotes were named tournament second-team all-stars.
Coyote boys settle for fourth
Looking to at least repeat as a medalist at the BCSS provincial senior 2A boys volleyball tournament in Langley, the George Elliot Coyotes fell just short and settled for fourth place.
Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowBergren Van Lent leaps high to hit for a point against Langley Christian.Silver-medalist for a fourth time in double-A history last year, the Lake Country representatives took favoured Abbotsford Christian Lightning to five sets in the bronze-medal match on Saturday, finally dropping a 3-2 (25-19, 20-25, 23-25, 25-15, 15-6) decision to the team they lost to in the championship match in 2018.
Abbotsford went on to lose 3-0 to the MEI Eagles in an all-Abbotsford final.
Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowRoan McCarthy earned first-team all-star status for a second straight year.Elliot, the Okanagan Valley champions and ranked No. 4 going into the 16-team provincial tournament, were relegated to the bronze-medal match after falling 3-0 to No. 1-seed Langley Christian in semifinal play on Friday.
Earlier, the Coyotes had defeated No. 5-ranked College Heights of Prince George 3-1 in quarter-final play following a 3-0 win over No. 14 Alpha Secondary of Burnaby in the first match of the championship bracket.
Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowSecond-team all-star Austin Duff finds space against the Langley Christian defence.In power-pool play on opening day, the Coyotes defeated both Langley Christian and Abbotsford Christian 2-1 while dropping a 2-0 decision to the eventual gold medalists at MEI.
Elliot’s Roan McCarthy was selected to the provincial tournament’s first all-star team for a second straight year while teammate Austin Duff garnered second-team status.
OKM girls place sixth in triple A
The Okanagan Mission Huskies won four of six matches to finish in sixth place among 16 teams at the BCSS senior 3A girls volleyball championship tournament in Langley.
Photo Gallery (116 photos) on KelownaNowSports Facebook page.
