Photo Credit/Cover Design: Lorne White

Looking at Madelyn Hettinga’s tear-streaked face, one may have assumed her Kelowna Owls had been on the wrong end of the final score in the B.C. School Sports senior girls 4A volleyball championship final on Saturday.

That would be wrong.

Photo Gallery (75 photos) on KelownaNowSports Facebook page

Hettinga and the Owls had rallied back from a 10-point deficit in the first set to not only win the opening game over the Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers of Surrey, but also set the tone to a 3-0 victory at the Langley Events Centre.

Photo Credit: ContributedThe Kelowna Owls claimed their second straight B.C. School Sports senior 4A girls volleyball championship on Saturday with a win over the Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers of Surrey at the Langley Events Centre. Members of the team are Emily Daum, Hannah Greene, Sela Ringer, Lexi Prefontaine, Danjela Graves, Sophie Lachapelle, Sibby Bos, Madelyn Hettinga, Amelia Anderson, Madison Shanks and Anya Pemberton. Coaches are Kelly Hettinga and Samantha Temme.The win was also a second consecutive provincial title for the Owls and  the Hettinga was a repeat recipient of the most valuable player honour.

While the tears were partly out of joy for the accomplishment, that was only part of the story.

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowMadelyn Hettinga of the Owls was selected the provincial tournament's most valuable player.“I just think that my whole team deserves the award,” said the Grade 12 middle player who will take her court skills to the UBC Okanagan Heat volleyball team next fall. “I don’t think I should be the one getting it. We have worked so hard as a team, I don’t think it is right for just me to get it,” she said.

Meanwhile, Kelly Hettinga, her proud Dad and head coach, echoed his daughter’s sentiments, but did recognize her considerable talents.

“Very few kids these days are actually complete players who you can put at middle, at left-side and can pass and hit. It is very beneficial for a coach to have that versatility out of a player. We can always get the match up we want.”

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowThe Kelowna Owls and their fans celebrate their provincial title win over Lord Tweedsmuir.Early on in Saturday’s championship final, it appeared No. 1-ranked Lord Tweedsmuir was on its way to an upset blowout win over the No. 2-seed Owls, much like they did earlier this season at the Red Serge Classic tournament earlier this season.

In that match (the only time the two teams had met this season), Lord Tweedsmuir overwhelmed Kelowna and Saturday’s gold-medal game had the same feel.

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowMadison Shanks hits for an early point in semifinal play over the Handsworth Royals.The Panthers were up 14-4 in the first set before the Owls took flight, scoring 21 of the next 28 points to take the match. They followed that up with 25-22 and 25-18 wins to secure the title.

“The first set was resilience,” Kelly Hettinga said. “In the hole we were in, was probably the best thing that could have happened to us. It just kickstarted us and things started to click.”

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowLexi Prefontaine, middle, and Anya Pemberton, right, block against Handsworth. Sophie Lachapelle is on the left.Madelyn Hettinga said the Owls, who won seven straight matches during the three-day event and were unbeaten in 18 consecutive sets,  simply needed to get to work to dig come back for the provincial win.

“The main thing was always having the fight. No matter how good you are, none of that matters. If you want to win, you have to be the hardest-working team and work harder than everybody else,” she said.

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowThe Owls’ Sophie Lachapelle joined Hettinga as an individual award winner, being named to the 16-team tournament’s first all-star team while Amelia Anderson was selected to the second all-star team.

In the bronze medal game, Vancouver’s Lord Byng Grey Ghosts defeated the Handsworth Royals of North Vancouver.

Watch for more B.C. School Sports provincial volleyball championship reports and photo galleries on Monday at KelownaNow.com

Photo Gallery (75 photos) on KelownaNowSports Facebook page

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowHannah Greene of the Owls finds a hole in the Handsworth defence.

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowAnya Pemberton

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNow

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowPhoto Gallery (75 photos) on KelownaNowSports Facebook page