By Dale Cory
The Broncs are on some kind of roll. Opposing teams should now be well aware of the fact they won’t want to face the Ponoka Composite High School girls’ volleyball team in the championship match of a tournament.
The Broncs captured their third-straight tournament title Nov. 6 when they won the Subway Classic at the PCHS gymnasium.
“The girls pretty much feel that they are unstoppable right now, which is a good thing, especially because it was that final tune-up before zones,” said head coach Joely Hanke prior to the team’s final regular season game Nov. 8 against Lyndsay Thurber. “Winning tournaments adds more cohesion to the team.”
After advancing through the six-team round-robin portion of the tournament, the Broncs knocked off Elk Point in two-straight games in the semifinal, then beat Paradise Valley 25-7, 25-17 in the championship match.
“Our serving was key. Usually, when serving at a higher level, you just want to execute. We were able to pick the seams, and we had girls serving 15-point runs. Definitely our serving kept us going this weekend,” said Hanke. “And, as usual, our passing was pretty solid. With that dual combination, you can’t lose.”
Ponoka Libero Emily Jensen was named tournament Most Valuable Player.
“She did an awesome job through the weekend,” says Hanke. “We were trying to focus on making sure those free balls were dead on, and she’s becoming more fierce in that back row by making sure she gets all those free balls, even if it’s two positions away. She wants to make sure she always gets that contact. She’s trying to become better and better, and definitely deserved that MVP award.”
The Broncs will now focus their attention on zone playdowns, and a spot in the provincial championships.