After they managed to make it to the provincials in several years, the senior boys and girls volleyball teams could not secure a spot in playoffs, the coaches of both teams felt the experience brought the teammates closer together.
The boys’ teams headed to Fort McMurray and the girls went to Cochrane for the tournament, which started on Nov. 13.
The girls’ Broncs were the closest in getting to a playoff spot. They were up 14-13 in the third set against Morinville; a win would guarantee them third spot in the playoffs. Coach Joely Churchill said a miscommunication on the team hurt their chances.
“That miscommunication ultimately led to them (Morinville) coming back and beating us 16-14 to take the playoff spot,” she explained.
They played a final game Saturday, Nov. 15 where the Broncs girls won in two sets, earning fourth place overall.
“It was a pleasure to watch these girls evolve as they had over the course of the season. From injuries to highs and lows, all the athletes on this team reached their goal, which was to make it to provincials. We couldn't be more proud of what they were able to achieve,” concluded Churchill.
Boys’ coach Ron Labrie said his team worked hard but did not execute as well as he hoped.
“We had some great success with attack serves, but serve reception was hit and miss and our offense struggled at times, explained Labrie.
“In addition, our pool was extremely strong and we met stiff competition in all of our five round robin matches,” he added.
Two teams in the boys’ pool ended up receiving silver and bronze medals for their efforts. The Broncs ended eighth overall after defeating Holy Trinity from Fort McMurray in two sets.
“I had two goals that I had wanted to achieve in this last match; maximize the provincial experience by playing every single player on the roster and honour my graduating seniors by ensuring they were on the floor when the last few points of the match were played out,” concluded Labrie.