The senior girls’ Broncs volleyball team played a superior match against the Innisfail Cyclones last week, winning three sets to one.
The Broncs played the Cyclones Tuesday, Sept. 30 with the only challenge coming in the third set where they lost 22-25. In the rest of the game, the Broncs were resounding winners against the Cyclones with scores of 25-14, 25-9 and 25-17 in the fourth set.
Coach Joely Churchill said the team’s goal against Innisfail was to start and finish on a high note.
“The first two sets were very strong in correlation to the scores. The third set, we failed to maintain our intensity and talk, which ultimately led to us losing that set. We were able to bring back our focus and take the fourth set,” she explained.
It was the third set that tested the girls’ focus as they stopped communicating with each other after dealing with three aces in a row. Churchill told players to want the ball and be vocal with their passer.
In the end however, a few key plays brought the victory to Ponoka girls.
“We were very successful in hitting our serving targets as well as focusing on getting as many hands on that ball as possible, which was evident with Tess Pearman, securing five blocks this match,” said Churchill.
Players were determined to outperform the Cyclones and they did just that. she added. “Our outside hitters worked the ball well against Innisfail’s defense trying a variety of shots and never hitting the same spot twice. Delaney Brachmann had the most kills with 10. She played a very smart attacking game.”
Junior varsity team gaining experience
Despite their 3-1 loss against the junior Innisfail Cyclones, the junior varsity Broncs girls delivered an almost flawless third set, which earned them a win of 25-20.
“They pulled it together and it was awesome. A couple good runs, we had some momentum and they (Innisfail) couldn’t get it back,” said coach Ron Labrie.
He rotated two rosters of players during the match and each roster had certain challenges. The strength of one group was the weakness of the other, explained Labrie. After losing the second set, Labrie spoke with the team and directed them to work on passing, communication and rotation.
“We had two rosters of girls who, in their own right, were doing exactly what we wanted them to do for the entire match,” said Labrie.
He says the sport has an ebb and flow and sometimes the momentum can help the team, but other times it can be a hindrance. “I’ve seen a shift in points and leads as much as 20 points.”
Labrie’s focus with this team is to help build their confidence and develop their fundamental skills in the sport.
“They need more touches, they need more contact with the ball,” he explained.