Submitted:
The St. Augustine Kings and Queens volleyball teams are just concluding what has been the most successful season in school history. This season a total of six teams took part in various leagues and tournaments from early September to late November. For the Kings, there were the Jr. A boys led by Chris Mclean and Christine Rowland, and the Jr. B boys led by Luc Gratton. The girls program saw three teams in Jr. High beginning with the Jr. B Queens Hurricanes led by Ken Hackett and Nicole Josephison, and the Jr. A Queens Thunder, led by Nicola Hoag and Nicole York, plus the Jr. A Queens Lightning who were led by Kelci Aberle and Tammy Emes. The Sr. High Queens team was coached by Darren Josephison.
The Jr. B Kings had a great year. In league action, they played 25 sets, winning 18 of them to finish in first place. They then went on to win the Wolf Creek League Championship held in Lacombe, Oct. 25. On Nov. 8 they traveled to Wetaskiwin and placed second in the Clear Vista School tournament.
The St. Augustine Kings Jr. High Boys Volleyball Team was successful in capturing two banners last week, the 2J Playdown and the Wolf Creek League Championship. In the League Championship, the boys wrapped up the round robin 3-0 in match play, defeating Rimbey 2-0, Blackfalds 2-1, and Bluffton 2-0 seeding them first for the playoffs. Excellent offensive hitting by Jared Parker and Josh Prediger were the highlights of the round robin games, along with stellar defensive coverage by Davis Labrie, Kelsey Gartner, and Jared Nicolls. Also, in his first games in five weeks, Mark Hemingson was consistent in serving, passing and hitting to help the team to victory. The Kings first playoff match saw them replay the Iron Ridge Storm. The boys won handily in two sets with the help of excellent leadership from co-captains Matthew Rowland and Ryan Raugust. Colten Prediger and Joel Rausch chipped in with excellent defensive digs and solid net play. The finals brought the Kings up against the Lacombe Christian Sabres, their 2J arch rivals. The first game saw the Sabres win easily 25-16 on strong serving and hitting. In the second game, the Kings regrouped and put on an amazing offensive and defensive display for the crowded house at the Lacombe Jr. High gym. The score tilted back and forth, tied over and over throughout the match until the end. Ian McGinnis, a defensive ‘rock’ all day on serve receive, pelted consecutive serves to finish the Sabres and give the Kings a 28-26 victory. In the third and final game, Cole Levesque played his best game of the season; serving out the last 4 serves for the 15-6 victory. Again, Matthew Rowland, Josh Prediger and Jared Parker dominated at the net to lead the team.
The Kings will now chase the CWAJHAA title Nov. 22 in Sylvan Lake
The Jr. B Queens Hurricanes also had a great year going undefeated in all 5 League matches. They followed that up with winning the Wolf Creek League Championship in Lacombe Oct. 24.
The Jr. A Queens Thunder competed in tournaments in Innisfail and Rimbey, plus the St. As Spooktacular, and the Wolf Creek Championships. Although they did not claim any titles, they learned a lot about the game of volleyball, improved their individual and team skills, and had a lot of fun.
The Jr. A Queens Lightning had the most successful season of all teams at St. As. In tournament play they begun their season winning the Consolation side of a Red Deer College tournament, then won again at the Camille L’Rouge tournament in Red Deer, and again in Rimbey, and finally claimed the Spooktacular championship for the third year in row. In Wolf Creek League play they were dominant in all 7 matches finishing with a 34-1 record. They then hosted the 2J playdowns on Nov. 12 and claimed their third straight title beating Lacombe Christian, just as in the previous 2 years. Moving on to the Wolf Creek League Championships Nov. 14/15, where they had lost in the finals the previous two years to that same Lacombe Christian team, the Queens finally emerged as champions, defeating Ponoka Composite in the finals 2-0. The Queens Lightning will wrap up their season at the CWAJHAA Championship in Sylvan Lake Nov. 22, where they are trying to repeat last years first place finish.
Finally the Sr. Queens took some big steps this year towards becoming a dominant team in central Alberta. In tournament play, the girls began the season taking part in the Ponoka Composite 2A/3A tournament which was hosted at St. Augustine School. After finishing second in their round robin pool they won their first playoff match vs Bonnyville advanced to face eventual tournament champions Camrose. They lost 2-0, but moved on to the Bronze medal match vs Ponoka Composite. It was likely the most exciting match of the tournament that pitted friends vs friends and parent vs parent in this first ever match between St. As and PCHS. The Broncs captured the first set 22-25, but the Queens came back with 25-16 win in the second. In the third and decided set, it was close to the end, as the Queens prevailed 16-14. In their second tournament of the year at Bentley, the Queens finish first overall in the robin, only to lose their playoff match to Rimbey, 18-20 in the third set. The Sr. Queens hosted their own Queen’s Classic on Oct. 18 playing against a number of 1A/2A Sr. and 3A JV teams, including Ponoka Composite’s JVs. The Queens went undefeated all day, including the finals which saw them face PCHS JVs. It was a close match, but the girls won again 25-20 and 26-24. In their next tournament Oct. 24/25 in Delburne, the Queens once again finished first in the round robin, but once again were bounced in their first playoff match against the hosts 20-25 and 26-28. Then it was off to Rimbey Nov. 7 and 8. The Queens lost their first match 25-17, 24-26, and 16-18 to host Rimbey, and then put on an amazing display with just 7 girls Saturday, refusing to lose another match. They eventually defeated Eckville in the final to claim their second tournament win of the season. On Nov. 14 and 15 they were back in Rimbey for the West Area Championships with the top two teams advancing to CASAA Zones. The Queens left nothing to doubt, as they finished in first place, to move onto Sedgewick. On Nov. 22 St. Augustine had first ever trip to high school volleyball Zones. The Senior High Queens placed third at the Zones and the Jr. Girls Lightening placed first and the Jr. Boys Kings took home second place at the CWAJHAA. Congratulations teams!