BOYLE – A strong, committed core of girls, many of whom have been playing together since Gr. 6, put down a solid foundation on the volleyball court in Boyle that only improved throughout the season and led all the way to the gold medal game at the 1A North Central Zones Nov. 19 in Redwater.
Boyle School’s senior girls' volleyball team came home with a silver medal from that tournament, after falling just short, but for the girls and the coaching staff, it was a volleyball season they won’t soon forget, due partly to the medal from zones along with three others including a gold from a tournament in Thorhild earlier in the year.
The team showed their commitment early on, but overcame a few setbacks too, including seeing one of their starting middles break her ankle before the year-end tournament, said coach and Boyle School athletic director Elise Murphy.
“This meant she was injured for zones and those players who stepped up had big shoes to fill as she is a strong server, defensively solid, a big presence at the net and a smart attacker,” said Murphy.
Getting to the zone tournament wasn’t exactly a cakewalk either, as the Huskies had to compete in a best-of-five playoff game against St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School from Slave Lake the week before to earn their way there.
“We were able to win the playoff game in three straight sets to advance to zones. Boyle School ranked higher, so we were able to host over November break, and we were lucky to have so many community members come out to support us. The gym was full of positive energy and as a team, we really fed off it. All season you could feel the energy when our team was up,” said Murphy.
And on their way to Redwater the next weekend, the school came together to give the team some more of that positive energy and Husky pride with the first pep rally they’ve had in years at the school.
“The gym was lined with students ready to give high fives to all the players and our pep rally hosts made it extra special for each player, and they beamed with Husky pride,” she added.
A win against Thorhild School in two sets set the stage for things to come, but a three-set loss to Warburg put the Huskies in a must-win scenario against Living Waters Christian Academy.
“We wanted to finish as high in our pool as we could. We were able to win this game Saturday morning and set the tone for the rest of the day. Our defense was almost unstoppable!”
A second-place finish in their pool put them up against New Sarepta in the quarter-final, who earned their way to the playoffs after a three-way tie in their pool that required a sudden death game to 25.
“This quarter-final game was one of our best played games; we showed up in this game and our team was on fire. It was another third set game,” said Murphy.
Next, in the semi-finals, the Huskies took on the host team from Redwater School.
“In the end our defense was stronger and with our consistently accurate first passes, our setters had time to run their choice rather than be forced to execute the last option. We beat the home team out in their own gym.”
Then, as fate would have it, the only team to defeat the Huskies, from Warburg, would be their opponents in the final. Yet, they were excited for the match up.
The Huskies won the first set, swinging hard and thriving off the energy of their fans who made the trip down Highway 63. A couple of huge blocks put the momentum firmly on their side, but not for long.
“Unfortunately, the momentum shifted and while we never fell apart, the ball just didn’t fall in on their side. We lost the last two sets,” said Murphy.
“We learned a lot from this loss, as athletes and as human beings. We pushed hard throughout this tournament and many games went to three sets, which tells you how hard these girls fought to win their silver medal. Even to the last point where our last serve touched the net before Warburg struggled to pass it up. It was a mentally tough game to play in.
“We as coaches are so proud of how the team did this year. There were ups and downs, but they pushed through them every time,” said coach Shayla Derko. “Not only did they grow as athletes, but as people. Their constant hard work, dedication, and resiliency was definitely something that we are so proud of. It was a tough loss at zones, but we are all so thankful that we had such an amazing season together and shared so many laughs, smiles and amazing moments as a team.”
Murphy, who put on her coaching hat for the girls for the first time this year, says the future is bright for the Huskies.
“The culture within our school is so strong with volleyball and it’s amazing to feel the community get behind our teams, junior and senior. We have six returning players and next year’s Grade 12s are excited to put in the work,” said Murphy, adding there is a lot of talent coming up through the junior high teams.
“Our team became like family with all the time we spent together and the sacrifices we made. This was my first year coaching the senior girls team and I’m beyond grateful for the opportunity. We were all able to set goals and reflecting back on this season, we met many of them.”
