Next stop, provincials.
During last weekend’s zone competition in front of raucous home crowds at Edwin Parr Composite and Whispering Hills Primary School, the senior boys volleyball Predators went on a wild ride of ups and downs that culminated in a silver medal finish and a ticket to provincials in Whitecourt this weekend.
The Predators got off to a slow start in the tournament, losing their first three games on Friday night. Teams from Edson, Barrhead and Westlock defeated the local club as the boys struggled to find their footing.
“It was like we were jinxed,” explained head coach Chad LeMessurier. “They were pretty dejected and down after Friday.”
That’s because only the top four teams at the competition would make it to the playoff round, and losing their first three games seemed to put those hopes out of reach.
Heading into the second day of competition, the boys had to refocus and regroup if they were to have any chance of bouncing back.
“We had a team meeting to put it in perspective; we had to control what we could.”
For the Predators, that meant letting go of their disappointing start and focusing on the rest of their games, which would make or break their hopes of going to provincials.
The coach’s message was heard loud and clear as the local team roared out of the gate with a pair of two-set wins over Drayton Valley and Morinville.
In the final round-robin matchup, they faced a strong Whitecourt team and beat them in straight sets as well.
After the game, the two teams were tied for fourth place, and had to play a single set to 25 points to decide who would move on to the playoffs. During a long and bizarre match, play was delayed for close to an hour when the visiting coach had a medical emergency and was transported to hospital. He will make a full recovery, but the event still cast a pall over the game and added to the nerves felt by both teams.
Ultimately, the Predators came out on top to clinch a playoff spot.
“We played better and better on Saturday,” said the coach.
Finishing fourth in the round-robin set the EPC team up for a match against first place Westlock. But the Predators continued their roll as they beat the top team 25-19, 25-18 to advance.
“It was awesome. It was the most amazing environment,” said the coach of the packed gymnasium full of EPC fans. “They went undefeated in the round robin, and we beat them. That’s not very common.”
With the win, the boys clinched a spot at provincials as both the top two teams were set to advance.
They met Barrhead in the final, and though they played hard, they fell short of the gold medal win.
“After being in the cooker, we exhaled a bit. They worked hard, but I don’t think they had much left in the tank,” said the coach.
Even so, the boys achieved their original goal of clinching a spot at provincials. And they did so in front of a large crowd of supporters.
“It was awesome. We want to thank everyone, all the teachers and fans and parents who came out to cheer us on. The gym was full for every match; that was really nice to see.”
After overcoming the odds at zones, the boys have earned their position at this weekend’s championship.
“We’re in the top 12 teams in the province. We’re in the show; the boys are pretty excited,” said LeMessurier.
This weekend’s event in Whitecourt will be a great challenge for the Predators, but they proved their mettle when they overcame adversity in the zone competition.
That is sure to give them confidence as they face the province’s best teams.
“We’d like to go in and match our level of play that we demonstrated against Westlock. We’ve had some good finishes this year, and won some tournaments, but that was by far the best all around match we’ve played. We picked a really good time to bring it,” said the coach.
“Our goal is to match that at provincials, and if we do I’m pretty confident we should be in a playoff game. And if you make the playoffs, anything’s possible.”
