The Senior Gryphons Men’s Volleyball Team ended their season off with a little more to brag about.
After making it to the volleyball Provincials in Fort McMurray, the team took themselves all the way to the top, fighting for a win in the semi-final game against Strathcona Christian Academy.
Gryphons’ Coach Rod Callihoo said that the team was ready for Provincials, and after playing most of the teams over the season; it worked out in their favor.
“We kind of knew a lot about those guys… we were prepared for those. It worked out in our favour very well,” he said. “We finished first in our pool, and in the semi-final we played the team that we started with, Strathcona Christian Academy.”
Both teams played a tough three sets, with the Gryphons winning the first, and final set, taking them on to the final game.
“We had a really good match with them, really close,” Callihoo said.
The gold medal game was against Magrath High School.
“We knew that they would be a very competitive team,” Callihoo said.
The Gryphons had a slow start to the game, losing the first set 27-25.
The team picked up their socks and pushed forward in the second set, winning 25-22.
“A good job by the boys to bounce back,” Callihoo said, adding that it took the team longer to find out the strategy Magrath was using.
The final set showed promise for the team, with many opportunities for the Gryphons to be taking home the gold title, however in the end, the team lost 21-19.
“We were ahead for a while, and we battled back and forth with them, and we finally lost, 21-19 in the third set, that was a great match for both teams,” Callihoo said, adding that the team knew the game could have gone either way.
“We didn’t get the gold that we wanted, but overall when we look at our season and the success that we have had it has been a very, very positive season,” he said.
Callihoo said that in the end, a lot of the teams that the Gryphons had defeated earlier cheered from the stands in hopes that they would win.
“The gym was loud and very supportive of us,” Callihoo said. “Us being able to develop that rapport with some of the other teams and fans that we really didn’t know before… that should be something that is probably better than winning the medal that we wanted.”
Callihoo said that right now the team is taking the game as a loss, but after time they will realize exactly what they gained from the final game.
“It is not a huge loss because of how close it was, and because of the support that we got,” Callihoo said.
