The Boyle School Huskies girls volleyball team climbed the ranks at the 1A provincial tournament this weekend, taking fourth place.
The girls played hard from Nov. 24 to 26 at Senator Gershaw School in Bow Island.
“The competition there was stronger than anything we’ve seen before,” said coach Sheri Bencharsky. “We have competition around (Boyle) when we play, but these were amazingly strong teams. They are the best of the best so it was eye-opening, but it was, in the same sense, awesome how our girls rose to that level and played along with them. Kind of reassuring to let them know, yes, they should have been there. They did a good job.”
The girls were blocked from getting the bronze medal by the Bawlf School Wildcats, who snagged the game in two tight sets of 25-23 and 25-17.
“They were first in their pool, they never lost a game, so we were a little bit like, OK, here we go,” Bencharsky said. “But the girls did amazing, they fought as hard as they possibly could. They didn’t let a ball hit the floor. It was the most energetic and the hardest I have ever seen them play all season. It was pretty awesome to watch how strong they stayed mentally and physically. Again, the best defence I’ve ever seen on them, nothing would hit the floor. It was a great game to watch.”
It was not an easy path to the semis, Bencharsky said. The Huskies lost their first two games of the round-robin tournament to the Parkland Immanuel School Penguins and the Provost Panthers, who went on to take the championship.
On Friday, the Huskies took their first win against the Stirling School Lakers in a three-set match.
“That was terribly exciting to get that under their belts and finally get a win,” Bencharsky said.
The Huskies were not so lucky in their evening game against the St. Thomas More Kodiaks, who won the match in three sets.
That left three teams tied for third place in their pool – the Huskies, Lakers and Kodiaks.
Saturday morning the teams held a three-way tie breaker, with one-set, do-or-die games up to 25. With Boyle in the lead in terms of points, the Lakers and the Kodiaks faced off first, with the Lakers coming out on top.
“We told the girls to leave it all out on the floor,” Bencharsky said, and the girls listened, taking the game.
“The coach came to me afterwards and he said, ‘I’ve never seen a better defence on a team,’” Bencharsky said.
The Huskies immediately went to the quarterfinals against the home team, the Senator Gershaw Gators, and bested them in two sets.
“They were definitely heart-broken,” Bencharsky said. “The whole town was there watching and the gym was so loud. We were the underdogs but I was just so proud of the girls, as hard as they fought.”
In the semifinals, the Huskies faced off against the Provost Panthers once again, losing in two sets. They walked off the court proud, but with some injuries, including a mild concussion and a rolled ankle. At that point, Bencharsky called up players from the bench.
“One thing I want to mention is how amazing my girls from the bench were,” she said. “They didn’t see a lot of time this weekend because it was such high level of competition, but they came off the bench with tons of confidence, just went on the floor when I needed them to and they did amazing.”
Bencharsky said the Huskies were cheered on by a team of dedicated parents who travelled south for the games, as well supporters in Boyle who tuned into the games through live streams on Facebook.
“Teachers had their kids watching the games, cheering them on,” she said.
The season may be over, but that does not mean it’s down time for the girls, Bencharsky said. Club team tryouts are this week, and basketball season is just around the corner.
She added that she was tremendously proud of the Huskies performance in the tournament.
“In the bronze medal match you’re either third or fourth, so – wow – considering we didn’t even think we’d make it that far through the day.”
