As the high school kids might say, the Edwin Parr Composite (EPC) senior boys Predators volleyball team is “just killing it.”
That refers, of course, to the competition and the fact the team has won three consecutive tournaments in as many weeks, and 21 out of 23 matches played in the past month.
That’s a 91-per-cent success rate.
During the Sobeys Volleyball Classic 2013 tournament in Edson Nov. 1-2, the Predators were undefeated.
“We played nine matches in two days, which is pretty taxing on the bodies of those guys,” coach Chad LeMessurier said of his players.
For the round robin that tournament, LeMessurier “played (his players) pretty consistently” and was able to rotate his whole team through.
LeMessurier said this is not always done because often in high school volleyball, players find their groove in a particular position, and stronger players will typically play more often.
During the round robin in Edson, EPC defeated Mayerthorpe (25-23, 25-12), Edson Junior Varsity (25-14, 25-12), Devon (25-21, 25-15), Hinton (25-14, 25-14), Evansburg (25-9, 25-21), Whitecourt (25-14, 19-25, 15-10) and Edson (25-20, 23-25, 15-7).
In the semi-final match against Edson, the Predators won 25-19 and 25-14. In the final against Whitecourt, they won by a 10-point margin with a score of 25-15 in both the first two sets to win the tournament.
“I’ve been lucky that, this year, our starters have been good, and they’ve gotten us that win in the first set of the match, and then I have the ability to get those other guys in and get them some experience,” said LeMessurier. “It kind of feeds back on itself.”
The team won its home tournament at the Athabasca Regional Multiplex on Oct. 18-19, as well as the Wow Pow tournament in Lac La Biche the following weekend.
The Predators are a young team this year but have worked hard to earn their time on the court.
“One thing I’ve said all year long is, ‘Earn your time out there,’ and so I think that’s credit to them working hard in practice and really focusing and paying attention,” said LeMessurier.
He said his team is “absolutely” receptive and makes coaching enjoyable.
“They look forward to being in the gym; you can tell. We’ve had a few down spots to the season, but for the most part, we look forward to getting into the gym and getting better,” said LeMessurier.
“I think we enjoy being around each other as a team, and that’s so cool,” he said.
The team is currently basking in their victories while still practising for the zones tournament Nov. 22–23 in Barrhead.
Preparing for provincials the week after zones, the team is working on “making its middle attack more diverse,” said LeMessurier.
