The R.F. Staples T-Birds senior girls volleyball team ended their season outside the medal round at the School Athletic Association North Central Zone 3A championships hosted in Westlock Nov. 17-18.
Finishing the round robin with a record of 2-4, the girls missed the playoffs, as only the top two teams from the zone advanced to the provincial finals.
While they would have liked to end the season on a winning note, girls head coach Jay MacIntyre said there were good things in their future.
“We had more good moments than bad moments, we just came out on the short end,” he said. “We have 11 core players coming back and lots of great players coming up from junior varsity.”
MacIntyre said he told the girls to let the loss sting a bit to ensure they’re hungry for victory when they hit the court again next fall.
Outgoing team captain Kaylee Huppertz said she was going to miss her teammates and the game, but she was proud of the effort of her teammates.
“It’s a little sad we got over a bit sooner than we wanted,” she said. “But the girls played hard and I had really good season with them. I see really good potential for them. It was a really cool experience to be here when we hosted zones.”
Meanwhile down the highway in Morinville, the senior boys capped their season with bronze, finishing third in the round robin before defeating Frank Maddock High School to win the bronze.
Boys head coach Kyle Beattie said the T-Birds were evenly matched with their two rivals, Barrhead and Morinville, but were just edged out by Barrhead in the semifinal
“It was a little sad for some of the boys,” he said. “They were close games, it could have gone either way.”
He noted the T-Birds were neck in neck with their competition for just about the entire tournament, but a couple of missteps in the semifinal left them out of the running.
“We served really well all weekend, until our last game,” he said. “That was a bit of a surprise, that last game. Overall we played really well though. We played good as a team and kept our spirits in it. I was really proud of them for how far they’ve come this year. They are a great team.”
Looking to next season, Beattie said the future is bright.
With only two players graduating this year and a strong junior varsity team, he figured the T-Birds would be a force to be reckoned with in 2018.
“We have eight returning players next year,” he said. “We should be good again for next year. Volleyball is looking up in Westlock for the next few years.”
