After a strong round-robin and a decisive victory in the semifinals, the R.F. Staples seniors boys volleyball team came within a few points of a gold medal at the Westlock Rotary Spirit Centre last weekend.
Unfortunately, although the boys put in an impressive effort right to the very last play, Morinville emerged victorious in the final after two 25-23 games leaving the Thunderbirds with a silver.
“That’s the game of volleyball,” coach Steve McKenna said. “At the end of the day sometimes you work hard and don’t get the result you want.”
The Thunderbirds finished second in the round-robin after winning eight of their 12 matches, and went on to face Whitecourt’s Hilltop Chargers in the semifinals. The boys struggled in the first match, losing 25-23, before easily winning the next two.
In the finals, the boys faced Morinville and although they were able to keep Morinville to only a small lead the whole time, they couldn’t seem to get the upper hand.
Making the finals despite a short bench, however, should provide the Thunderbirds some consolation.
“We’ve got a couple key injuries,” McKenna said. “We’ve got a couple guys who aren’t playing, and when you still make the finals that’s a positive.”
Missing a few players gave the rest of the team a little more time on the court, which will hopefully translate to a stronger team two weeks from now when the Thunderbirds head to zones.
“Its great experience for everybody,” he said. “It just gives more people playing time, and the guys on the floor are doing a great job.”
McKenna said the team is still focused on their main goal this season of winning zones, which is easily within grasp.
“As a group we’re playing well,” he said. “There are still couple mistakes we still have to fix but we’re right there. We’re continually hitting finals.”
McKenna also noted that being able to host a tournament in the new field house was a good experience, with nothing but positive comments coming from other teams.
“It’s a great facility,” he said. “We should be happy that we have a place like this.”
