WESTLOCK – The R.F. Staples Thunderbirds senior boys volleyball team are rolling to start the season following a clean sweep of the Oct. 1-2 St. Paul Regional High School TAZMANIA 2021, while the senior girls saw improvement from their last time on the court.
The boys swept St. Paul 25-20 and 25-16 before giving Lloydminster a licking 25-15 and 25-10. They then rounded out the round robin 25-19 and 25-15 against Two Hills to qualify for the playoffs.
With wind in their wings, they continued their undefeated rampage against Notre Dame, Lloydminster, and finally a rematch against St. Paul in the final, which they won.
“The guys played well and are starting to mesh as a team, with everyone slowly understanding their positions and their role on the court,” said boys coach Kyle Beattie.
Beattie says he has seen the team improve since the Sept. 24-25 home tournament where they landed in second place, falling short of Barrhead in the finals after dominating the round robin undefeated.
Meanwhile the girls sought redemption following defeat at their home tournament the week prior —after defeating Whitecourt in the playoffs they lost to Lloydminster Holy Rosary.
Determined to have a better showing, the girls swept the round robin, defeating St. Paul, Marwayne, and Two Hills, which set them up for another shot at Lloydminster who had won their pool. But their run came to an end in the semifinals versus Lloydminster, who went on to win the event.
Undiscouraged, the girls sported bronze at the end of the tournament, proud of their accomplishments and improvement in only seven days.
“As a team we are always looking for improvement regardless of the placing at the end of the weekend,” said girls coach Leanne Huppertz. “We made improvements in our serving consistency and we are still working on improvement in our serve reception. Overall, I’m very pleased with our improvement this weekend."
Spencer Kemp-Boulet, TownandCountryToday.com
