Senior high volleyball teams from around the region gathered at the Athabasca Regional Multiplex last weekend as Edwin Parr Composite hosted their annual tournament.
The home teams did quite well, as both the EPC boys and girls won bronze. The girls gold medal went to Vegreville Composite while the boys gold went to R.F. Staples from Westlock.
Holding the entire tournament at the Multiplex made for a great atmosphere, according to EPC boys coach Chad LeMessurier.
“With 24 teams in (the Rotary Fieldhouse), it was pretty crazy,” he said.
LeMessurier was satisfied with the bronze medal his team earned. The local boys earned second place in their pool, setting them up for a semifinal match against R.F. Staples, a game they lost in two close sets.
“It was an awesome match, probably the best of the tournament,” said the coach. “We went down 10-2 right off the top, and all the momentum was in their court. But to our credit, we fought back.”
The bronze medal game against Redwater was won in two sets.
“A bronze medal game can be the greatest or worst experience of a tournament, but they took it the right way. The boys had something to prove to them,” said LeMessurier of his team, which had lost to Redwater in the round robin. “We put in a better effort and came out successful.”
EPC’s girls team matched their male counterparts with a bronze medal victory of their own, beating Grassland to get their hands on the medal.
The more challenging game was the semi-final match they lost to Vegreville Composite, according to coach Joe Mireault. They lost that game in two close sets.
The girls got off to a slow start with a loss to Thorhild in their first game before bouncing back and going undefeated until the semi finals.
“They really came together for the semi. We just fell a little short.”
Still, the bronze medal will serve as an effective launching point for the remainder of the season, according to the coach.
“We learned a few things this weekend for sure, and I think we’re better for it now.”
Boyle School also sent two teams to the tournament. The boys team finished third in their pool and thus fell short of the playoffs. They won two of their five games.
“I think we played really well,” said coach Joel Sawka. “We’ll keep practicing, keep working on the season and preparing for zones.”
The Boyle girls also played hard, but fell short of the playoff round.
Though they lost to the EPC girls in the bronze medal game, the team from Grassland School had a tournament to be proud of according to coach Doug Webster. They won four games in the round robin to advance to the playoffs.
“The effort was great. It was good making it deep into (the second day of the tournament) because those are the types of matches we need to get us ready for later in the year.
“I’ve got 10 girls who all show up to practice, all work hard and have come a long way since the start of the year,” he said.
The tournament served as a great showcase for local volleyball players.
