WESTLOCK — The R.F. Staples senior girls’ volleyball team earned their first gold medal of the year at the two-day tournament hosted by Barrhead Composite High School (BCHS) on Oct. 20-21.
After a season of playoff losses, including a fourth-place finish at the T-Birds' own tournament on Sept. 22-23, their victory at the BCHS tournament is a sign of how the girls have improved as the season went on, said coach Leanne Huppertz.
“We’re gelling as a team,” she added.
The senior girls started the weekend by finishing first in their pool of three, earning wins over Morinville Central High School (25-9, 25-15) and Sturgeon (25-18, 25-21).
That gave them a bye into the quarterfinals, which can sometimes be a double-edged sword because it lulls teams into complacency. In this case, however, it put the T-Birds in a good spot for playoffs, Huppertz noted.
In the next two playoff rounds, the R.F. Staples girls defeated Hilltop and then Peace Wapiti before moving on to the championship final against Robert Thirsk High School from Calgary.
The Robert Thirsk team had also finished first in its pool and beaten St. Albert Catholic High School (SACHS), a squad that had previously handed out defeats to the Westlock girls.
With that in mind, Huppertz indicated the T-Birds went into the final expecting a strong opponent. And Robert Thirsk definitely delivered, demonstrating stronger hitting than other teams at the tournament, Huppertz indicated.
“It was pretty intense. There were lots of long rallies, and digs that the girls had to do,” she said.
Westlock managed to hold off their opponents with a strong defence, with Huppertz highlighting Harvalee Tomlinson in particular for an outstanding performance.
After going 1-1 with Calgary, the T-Birds took an early lead in the third set, and although their opponents did catch up at the end, they ended up winning 15-11.
In addition to earning the gold medal, Huppertz said they were able to see a number of other teams in their zone at the tournament, “so we feel pretty good about where we placed.”
This coming Friday and Saturday, Oct. 27-28, the senior girls and boys will be at the Halloween SMASH Volleyball Tournament hosted at Louis St. Laurent Catholic Junior/Senior High School.
“We won it last year, so we’ll see how we do this year,” she said, noting the two-day event also features fun activities like costume contests.
