WESTLOCK - R.F. Staples School’s T-Birds were grounded at the 24-team Alberta Schools’ Athletics Association 3A Volleyball Championships Nov. 24-26 at Winston Churchill High School in Lethbridge, as both the senior boys and girls failed to soar beyond round-robin play.
And while the result isn’t what either club had hoped for following their stellar play the weekend prior when the girls won the North Central Zone 3A banner and the boys finished second, coaches for both said they were proud of their play and expect more success in the years to come — this is the second-straight year both have been to provincials, although last year Westlock hosted the event so both teams received automatic berths.
The senior girls went 2-3 in the round robin to finish in a three-way tie for third in their pool which necessitated a single-set playoff versus the Peace Wapiti Titans, who had defeated the Springbank Phoenix just to get the chance to play the T-Birds.
And although the T-Birds had beaten them 25-18, 25-18 in the round robin, the Titans turned the tables and took the winner-take-all set 25-20. In the Saturday night girls final, St. John Paul II Catohlic School defeated Cochrane High School in three sets to win the provincial 3A title.
Coach Leanne Huppertz admitted that it was a tough end to a stellar season that included the zone banner, two tournament titles and three second-place finishes. That said, the girls had nothing to hang their heads over and wound up ranked seventh in Alberta.
“At that level there were no blowouts and every team was tough, remember these were the Top 12 in the province playing. And for us to move on, it came down to one game so there was a lot of pressure,” said Huppertz. “Everything was close, but it was a great experience for the girls and we’re so proud of them. They gelled so much as a team over the year and were extremely focused. They had a great year for sure.”
Although five Grade 12s, including her own daughter Allie, have played their last game with the T-Birds, the future for the club is extremely bright. Next season’s T-Birds will include the five Grade 11s from this team, plus three Grade 10s already on the roster and members of the zone winning junior varsity squad. Huppertz, who’s in her fifth year coaching the club, said she’s looking forward to 2023 and building on their success from this past campaign.
“There’s a lot of promise for sure for next year and we’re definitely on our way up,” said Huppertz, noting the local junior high programs are also very strong. “I’m excited for it and we have such a great bunch of girls that I’d like to see it through for at least a few more years.”
Boys laying the groundwork
The boys meanwhile finished at the bottom of their six-team pool and only won two sets at the event over Holy Rosary High School and St. Gabriel the Archangel School.
That said, first-year head coach Aaron Graf was quick to point out the club wasn’t blown out in any of their matches and in fact, with a little luck, could have ended with at least a few match victories. For the record, Barrhead Composite High School, who the T-Birds lost to 2-0 in the zone final, went on to win the provincial championship over Peace Wapiti in three sets
“It was a really good experience for the kids. They were competitive in every single match and we made sure it wasn’t easy for any of the teams we faced,” said Graf, adding this tournament was a great way for the boys, especially the Grade 12s, to bond one last time.
“We made everyone work for their points, although I don’t think the boys played their best this past weekend, but from what I saw a lot of teams weren’t at their best.”
Graf said he’s already looking forward to next year and will be coaching Westlock’s 16U club team which begins its tryout this coming week. Graduating from the team are a handful of Grade 12s while the remainder, that includes seven Grade 10s, will be back.
“The club season allows them to continue to develop, they’ve got lots of time to improve,” he added.
