Volleyball Season is winding down and Terrace schools were winning all over the northwest at the northwest zones over the Remembrance Day weekend.
Here in Terrace, Skeena Middle School and Centennial Christian School co-hosted the Grade 8 Boys Volleyball Northwest Zone Championship at Skeena Middle School on Nov. 10 with five schools competing.
Centennial Christian went undefeated in the round robin with a 4-0 record and met BVCS in the final with a 3-1 record.
The team defeated BVCS in two straight sets, 25-12 and 25-21, to claim gold as the zone champions. Skeena finished the tournament 1-3.
Evan Veldman from Centennial Christian was named the tournament MVP and all-star awards went to Rudy Vandenberg from BVCS, Lucas Mantel from Centennial Christian, Dylan King from Skeena Middle School, Daryl deVries from Ebenezer and JakRamos from Smithers Secondary.
Meanwhile, in Prince Rupert, the Skeena Middle School Wildcats took the top spot at the Grade 8 Girls Volleyball Northwest Zone Championship at Prince Rupert Middle School.
The Wildcats won all their games in two straight sets in the round robin, sending them into the semi-finals to meet up against Prince Rupert.
“Prince Rupert didn’t make it easy for our girls,” said coach Kam Siemens. But the team ultimately came out victorious, meaning it would meet up with Mount Elizabeth in the finals.
“As expected the intensity of game plan on both sides was high,” said Siemens, noting they focussed on taking calculated risks and playing smart at the net. “The unwavering display of teamwork and encouragement from the bench didn’t go unnoticed or unheard.”
“In a pre-game talk with the girls, we stressed the importance of mindset,” said Siemens. “A combination of consistent serving, difficult digs and the ability to set the ball created some great spikes that were a challenge for our opponents to return.”
At the awards ceremony, Ally Moldenhauer was named an All Star and Correina McNeice was named MVP.
And in Kitimat at Mount Elizabeth, the Caledonia Jr. Girls team won the Jr. A Girls Volleyball Zone finals that same weekend.
After defeating Charles Hays from Prince Rupert 2-0 on the first night, it was a tight game against Smithers that also went 2-0.
The next day they squeaked by the home team of MESS, but beat BVCS in both sets, sending Cal to the top pool final against MESS, which they won in a very exciting third match with a score of 17-15.
All Star selections from Cal were Catherine Albert and Jill Green.
But that’s not all. The Skeena’s Grade 9 Girls Volleyball team travelled by train to Houston to participate in its final zone tournament. The team didn’t lose a set in the entire tournament, becoming the zone champs.
The two-day tournament saw Skeena meet up with Houston Secondary School, Hazelton, Smithers Secondary, and Ebenezer Christian Reformed School.
Skeena’s road to the top wasn’t easy, with a handful of tight matches (and some blow outs as well), but the team didn’t let the pressure get to them, said coach Frank Marrelli.
Before the final game against ECRS, Marrelli “told the girls that each point in this final must be earned with smart plays, not panic, and the team who can think clearly and remain confident will have the advantage,” he said.
And the first set tested Skeena’s nerves, with a loud crowd that favoured ECRS and ECRS hungry to make up for Skeena’s win earlier in the tournament.
But Skeena squeaked out wins in both sets, becoming Jr. B Girls Volleyball champions, complete with gold medals and banner.
An All Star went to Skeena’s setter, Hailey Mitchell and tournament MVP was Skeena’s middle player, Carly Davies.
“This capped an amazing season for these girls, which involved a big commitment of their time and challenged their work ethic,” said Marrelli.
The teams’ coaches all expressed their gratitude to the parents, assistant coaches and volunteers involved with the teams who helped make it possible.
And “all of the players for their strong effort and belief in the importance of spirit and play,” added Marrelli.