The Northwest Rage Girls U16 won gold in the Tier 4 Volleyball Provincials in Abbotsford May 4.
The defeated Vernon’s Sky White in the finals, claiming victory in two straight sets with 25-15 in the first and 25-11 in the second.
“The girls knew that they could beat this team,” says coach Kelly Gingles. “They just served really hard and attacked really hard. There’s very little chance this team would come close to beating them, which is exactly what happened.”
Gingles says their team entered the tournament with a lot of confidence and determination, which shone through in all the games.
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They started off with three matches in the round robin plays, winning them all in straight sets. They then proceeded to the semi-finals where they first played against Kelowna, scoring 25-21 and then 25-12 with an ace jump serve that crowned them winners of that game.
In the final match, Sky White walked away defeated as the Terrace girls weren’t afraid to show their strength with a variety of jump serves and spike attacks to bring home the gold.
Gringles says he and the other coaches on the team are “extremely thrilled” with the girls’ win and their dedication to volleyball, as their playing level is considered elite. Generally, they would play Tier 1 championships but since they missed one game, they were shuffled to Tier 4.
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He adds the players are very serious about volleyball, as some of them are viewing it as a platform to pursue other opportunities outside of the area.
“Some of them are looking at this as an avenue to potentially get into colleges and universities one day,” Gringles says. “A lot of kids from Terrace have gone on to post-education with scholarships.”
Although the volleyball season has come to an end, Gringles says they will continue playing it recreationally to keep their team fit before their competitions start again.
natalia@terracestandard.com
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