The Skeena Jr. B Girls volleyball team headed to Prince George over the Oct. 26/27 weekend to partake in the DP Todd Invitational Jr. B Girls Volleyball Tournament.
A total of 10 teams attended, in one pool - Duchess Park, College Heights, Kelly Road, Fort St. James, and Dr. Kearney and in the other, Dp Todd, PGSS, Cedars, McBride, and Skeena.
On Friday, Skeena’s first match against McBride helped give Skeena some early confidence with consistent serving and strong net coverage.
Skeena finished the match with a win — 25-15 in the first set, 22-25 in the second set and 15-6 in the third set.
Skeena’s second match against PGSS saw Skeena start with an early lead and never look back with a strong offensive attack and smart plays. The team finished with a decisive win — 25-5 in the first set and 25-22 in the second set.
On Saturday, Skeena’s third match versus Cedars proved to be a seesaw battle that saw Cedars gain an early lead and test Skeena’s confidence.
However, keeping focussed on their game plan and strengths led them to victory with a first set of 25-20 and 26-24 in the second set. Key blocking and smart hitting were the factors which lead to their success in this match.
Skeena’s fourth game versus DP Todd had Skeena struggling to maintain a lead, which led to a bit of panic. But they were able to calm down and turn things around with another victory winning the first set 25-23 and 25-5 in the second.
This win proved to be very emotional for the girls as they had to overcome a strong lead from their opponents.
These results placed Skeena first in their pool and in good position for the playoffs to follow.
Their fifth semi-final game was against DP Todd again who were looking for a chance to come back after their last encounter with Skeena.
Again the game stayed close with both team taking the lead but Skeena proved to be stronger in the end winning 25-20 and 25-13.
Their confidence and focus helped move them into the finals at last.
The finals set up Skeena against Dr. Kearney, also undefeated at this point in the tournament. This match started with both teams swapping points and nerves. Emotions also played a big factor. Skeena struggled with their serving for the first time in the tournament but kept finding a way to keep the score close and won the first set 25-22. In the second set, Skeena dominated early, cruising to gold with a score of 25-13.
This was the second time the team took first place in PG, after winning the PG Kodiac Classic in September.
During the awards ceremony all Skeena players were awarded with Champion T-Shirts and medals.
While the entire team played extremely well together, outstanding performances in the tournament include Ashlee Wojnarowski who was the most consistent player all weekend,
Mikayla Jeffery, who was able to rise to the challenge and raise her game, and Carly Davies who dominated with her blocking talent.
Coach Mr. Frank Marrelli said this was the first year he has ever travelled with a team to PG twice in one year. He had a hunch they were a special bunch that could be successful and ready for a challenge.
The team did not lose a game the entire tournament and had to battle back in a number of situations to secure their victory. He would also like to thank all the parents that helped the team in their success last weekend while making the trip to Prince George.
This was only the second tournament this season and will hopefully act as a springboard for future tournaments, he said.
Next up, the team is off to Houston for Zones to try to capture the NW Jr. Girls B banner for 2012.