Volleyball teams jumped into a new season this weekend, with Caledonia Secondary, Skeena Middle School, and Centennial Christian School teams playing in various tournaments and playdays.
With typical enthusiasm, the Caledonia senior girls hit the road for Kamloops where they secured silver in a 29-team tournament for single-A to four-A teams at Thompson River University (TRU).
The Cal girls won six round robin and playoff games, including tight matches against Kamloops’ Valleyview and Okanagan Mission (OKM) from Kelowna.
In the finals they lost to Penticton High in two sets, taking silver in what was their season starter tournament.
“The great thing about this tournament, is that you get lots of games,” said coach Carmen Didier. “It was a good out of the box tournament for us. We had lots of great moments… some things we need to work out… it gave us a good overview of where we are.”
With six returning players and five prior senior girls on the squad, Didier says the team could tighten up their defence but has a good, strong offensive.
“We’re pretty smart with where we tip the ball and we’ve got some pretty solid hitters on the team,” said Didier. “With our defence, though, we don’t read very well what’s happening on the other side of the court… we need to be less reactionary.”
The team has a number of northern tournaments coming up in the next few months, with the next big tournament in Kelowna Oct. 5-8.
The junior girlsfrom Cal will jump into their season opener this coming weekend in Prince George.
Looking at other teams, the senior boys from Centennial Christian and Caledonia Secondary launched into their seasons with a home tournament in Terrace this weekend.
Centennial attacked with typical intensity, winning all their games and contending in a solid rivalry with Bulkley Valley Christian School (BVCS).
Caledonia senior boys have a number of players who are new to volleyball, so are building up game experience.
Caledonia also has two junior teams and Centennial has a senior girls team rallying for the season as well, and Skeena Middle School has also formed a number of Grade 8-10 teams.
