The Yorkton Bongo U14 Boys Volleyball team has exactly one tournament under its belt. They also have one gold medal, taking first prize in their first action in Rouleau.
The tournament started with a winning record of 3-1 in the Round Robin part of the tournament. The team went on to face Moose Jaw in the semi-finals, winning 2-0, and host team Roleau in the final, winning 2-1.
Head coach Dion Pfeifer says it was a new experience for the team, as it only has practiced together a few times before the tournament. As the youngest team, the players did not have any experience at high-level tournaments before taking the trip to Rouleau.
鈥淏eing their first competition at this level, I鈥檓 very impressed. It鈥檚 quite an accomplishment for them, never having played together before, never even having an exhibition match.鈥�
The team grew together as they played over the tournament, Pfeifer says, and while they had difficulty at the beginning, especially with rotations, they were able to learn from each games and required less direction from the coaches as the day went on.
鈥淭hey caught on to the game very well... It was a learning experience for them.鈥�
The highlight of the weekend for the team was the final match against Rouleau, which Pfeifer described as the team to beat in the weekend tournament. They had won gold in an earlier Sask Cup this year.
鈥淔irst tournament, to walk in and beat the team that won the previous tournament... Probably the top ranked team in the province going into that tournament.鈥�
In preparation for their next action on March 24 in Moose Jaw, Pfeifer鈥檚 goal is to focus on the basics, such as rotations and passing, and once the team is more familiar with working with a system, they can only get stronger.
鈥淚 had an idea that this group was going to be a good group, a strong group.鈥�
April will be the busiest month for the team, with a big Sask Cup event as well as Provincials.
