In Moosomin, at the 4A provincial tournament, HCI beat Moose Jaw’s Central Collegiate, 2-1, for third. The Humboldt school won the first game, 25-19, but lost the second, 25-20. It rebounded to win the third, 15-8.
“It is very difficult to battle for a medal right after losing in the semifinals and knowing you can no longer win gold,” HCI head coach Jarrod Regush said. “In addition, the match for bronze was the team’s third back-to-back game. The girls really had to find it in themselves to continue to fight and win bronze.”
Albert E. Peacock of Moose Jaw beat North Battleford’s John Paul II Collegiate, 2-1, for gold. Humboldt went 3-1 in pool play. It fell to Central Collegiate, 2-1, before reeling off wins over Moosomin, 2-0; Martensville, 2-1; and Lumsden, 2-0. In the quarterfinals, Humboldt downed Yorkton’s Sacred Heart High School, 2-0, to earn the opportunity to compete for a medal. John Paul II beat HCI, 2-0, in the semifinals.
“Katie MacLean and Zoe Schlitz played remarkably well throughout the weekend,” Regush said. “Taryn Stock really stepped up during playoffs and played extremely well. Taryn was our libero and improved a lot throughout the season.”
The bronze medal provincial performance capped a successful season for the HCI team.
“While I was happy with the team’s tournament wins and placing third in provincials, my favourite part of the season was the commitment these girls had to their individual and team improvement,” Regush said. “Each and every player on our team showed a dedication like none other. We had two, sometimes three morning practices a week and there were very few practices missed by any of the girls on the team. I also held quite a few extra training sessions which were optional and still we had plenty of our team come out to those as well.”
The Humboldt squad featured six players and a team manager all in Grade 12. Regush said he will never forget the heart of his Grade 12s.
“As our season progressed, their heart showed more and more through everything they did,” the coach said. “They showed unwavering support for the younger members of our team, specifically Hannah Neville (Grade 10) and Raya Wacker (Grade 9). This support for our younger players really instills the family mentality every team strives for.”
Annaheim Wins Bronze
The Annaheim School senior girls volleyball team brought home the bronze medals from the 1A provincials, hosted by Loreburn and Davidson. Annaheim beat Loreburn, 2-1, in the third-place contest. They bounced back from an 25-22 loss to win the next two, 25-11 and 16-14.
Rose Valley won the provincial title by defeating Edam, 2-0. Annaheim was 1-3 in pool play. It beat LeRoy, 2-0 (25-16, 25-17) in the quarterfinals. In the semis, Annaheim lost 2-1 (25-13, 20-25, 17-15) to Edam.
LeRoy
At the 1A provincials, the LeRoy School senior girls team had its successful season end in the quarterfinals. LeRoy posted a 3-1 record in pool play. It beat Medstead, 2-0; Frontier, 2-0; and Wawota, 2-0; before falling 2-1 to Fox Valley. LeRoy lost 2-0 to Annaheim in the quarters.
"The girls worked hard and played well on Friday at provincials. They were able to lock up first place in their pool with a 3-1 record,” said Audrey Severson, a member of the team’s coaching staff. “On the Saturday, they battled in the quarterfinal against Annaheim but ran into a hot Annaheim team and it was too much for the girls."
