A season filled with success came to a golden end for six high school volleyball teams from throughout the province on Saturday evening.
The Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association girls and 5A boys provincial championships were all decided this weekend, with each of the tournaments featuring plenty of elite competition as teams battled to finish at the top of their classifications.
Here’s a look at how each provincial champion claimed their gold medals.
In the 1A girls division, the Annaheim Rebels had an absolutely perfect weekend, rolling through the entire tournament in Colonsay and Allan without dropping a set.
After posting a 4-0 round robin record, the Rebels took a 25-23 win over Medstead in their quarter-final before downing Maymont 25-18, 25-23 to advance to the gold medal game. There, it was more of the same, with Annaheim taking a 25-14, 25-21 win to win provincials.
The Rouleau Rebels won bronze with a 25-19, 25-16 win over Maymont
In the 2A girls division, the Wakaw Warriors overcame an early loss to win six straight matches and claim gold.
The Warriors posted a 3-1 record in their round robin and finished second in their pool before taking a 25-18, 25-21 win over Davidson in their quarter-final. That set up a semifinal match with the top seed from the other pool, and Wakaw would grind out a 27-25, 21-25, 15-10 victory over Gravelbourg to advance to the championship game.
The Warriors finished off their gold medal run with a 25-14, 25-20 win over Langham.
Moose Jaw Cornerstone Christian School defeated Gravelbourg 25-18, 25-18 in the bronze medal game.
In the 3A girls division, the Lanigan Lazers dropped a single set on their way to gold.
Things couldn’t have gone better for the Lazers in the round robin, as only one team was able to score more than 20 on them in a set on their way to a 4-0 record.
The Lazers won their first playoff game in commanding fashion 25-9, 25-6 over Waldheim and then had their closest match of the weekend in the semifinal, where they defeated Wynyard 23-25, 25-21, 15-11.
Things were far more comfortable in the title game, with Lanigan downing Carnduff 25-12, 25-20 for gold.
Indian Head defeated Wynyard 25-22, 25-20 in the bronze medal game.
In the 4A girls division, the North Battleford John Paul II Crusaders went undefeated and dropped only one set on their way to their provincial championship.
There were no difficulties for the tournament’s top seeds in the round robin, as they went 4-0 without losing a set. That wasn’t the case in the quarter-final, though, as they’d endure a bit of scare before defeating Fort Qu’Appelle 25-16, 23-25, 15-10.
That sent the Crusaders into the semifinal against tournament second seed Moose Jaw Vanier, where they’d prevail 25-22, 25-23.
North Battleford then finished off their gold medal run with a 25-13, 25-15 victory over Melfort.
Vanier defeated Humboldt 25-27, 25-21, 15-11 for bronze.
In the 5A girls division, the Swift Current Ardens rebounded from a loss in their final round robin game to win three straight and claim gold.
It was a perfect Friday for Swift Current with three straight wins, but a loss to Regina Campbell in their final round robin game saw the Ardens finish at 3-1 -- still good enough to top their pool.
It was smooth sailing from that point on, as Swift Current downed Regina Leboldus 25-19, 25-15 in the quarter-final, defeated Saskatoon St. Joseph 25-4, 25-16 in the semifinal and swept Balgonie Greenall 25-15, 25-23 in the gold medal game.
Saskatoon Holy Cross defeated St. Joseph 25-23, 25-14 in the bronze medal match.
In the 5A boys division, the Saskatoon St. Joseph Guardians got hot at just the right time, overcoming a 2-2 round robin to win gold as the third-seed heading into the playoffs.
The Guardians began their playoff run by upsetting Swift Current 20-25, 25-20, 15-10 and then took a 25-19, 25-17 win over Prince Albert Carlton, who upset Lloydminster in their quarter-final.
That set St. Joseph into the gold medal game where they’d down Saskatoon Aden Bowman in an instant classic 17-25, 25-22, 18-16 for the provincial championship.
It’s the second provincial title in as many weekends for the Guardians, after they also claimed the 6A provincial football championship last Saturday.
Prince Albert rebounded with a 16-25, 25-23, 15-13 win over Regina Winston Knoll for bronze.
