The College Heights Cougars proved they were tough enough on the volleyball court on the weekend.
The senior girls squad beat Terrace's Caledonia secondary in straight sets (25-20, 25-21) in the championship final to win its own Tuff Enuff eight-team tournament. It was the third consecutive year the Cougars have volleyed to the title.
Correlieu secondary from Quesnel topped Cedars Christian 2-0 to win the bronze medal.
The Cougars, the No. 7-ranked triple-A squad in the province, never lost a set in the tournament, posting a 3-0 round-robin record with victories against Kelly Road secondary, PGSS and Nechako Valley from Vanderhoof.
They defeated Fort St. James in the quarter-finals and Correlieu in the semis to advance to the final.
Caledonia, ranked sixth in triple-A, was also undefeated in the round-robin and advanced to defeat Kelly Road in the quarter-final and Cedars Christian in the semifinal.
"This was a good character builder for us," said Cougars head coach Jason Olexyn after Saturday's victory. "We played well, and extremely well especially in the final, and we got the job done."
Eight seniors have returned to the Cougars lineup that won the bronze medal at the 2013 B.C. high school triple-A championship. Four of those players are among the starting six, along with four Grade 11 players who "fill the holes where needed."
Among the three key seniors are captain Taylor Samuelson (setter), power hitter Maddie Doucette and assistant captain Priya Badial (middle).
"They have good leadership and are consistent. They will be the ones who step up and carry us through," said Olexyn.
So far this season, College Heights has finished fifth at the 32-team UBC Okanagan tournament in Kelowna where it beat No. 1-ranked Immaculata.
The squad is staying close to home for the rest of the season, competing at Kelly Road's tournament this weekend and PGSS's tournament Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.
The Cougars will host the triple-A zone championship Nov. 15-16.
Meanwhile, College Heights junior boys squads traveled across town to D.P. Todd's tournament on the weekend where the junior A side defeated Duchess Park A in straight sets to capture gold. The Cougars junior B team defeated Kelly Road's seniors 2-1 (19-25, 25-17, 15-12) to win bronze.
The College Heights junior boys host the Spooktacular Invitational this weekend, featuring eight Prince George teams from Duchess Park, D.P. Todd, PGSS and Kelly Road.
On the senior boys' side, three Prince George squads competed this weekend at the 40-team Best of the West tournament hosted by Kelowna secondary.
The D.P. Todd Trojans finished tied for 11th overall with a 4-2 record. College Heights finished 19th overall with a 5-2 record and Duchess Park finished tied for 25th with a 2-4 record.
