With pieces of precious hardware up for grabs at the triple-A girls volleyball championship in Vernon, the College Heights Cougars saved their best for last.
They swept the Caledonia Kermodes in straight sets Saturday afternoon, 25-12, 27-25, to win the bronze medal match.
Ranked second behind the North Central zone-champion Duchess Park Condors to start the 16-team tournament, the Cougars lost two of their three matches on opening day Thursday and finished third in their pool. But they turned it on in the playoffs, defeating the Little Flower Academy Angels, and the host Vernon Panthers to qualify for the semifinal round.
The Cougars' chance to advance to the championship slipped away Saturday morning when they lost an epic five-set semifinal to the Brooks T-birds of Powell River, losing 23-25, 27-25, 15-25, 25-10, 15-10.
"It was a day-and-night team scenario," said Cougars head coach Jason Olexyn. "We played absolutely our best volleyball all season, but that's what we planned to do is peak at the right time, and we did that."
In the bronze-medal match, much of the Cougars' offence was orchestrated by first team all-star middle blocker Jynessa Kaulback and power hitters Meagan Warner (a second team all-star) and Kaitlyn Seath. On defence, the entire team was at its best in the medal round.
"Jynessa was a force, blocking their big six-foot-three hitter, and we shot them down right away in the first set and carried that through to the second set, which was close" said Olexyn. "We just had consistency passing and a huge difference this weekend from previous weekend was our defence. We were digging up balls that we had no reason digging up. It was lights-out.
"(Libero) Brittany Briere was money, she is a go-to person when it comes to defence. Everybody was digging and that started right with our crossover match with Little Flower. Our setter, Chelsea Madsen, played her best tournament by far."
Saturday's match marked the end of the high school volleyball career of four graduating Cougars -- Warner, Seath, Briere and Kathryn Chrobot. But there's still more in store for the rest of the team -- Kaulback, Justine Hamilton, Sian Steindl, Anika Schroeter, Grace Meehan, and Damara Collister.
Olexyn said Duchess Park ran into injury problems to two starters early in the tournament and never recovered. The Condors ended up losing the 11th-place game Saturday to Clayton Heights of Surrey 2-1 (25-21, 16-25, 15-12) and finished 12th. Condors setter Hallie Drezet, a Thompson Rivers University recruit for next season, made the second all-star team in her last high school tournament.
Having two Prince George teams provincially ranked 1-2 all season long was sign of the strength of the North Central zone and Olexyn said having high-level competition in close proximity made the Cougars a better team. Duchess Park won seven of eight matches over College Heights this season and then defeated the Cougars in the zone final.
"Duchess always pushed us to try to get better and that was a good gauge as to where we'd be coming into provincials and in our own zone," said Olexyn. "Duchess and PGSS were strong teams and we learned a lot from playing them and knew what we had to work on."
Meanwhile, at the double-A boys championship in Langley, the College Heights Cougars lost their final match for fifth place to Langley Christian 2-1 (28-30, 25-14, 15-6). The fifth-ranked Cougars were eliminated from title contention when they fell to Clarence Fulton in a quarterfinal playoff Friday.
College Heights power hitter Ben Shand was picked a second team all-star and Nick Hansen of the Cougars was the tournament's most outstanding Libero.
"This weekend was a confidence-builder," said Cougars boys team head coach Jay Guillet.
"We're watching Mount Boucherie playing Oak Bay in the triple-A final and we lost to Mount Boucherie 15-13 in the third (and deciding) set earlier in the season. And we beat Langley Fundamental in pool play, and they're in the (double-A) final.
"It shows that our kids can play and compete with the best teams in the province and they should hold their heads up high."
Also at the double-A boys tournament, the D.P. Todd Trojans lost their ninth-place match Saturday to Pacific Christian 2-0 (25-10, 25-10) and finished 10th. Trojans right-side hitter Kieran Leboe received an honourable mention in the all-star voting.
There was some Prince George content in the double-A final. Dan Johnson, who grew in Prince George and played for the Kelly Road Roadrunners in the mid-1980s before moving on to college volleyball is head coach of the Langley Fundamental Titans, who took on undefeated Mennonite Educational Institute Eagles of Abbotsford in Saturday final.
In other Prince George results, at the single-A girls tournament in Castlegar, the Cedars Christian Eagles won their final two matches in the consolation round to finish ninth. Cedars defeated Carver 2-0 (25-14, 25-17), then beat Highroad Academy 2-0 (25-13, 25-12). The Eagles were voted the most sportsmanlike team.
At the double-A girls tournament in Winfield, the D.P. Todd Trojans finished 16th after losing Saturday to Selkirk and Smithers. Scores were not available.
