Poor start, perfect finish.
The 15-and-under Kodiaks, a boys rep squad from the Prince George Youth Volleyball Club, pounded their way to gold at a weekend Super Series tournament in Kelowna. In the playoffs, the Kodiaks rolled to three consecutive victories, including a sweep of the Apex Thunder of Burnaby in Sunday's final.
In their preliminary matches to start the tournament, the Kodiaks struggled to find their chemistry and posted a mediocre 1-2 record.
"We're at a disadvantage up north because we have so few games," said coach Joel Uy. "We have no teams to play. This was only our second tournament of the season, whereas all these other teams that we play have hundreds of matches under their belt. We were mixing our lines up [as the tournament went on]."
The Kodiaks opened the eight-team event with a victory against Air Attack Black of Richmond and then dropped consecutive decisions to the Kelowna Kevlars and White Rock.
In the playoff round, the Kodiaks took down the Surrey Eagles in three sets and that victory moved them on to the semifinals against the Kevlars. This time, the Prince George boys battled to a win in the maximum three sets. With momentum now carrying them, they had little trouble against the Apex Thunder in the championship final.
Standout players for the Kodiaks -- especially in the playoffs -- were setters Jared Pritchard and Landon Uy, as well as middle blockers Haydn Molcak and Thomas Anton. Defensively, Molcak and Anton were true difference-makers.
"Haydn especially, he shut [opposing hitters] down early and after that they were just gun shy -- they wouldn't swing anywhere near him," said coach Uy, who also gave a nod of approval to outside hitter Joel Molcak.
"He had a lot of shining moments," Uy said.
Other team members are Matt Janzen, Keiran Leboe, Jonah Chevrefils, Colby Molcak, Brady Patterson, Rene Schneider and Andrew Sevill. The coaching staff is rounded out by Linden Smith.
Two more local products sign with college teams
Austin Cromarty and Trevor Zemlak have joined college volleyball programs for 2012-13.
Cromarty, a six-foot-three right side hitter who played his high school volleyball for the College Heights Cougars, has signed a letter of intent with the Grande Prairie Regional College Wolves. Zemlak, a power hitter who patrolled the high school courts for the D.P. Todd Trojans, will suit up for the College of the Rockies Avalanche of Cranbrook. His sister, Rebecca, recently finished her second season with the Avalanche women's team.
Cromarty and Zemlak both have experience in the Team B.C. program and are graduating members of the PGYVC.
MacKenzie Bouchard, featured in a Citizen story last week, will play for the Concordia University College of Alberta Thunder this coming season. Bouchard, a libero, currently attends Duchess Park and is another PGYVC player.
