In 2013, the under-18 Kodiaks stepped onto the court and won gold in division 3 at the Canadian Western Open.
This weekend, the Prince George Youth Volleyball Club girls squad has returned to Edmonton for the same tournament, except they've climbed up a division to division 2.
"We're really excited about playing in division 2 this year," said six-foot-two starting middle Kristin Anton. "At nationals we're looking forward to playing higher-level teams. We'll play really hard, we don't expect to win every game, but we're hoping for a good result."
The Kodiaks are coming off an eighth-place finish in the 24-team Division 1 at the Volleyball B.C. championships earlier this month in Abbotsford. That result exceeded the team's expectations since they were ranked 13th going into the tournament.
There are almost five times the number of squads in Edmonton this weekend.
"There are 96 teams total in all the divisions on the U18 girls side," said Kodiaks head coach Dave Dalcanale. "We're ranked in the middle of the pack of division 2. We've recovered from provincials and we're rested."
Twenty-one courts at two different venues (the Butterdome and Saville Centre) at the University of Alberta campus are in play this weekend.
Power-hitter Danika Kettles said a lot of chatter during their matches will be necessary for success.
"We really have to communicate, then we'll do better," said Kettles. "Success all depends on how we come out and how we play."
PGYVC's U17 girls and U17 and U18 boys are also in Edmonton this weekend for the Canadian Open. The tournament wraps up Sunday.
