More than ever before, Volleyball B.C.'s provincial teams are being powered by talent from Prince George.
A total of nine Prince George Youth Volleyball Club players -- seven boys and two girls -- have cracked Team B.C. rosters in various age groups. P.G. is most heavily represented on the 17-and-under boys squad, which features Trevor Zemlak, Mitch Duthie, Wayne Woyciehouski and Austin Cromarty. Also on that team is Tristan Burridge, a Fort St. John product who trains with the PGYVC.
Meanwhile, Nic Balazs in on the 18-and-under Team B.C. roster and Jordan Foot is part of the 16-and-under club.
On the girls side, Erika Morris is on two provincial teams -- 18-and-under and 17-and-under -- and Mercedes Minck landed a job with the 16-and-under team.
"It's a pretty good showing for the club," PGYVC president Dan Drezet said from Kamloops, the city in which Volleyball B.C. is basing its training camps. "Walking around the gym, there were some pretty good comments about the level of the players coming from the north.
"I don't think we've ever had six kids [on Team B.C.] on the guys' side," added Drezet, who is an assistant coach for the boys 18-and-under provincial team. "We've had more girls in the past but it goes in cycles."
Players in the 17-and-under and 16-and-under groups are preparing for the Western Elite Championships, which start July 21 in Kelowna.
Balazs and Morris will both compete in the Western Canada Summer Games next month in Kamloops. Morris will also be on the court in Winnipeg for a national tournament later this month.
