Erika Morris wasn't sure if she'd make the Under-17 provincial team.
She need not have worried.
Not only did the local volleyball star secure a spot on that club, she also earned a job with the Under-18 version of Team B.C. Tryouts for both squads were held two weekends ago in Burnaby, and Morris got the news of her double duty on Sunday.
"I was really excited and kind of surprised," said Morris, who is putting the finishing touches on her Grade 11 year at PGSS. "I think it's a really good opportunity and I think working with the different coaches will really help my volleyball."
It's highly unusual for any athlete to land on Team B.C. in two different age groups at the same time. Mark LaFleur, who coaches Morris in the Prince George Youth Volleyball Club, used the word "phenomenal" to describe her accomplishment.
"All along, since last season, we've had our focus on the U-17 team so the U-18 team was a total surprise but I think that speaks volumes about her long-term potential and the fact that she did really well this year playing at the U-18 level," LaFleur said. "People weren't aware that she wasn't 18 years old."
It's no accident Morris is good enough to play on both teams. She has been a high school player since Grade 8, first with the John McInnis Royals and now with the PGSS Polars. She has also been sharpening her skills in the PGYVC for the past three years. Outside of regular PGYVC tournaments and practices, she works with LaFleur two times each week for an hour at a time.
"She goes above and beyond the call of duty -- extra practices and she goes to tons of camps," LaFleur said. "She's also involved in training with PacificSport up at UNBC. There's lots of extra work behind the scenes that very few people are aware of.
"She has come so far in terms of her skill development and, physically, she's starting to get better coordination and is adding more strength."
Morris was also a Team B.C. player last summer. She competed at the Under-16 level as a middle blocker but is now training as a power hitter, the position she and her Team B.C. coaches feel suits her best.
"I'm on the shorter side for a middle, and I really like power," said Morris, who stands six-foot-one. "I like playing [defence] in the back row, not coming off the court. I think power suits me better."
Offensively, Morris can put a big smack on the ball. Defensively, her passing is strong and getting better all the time because of the extra work she's doing.
Morris will miss three weeks of training with the U-17 team because she'll be practicing and competing with the U-18 club, coached by former Prince George resident Chris Dahl. The two major events on Morris's schedule this summer are the NTCC tournament, July 19-24 in Winnipeg (U-18), and the Western Canada Summer Games, Aug. 10-14 in Kamloops (U-17).
In the fall, Morris will start her Grade 12 season with the Polars. After she finishes her high school career, she won't have any trouble finding a place to play post-secondary volleyball. At least 11 schools, on both sides of the border, have already shown interest in adding her to their programs.
"I hope to play in the CIS," she said, referring to Canadian Interuniversity Sport, the top league in the country. "We're just trying to get in contact with some of the schools. I'd really like to go to the University of Toronto or the University of British Columbia Okanagan. U of T has really good [academic] programs and tons of my family lives in the area so it would be nice to be there with them. UBC-O, I really like the coach there [Steve Manuel] and I love Kelowna. They have really good programs there too and they have pretty strong volleyball."
