The under-15 Kodiaks ran their offensive attack all the way to a bronze medal at the Volleyball B.C. provincial championships Sunday in Abbotsford.
The Prince George Youth Volleyball Club U15 boys squad posted a 6-1 overall record, which included a straight-sets victory over Richmond's Air Attack Gold in the bronze medal match.
"We were ranked third going in and we set up ourselves for success on the weekend," said Kodiaks head coach Ryan Thibault. "We were able to win our pool and everyone played fantastic. We were always in control in the playoffs and we were doing what we needed to do. We weren't taking a step back at all."
The Surrey Force won the 15-team Division 1 tournament, downing Langley's Fraser Valley Volleyball club in straight sets.
The Kodiaks posted a 3-0 round-robin record, defeating White Rock's Seaside Surf 2-0 (25-23, 25-22); Coquitlam/Surrey Focus Excel 2-0 (25-16, 26-24) and Kelowna Kamikaze 2-1 (25-8, 22-25, 15-7).
Prince George shut out the Focus Force in the first match of the round of 16 playoff bracket. In the quarter-finals, the Kodiaks shut down the Victoria Chargers 2-0 (25-20, 25-21) to take on the eventual champion Surrey Force in the semifinals.
The Force handed the Kodiaks their first and only loss in the tournament with a 2-0 decision (25-6, 25-22).
"They [the Force] were ranked No. 2 and they're a good, strong team," said Thibault. "We had a slow start in the first set and in the second game we had them on their heels. They made a lucky shot to win the set."
The Kodiaks rebounded in the bronze medal game to beat Richmond's Air Attack Gold 25-21, 25-20.
"The bronze medal game is one that nobody wants to play, but they got the job done and they were tired by the end," said Thibault. "I couldn't have asked for anything more."
The Kodiaks feature 10 players who all turn 15 this year.
Power hitter Jared Alpolczer was named one of six all-stars.
"He's a guy who we can really rely on when we need a play," said Thibault. "There are a handful of others who could have been all-stars, but they could only name six. Jared is definitely a leader on the court."
A large number of fans made the trip to Abbotsford and Thibault said it was one of the largest the team has played in front of all season.
The 15U Kodiaks Red girls side finished 15th out of 16 teams in Division 1.
In 16U girls Division 1, Kodiaks Red posted a 3-2 overall record en route to a sixth-place finish out of 16 teams.
Kodiaks Red posted a 2-1 round-robin record, succumbing only to the eventual silver medallists Coquitlam Ducks (Evan) in three sets.
Prince George defeated Cloverdale's Raincity Rush in the first round of the playoffs but lost 2-0 to Richmond's Air Attack Gold in the quarter-final.
Surrey's Force won the tournament, edging North Vancouver's BCO Black 2-1 in the final.
Kodiaks Black finished 14th in 16U girls Division 2, while in the 16U boys Division 1, the Kodiaks placed 16th.
