The PGYVC 13-and-under Kodiaks didn't know their own strength.
In local league play during the season, the girls team from the Prince George Youth Volleyball Club always stepped onto the court against squads a year older on the age scale. The lack of any other teams at the 13U level made that a necessity.
So when the Kodiaks arrived in Abbotsford for last weekend's Volleyball BC provincial championships, they really weren't sure what to expect of themselves in the 13U division.
As it turned out, among their peers, they were good enough to claim a bronze medal.
"We didn't know how we were going to stack up going in but we ended up playing really solid and not giving up and we were quite successful," said Ben Receveur, who, along with Doug Parker, coaches the Kodiaks.
"We were overjoyed (with the medal). I think the girls earned it. The way they played, they fought really hard and were rewarded for their effort."
In the Tier 1 bronze-medal showdown, the Kodiaks beat one of the Fraser Valley Volleyball Club entries in straight sets, 25-17, 26-24. The Prince George girls had also defeated the same squad in their opening match at provincials, 25-13, 28-30, 15-12.
"We were quite confident going into the final," Receveur said. "Our first line went in and they were successful in winning the first set, and our second line went in and they battled and battled and it was a bit of a scrappy second set but they ended up coming out on top."
For both teams, the bronze-medal match was their sixth of the weekend. In Receveur's opinion, mental fortitude helped the Kodiaks secure the victory.
"It was a long weekend for the girls," he said. "They're younger, and I think we were a little bit more mentally tough. I know both teams were tired but I think we held the mental edge and just held it together."
After the opening win against Fraser Valley, the Kodiaks completed round robin with victories against Powell River (25-11, 26-24) and BCO Red of Surge Narrows (25-18, 25-23). Then, in the playoff quarterfinals, they downed Focus Black of Burnaby 18-25, 25-11, 16-14). The only loss for Prince George came in the semifinals, a 17-25, 25-21, 15-9 setback at the hands of Ducks JC of Coquitlam.
The Kodiaks are formed by Alyssa Hansen, Cey Barnett, Hailey Chencharik, Sophie Yarish, Shelby Glacier, Annaleise Receveur, Sara Evans, Leah Parker, Courtney Friesen, Brooklyn Fowler, Adriana Friesen and Rachel Loukes. Special recognition went to Loukes, who was chosen as her team's most inspirational player.
In other local results from provincials: Kodiaks Red won Tier 2 bronze in the 14U girls category, 25-23, 25-13 over Elevate Ice; Kodiaks Black went 2-4 in 14U girls Tier 2; Kodiaks Red played to a 1-5 record in 14U boys Tier 1; and Kodiaks Black posted a 1-5 mark in 14U boys Tier 2.
