It was payback time for the College Heights Cougars.
The memory of losing the North Central zone final double-A girls volleyball in a five-set gutcruncher to the D.P. Todd Trojans was fresh in the minds of the returning Cougars Saturday afternoon when they walked out on the court at College Heights gym to face the Trojans.
This time, the Cougars would not be denied. They swept the Trojans in three straight and will go on to the 16-team provincial championship which starts Nov. 30 in Vanderhoof.
“It was a little bittersweet last year after having a successful season to lose in the final and the redemption feels pretty good,” said Cougars head coach Jason Olexyn.
“It was kind of ironic that earlier in the round robin we lost to D.P.Todd in three sets, so going into the final there was some uncertainty. We hadn’t lost to them all year until that round-robin match. We won the match that mattered.”
Grade 12 Cougars, Anika Schroeder at middle blocker and setter Brooke Eberherr, the tournament MVP, took charge in the final and gave the Trojans more than they could handle. Emily MacDonald was also a standout from the power hitter position, helping the Cougars lock up the only available provincial berth.
‘I kept the same lineup for all three sets (of the final) for fear of breaking any chemistry but I’m sure I could have put any of the five people on the bench in and they would have done equally as good of a job,” said Olexyn. “But having been upset last year I wasn’t taking any chances.”
Tournament scores and the all-star list were not available.
Meanwhile, at the North Central zone triple-A girls volleyball championship in Quesnel, the Kelly Road Roadrunner clinched a provincial tournament berth with their semifinal win over the Duchess Park Condors Saturday afternoon. Kelly Road took on Dawson Creek for the zone title later Saturday. Dawson Creek eliminated PGSS in the semifinal round.
