Accomplished.
Amazing. Achievements.
Alive. Admiration. Awesome.
From A to AAA – and one junior varsity squad – six North Okanagan senior and junior high school volleyball teams have qualified for provincial championships.
All but one captured Okanagan Valley pennants – the other lost the Valley final to their heated cross-town rival.
One team is the host for the provincial finals.
One team has never been to the provincial finals before.
One is currently at their B.C. tournament 30 minutes from home, and rolled through the preliminary round undefeated.
Here are the teams representing their schools and their communities:
JUNIOR BOYS
The Owls' Nest has become like a second home for the Vernon Christian School Royals.
First, the team coached by Jaime Vanderleest and Jesse Zuidhof won the Okanagan Valley championship at Kelowna Secondary, defeating the No. 1-ranked team in the province, the Kelowna Owls, in three sets to capture the Valley pennant.
The Royals have been competing all year against some of the big schools in the province, and defeated the biggest in B.C. in the game of the year to that point.
Now, Vernon Christian is back at KSS, competing at the 24-team B.C. Junior Boys Invitational Championships and have picked up where they left off at the Valley finals.
The Royals – ranked No. 2 for the provincials – swept their opening-day pool matches Thursday, Nov. 21. VCS opened with a 25-16, 25-13 win over the Duchess Park Condors of Prince George, then got past the Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs of Vancouver 25-18, 25-20. Vernon Christian capped the day with a 25-14, 25-21 victory over the Brookswood Bobcats of Langley.
VCS returned to the floor Friday, Nov. 22, at 3:10 p.m. to play the Penticton Lakers in the championship Round of 16.
The Royals continued their winning ways, downing their Okanagan rivals to advance to the quarterfinals Friday at 5:30 p.m. against the Delta Pacers.
Vernon Christian is on track for a potential semifinal showdown with the Kelowna Owls. The tournament host Owls face the Brookswood Bobcats in one quarterfinal, with the winner to play the victor of the Royals-Pacers game Saturday at 11:30 a.m. in a semifinal.
The championship game is slated for 3:10 p.m. Saturday at KSS.
SINGLE A GIRLS
The Vernon Christian School Royals head to Nanaimo for the 16-team B.C. A Championships beginning Thursday, Nov. 28. The trip comes after the Royals won the Okanagan Valley title in Osoyoos/Oliver to become the first Royals' senior girls team to qualify for provincials.
"This group of girls is a mix of players with lots of experience and some with only a few seasons," said VCS head coach Ali Kooger, who is helped on the bench by her husband, Joel. "They are hard-working, a lot of fun, and a couple of the graduating players hope to be playing in college next year."
The Royals were undefeated in the South Okanagan, and swept Kelowna's Aberdeen Hall Gryphons 3-0 in the Valley final.
Kooger's squad begins play in Nanaimo Thursday at 10 a.m. against the Unity Christian Flames of Chilliwack. The Royals will conclude their preliminary round games against the Credo Christian Kodiaks of Langley at 12:30 p.m., and the White Rock Christian Academy Warriors at 3 p.m.
BC AA BOYS
The Kalamalka Lakers said right from the get-go, when they were named hosts for the 16-team B.C. AA Senior Boys Championships Nov. 27-30 in Coldstream, they didn't want to back in as hosts.
And they're not.
The Lakers are the Okanagan's top seed, and the tournament's No. 2 seed, heading into their first match on their home court Wednesday, Nov. 27. Head coach Meghan Snobelen's team won the OK Valley crown in Kamloops, defeating the hometown, homecourt South Kamloops Titans 3-1 in the championship.
"After falling short in the first (set), we regrouped, and got to business, winning the next three straight," said Snobelen. "It was a mental battle that was good for us to experience and overcome as we’re preparing for many battles in our upcoming provincials."
Those battles start with pool play Wednesday, and the Lakers are grouped in the top-four Power Pool. Kal will open up the provincials in front of a raucous student body and staff, and parents, at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday against the Abbotsford Christian Knights (ranked No. 3). Kal will play No. 4 Surrey Christian Falcons at 1 p.m., and the showdown with the consensus No. 1-ranked Langley Christian Lightning goes at 3:30 p.m.
The tournament's championship game is slated for Saturday, Nov. 30, at 2 p.m. at Kal. Preliminary round matches will also be played at Vernon Secondary and Fulton Secondary School.
BC AA GIRLS
The Kal Lakers may have sent their Kal male counterparts a good luck charm for the provincials.
The team coached by Tehya Laviolette won the OK Valley title on their home court, defeating the Westside Whundas of Kamloops 3-0 in the championship to secure the Okanagan's lone berth to the provincials Nov. 28-30 at Mill Bay, on Vancouver Island.
The Lakers begin play in their 16-team tournament Thursday. They've been grouped in a preliminary round pool with the Richmond Christian Eagles (11:15 a.m.), York House Tigers (Vancouver, 1:45 p.m.), and Langley Christian Lightning (4:15 p.m.).
Kal is seeded fifth for the provincials.
BC AAA GIRLS
Bragging rights in Vernon have shifted across town.
Jay Jackson's Seaton Sonics captured the Okanagan Valley championship, defeating city rivals Vernon Panthers 25-9, 25-21, 25-15.
VSS, coached by Richard and Karen Bedard, had swept Seaton in the final of the Okanagan seeding tournament at the Panther Pit.
Seaton's win makes them the second seed for the provincials in West Vancouver starting Wednesday, while the Panthers are ranked No. 3.
Because of that seeding – and with the two rivals grouped in the Power Pool preliminary round Wednesday with No. 1-ranked Little Flower Academy Angels and the fourth-seeded Crofton House Falcons, both of Vancouver – the Sonics and Panthers will face each other in their opening tournament game at 10 a.m.
The two Vernon squads will also play at 12:30 p.m. (Seaton vs Crofton House, VSS vs Little Flower), and at 3 p.m. (Seaton vs Little Flower, VSS vs Crofton House).
