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The depth of the Kelowna Owls shone through at the UBC Okanagan Ogopogo Classic senior girls volleyball tournament.
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Despite missing two key players, the Owls won five of seven matches at the annual high school event hosted by the UBCO women’s team and claimed the silver medal in the top (Heat) division. They dropped a 2-0 (25-21, 25-22) decision to the Lord Byng Grey Ghosts of Vancouver in the championship match on Saturday.
“Overall it was a great team effort with several come-from-behind wins, which shows the girls’ great character and never-quit attitude,” said coach Kelly Hettinga. “Although not having the two Sarahs (Hall - setter and Bernacki - libero) available, our depth allowed us to move players around to different positions to fill in the gaps.”
In the final, against the previously unranked Lord Byng (now No. 6), the provincially No. 7-ranked (AAAA) Owls jumped out to five- and six-point leads, but didn’t get the matchups they were looking for and lost ground down the stretch.
KSS earned a berth in the final by defeating the St. Thomas More Knights of Burnaby 2-1 (25-21, 19-25, 15-12) in a match that saw the Owls build on the momentum of five stuffed blocks in the first set and overcome a loss in the second despite their 11 kills in the middle set.
Hettinga said he was most pleased about the Owls teamwork on the weekend.
“Our girls are exceptional at functioning and working as a team and have amazing support for each other both on and off the court,” he added. “Players who may not see as much court time are still enthusiastic and encouraging. They are very good about not getting down on each other and they understand the importance of helping their teammates be the best they can be.”
While Amelia Anderson (setter) and Sophie Lachappelle (right side) were selected as tournament all-stars, Hettinga was quick to point out there were four or five of the Owls who could have gotten the nod on the dream team.
Rounding out the Owls’ roster are Karleigh Podolsky, Jenna Bain, Hannah Greene, Sydney Hope, Thea Gremmen, Makayla Savege, Jaalah Ward, Jenna Holland and Hanna Pagliaro.
Ranked No. 2 among 4A teams in the province going into the UBCO tournament, the Owls finished third at the prestigious 44-team event in September at the University of B.C. And they’ll get another huge test beginning today at their own two-day Best Of The West tournament at KSS.
Included in the tournament lineup are No. 2 (4A) Earl Marriot Mariners of Surrey who they’ll meet in power-pool play at 2 p.m. on Friday on home court.
Other Kelowna-area teams competing are the Okanagan Mission Huskies, Mt. Boucherie Bears, KSS B, Kelowna Christian School, George Elliot Coyotes and Immaculata Mustangs.
Meanwhile, the Okanagan Mission Huskies placed fifth in the Heat Division at the UBCO tournament.
After dropping two of three matches in pool play on Friday, the Huskies defeated Notre Dame 2-1 in their first playoff match, fell 2-0 to St. Thomas More in quarter-final play and bounced back to defeat the Penticton Lakers 2-1 in their final encounter on Saturday.
The Mt. Boucherie Bears finished 11th among the 16 teams in the Heat Division while a young George Elliot Coyotes squad tied for 15th place.
The Aberdeen Hall Gryphons of Kelowna, ranked No. 2 among A-division teams in the province this week, claimed bronze in the Blue Division at UBCO by defeating tournament all-star, Sela Ringer, and the Kelowna Owls (B) 2-0 in their final match.
The Gryphons, led by all-star, Sierra Kolodziej, reached the semifinals, losing two straight sets to the eventual winners from Kalamalka of Vernon.
The gold-division final saw the Rutland Voodoos win five of six matches to take first place. They defeated the Windsor Dukes of North Vancouver 2-0 (25-15, 25-13) in the championship match.
Extra sets: Five of the top 10 triple-A boys teams in B.C. are in action at the Best Of The West boys volleyball tournament this weekend . . . Host Kelowna Owls, ranked No. 4 in the province, begin in the A pool of the eight-team gold division with No. 1-ranked Earl Marriot Mariners of Vernon . . . the No. 5 Okanagan Mission Huskies start in the B pool of the gold division with No. 1 (AA) Abbotsford Christian, No. 3 (AA) College Heights of Prince George and the George Elliot Coyotes, No. 4 (AA) . . . The championship match is set for 4 p.m. on Saturday at KSS.
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