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The Kelowna Owls are where they expected to be on the third day of the Big Kahuna B.C. senior AAA high school boys volleyball championship tournament.
Ranked No. 1 going into the 20-team provincial tourney at the Langley Events Centre, the Kelowna Secondary School Owls earned a berth in tonight’s semifinal with a 3-1 (25-14, 25-20, 21-25, 25-15) quarter-final win over No. 7-ranked Reynolds Roadrunners of Victoria earlier today.
The win was the fifth straight for the Okanagan Valley champions, as they swept their three matches in power-pool play on Wednesday and defeated Fraser Heights 3-0 (25-22, 25-13, 25-14) on Thursday in the first round of the championship draw.
The Owls will meet fifth-ranked Dover Bay Dolphins of Nanaimo in one semifinal match at 8:15 p.m. today. The Dolphins earned their berth in the semis by defeating No. 4 Walnut Grove Gators 3-2 (25-19, 25-15, 14-25, 21-25, 15-13) today.
Prior to the tournament, KSS head coach, Mike Sodaro, told KelownaNow that if his team came ready to play and was on its game the Owls had a great opportunity to come home with a gold medal.
“I’m pretty confident that we’re going to be in the semifinal match, fighting for a position in the gold medal match. That’s where I see us if things go the way we’ve practised and played. That’s where we should be, and that’s our goal. But everyone’s got to show up.”
Sodaro reiterated his thoughts after the quarter-final win over Reynolds.
“The boys are playing extremely well. It’s been a well-rounded effort so far, but now we have to come ready and focused and take care of our own game and play the way we can against Dover,” said Sodaro, whose team defeated the Dolphins in their only meeting this season at an invitational tournament in Langley.
The other semifinal tonight will the No. 3-ranked Semiahmoo Totems of Surrey playing No. 8 Seaquam Seahawks of Delta. Semiahmoo edged the No. 12 Earl Marriott Mariners 3-2 in today's quarter-final and Seaquam downed No. 13 Killarney Cougars of Vancouver by the same score.
Winners of the tonight’s semifinals will meet for the gold medal beginning at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
The Owls will be looking for their first provincial boys volleyball title in 63 years, although they’ve won five silver medals, including three straight from 2012 to 2014.
Meanwhile, the Mt. Boucherie Bears of West Kelowna, silver medalists last year, were knocked out of contention for another medal when they fell 3-1 (10-25, 22-25, 27-25, 27-25) to Earl Marriott in the round of 16 on Thursday.
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