One of the favourites to reach the B.C. School Sports provincial senior AA girls volleyball championship match on Saturday, the George Elliot Coyotes face a huge challenge just to handle the high expectations.
The Lake Country representatives are seeded No. 2 among the 20 teams converging on three gymnasiums in Vernon beginning on Thursday, and will be looking to bring home their first girls' volleyball championship in 43 years.
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“We will have to be mentally tough and we need to be ready to overcome tough points that always occur at the provincial-championship level,” said veteran GESS head coach Doug Meraw on Monday. “But if the way the girls played at the Valley championship is any indication, they will be prepared for whatever they face.”
The Coyotes played host to the eight-team Valley tournament recently and lived up to their No. 1 ranking in the Okanagan by going undefeated in five matches and not losing a set during the two-day event. It was the first Okanagan Valley girls' volleyball pennant win in more than 20 years.
“It felt like they played better than at any time this season,” offered Meraw. “They had some big wins this year, but playing consistently at a high level was the goal going in and they accomplished just that. It gives us a lot of confidence that we’re ready heading into the BCs.”
As usual, the Coyotes were led by their captains, Tessa Ivans and Jasanna Kunz, while Grade 11 power, Chloe Ladd, was hitting the ball harder than she had all season.
Elliot dominated play in three pool matches while the Coyotes cruised to a 3-0 (25-12, 25-12, 25-17 ) victory over Pleasant Valley of Armstrong in the semifinal. In the championship match against Summerland, Elliot continued to motor by defeating the South Okanagan reps 25-20, 25-22, 25-20.
Meraw lauded the balance and depth of his team that had finished no lower than fifth in six invitational tournaments leading up to the Valley championship and had been ranked as high as No. 1 in the province this fall.
“Our middle play continues to improve and has become a real weapon for us,” he said. “Georgia Maclean, Lily Spannier and Amy Heggs were great for us in the Valleys while Thea Ley’s passing was outstanding and her defence, as always, was stellar. Sheena Macfarlane ran the offence beautifully and she kept opposing teams off balance with her set selection.”
Looking ahead to the 20-team provincial tournament in Vernon, Meraw will guide his team through pool play on Thursday at Clarence Fulton Secondary against No. 9-ranked Holy Cross of Vancouver, No. 12 Brentwood College and No. 19 Caledonia of Terrace.
Playoff action begins on Friday with the semifinals set for 11:20 on Saturday at Kalamalka Secondary and Fulton and the bronze-medal and championship match scheduled for 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. respectively at Kal.
Pacific Academy Breakers of Surrey go into the three-day event as the No. 1 seed while Pacific Christian Pacers of Victoria are ranked No. 3, York House Tigers of Vancouver No 4 and MEI Eagles of Abbotsford No. 5.
In their only meeting with Pacific Academy — at the Best Of The West in Kelowna — the Coyotes fell 25-20, 25-23, but Elliot was missing key personnel due to injury.
Meraw looks forward to the opportunity to see his team earn a rematch and possibly play for Elliot’s third provincial senior girls title (the school won in 1974 and 1976 while finishing second in 1978 and 1988).
“If we play them (Pacific Academy), it would probably come down to which team passes the best and plays the best defence. Both teams are strong offensively, so the team that digs the best will have the edge.”
Photo Gallery (45 photos) on KelownaNowSports Facebook page
Photo Gallery (45 photos) on KelownaNowSports Facebook page
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