For Ryley Ducharme, his third provincial volleyball tournament was his last — but being named a provincial second-team all-star made it the most memorable. It was an honour that the Prince Charles Secondary School Grade 12 student had been working toward and hoping for since Grade 9.
“I never expected it to happen, so when it did, it was a surprise,” he said.
The Nov. 28-Dec. 1 tournament, held in Langley, was the culmination of eight years of volleyball, which Ducharme started playing in Grade 4, eager to try it after seeing his dad play.
“It’s always been the sport I’m most interested in,” he said.
The outside hitter also plays basketball on the PCSS team and plays baseball in Cranbrook. At a mere six feet, two inches, though, his height will keep him from advancing in volleyball, so that’s likely not in his future.
“I do plan to go play baseball somewhere,” he said.
The PCSS senior Bulldogs went into the provincial tournament ranked 11th, but moved up two places to ninth, following six wins and a crossover-game loss.
“We exceeded expectations for everyone, especially in the win-loss column,” said coach Ki Louie. “Nobody in the province had seen us play this year.”
The ninth-place finish was a step down from last year, and not unexpected with fewer experienced Grade 12 players — but Ducharme’s effort helped the team pull ahead.
“For us to get ninth was a lot of relying on Ryley,” said Louie. “He was digging up balls you shouldn’t be digging up.”
Event officials noticed, which is why Ducharme earned his all-star title, despite being on a low ranked team — all-stars are usually selected from teams ranked sixth or higher.
“I felt very proud of Ryley, especially,” he said. “I was proud that they honoured him. They saw his hustle.”
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