Seven victories in nine matches were enough for the East Kootenay Volleyball Club Avalanche to place 10th out of 21 teams at the Volleyball Alberta provincial championships May 2 and 3 in Calgary.
One of the Creston-based team’s two losses was to Northern Alberta Volleyball Club (Gold) of Edmonton, which went on to win the under-15 boys’ title at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.
The impressive showing by the Avalanche, coached by Creston’s Mike Nelson and Niall Cobbe and featuring Creston players Davis Nelson, Marcus Bell, Mark Armstrong and Jacob Johnston, qualified EKVC for the top tier of entries in the national club championships, also in Calgary.
“The team really jelled,” said Avalanche manager Carrie Armstrong of Creston, who heard “many comments from other families, refs and coaches about the quality of our team. I think we surprised a lot of people.”
In round-robin action on Day 1, the Avalanche swept through their five-team pool, beating NAVC (Green) 25-16, 25-23, Whitecourt Revs 25-18, 25-16, Stoney Plain Ravens 25-11, 25-22 and Grande Prairie Wolves 25-12, 25-19.
The coach of the first opponent “called them in during the warm-up and said, ‘So, these guys can play,’ then cut short their warm-up and watched us hit,” Armstrong said.
The Avalanche opened the playoff round with a three-set triumph over Sherwood Park, 25-19, 21-25, 15-8, earning them a crack at NAVC (Gold) at the end of a long day. Although the eventual gold-medallists won the best-of-three match in straight sets, it was close, with EKVC coming within 25-20 and 25-21. It was one of the toughest matches NAVC would encounter en route to the title.
The next day the Avalanche started strongly as the playoffs continued, winning two matches in three sets apiece before falling in a three-set consolation final to the St. Albert Sturgeons (Blue), including a 16-14 nail-biter in the decisive set.
Creston youths played key roles in the weekend success, with Mark Armstrong employing advanced jump sets and shoot sets for power hitter Davis Nelson to convert, and Bell serving consistently and contributing steady back-row play. Johnston, a recent addition to the team, hit and blocked well from the right side.
The outcome placed EKVC (which also featured three players from Cranbrook and two from Fernie) in elite company for the Volleyball Canada championships, which are being billed as the largest single-sport athletic event in Canadian history.
The 15U boys’ division features 51 teams split into two tiers, with EKVC qualifying for the 32-team, eight-pool first division.
The Avalanche are grouped in a round-robin pool with the Jeff’s Crestwear Volleyball Club of Saskatoon (one of the largest programs in Saskatchewan) and a pair of Ontario clubs, Durham and Markham, the latter from the Greater Toronto Area.
East Kootenay is guaranteed at least seven matches over three days.
Overall, the 2015 nationals figure to be a record-setting event as, for the first time, all of Volleyball Canada’s championships for boys and girls at all age levels will be held in the same location at the same time.
Some 800 teams, 10,000 players and 12,000 spectators are expected to converge on Calgary for the six-day celebration of the sport.
The Avalanche play all of its games in the Olympic Oval on the University of Calgary campus, site of speed skating events during the 1988 Winter Games.
—EAST KOOTENAY VOLLEYBALL CLUB
