Bronze wasn’t the medal colour the MEI Eagles were necessarily dreaming of, but a podium finish was nevertheless a terrific result at junior boys volleyball provincials.
The Eagles, who hosted the tournament last weekend, came in as the No. 2 seed, fresh off a victory over Langley Fundamental in the Fraser Valley title game.
The two local rivals clashed again in the B.C. semifinals, and this time it was Langley Fundmental emerging victorious in three hard-fought sets.
The Titans went on to knock off top-seeded Penticton in the final, while the Eagles regrouped to beat Delta in two sets in the third-place game.
“We feel good about the bronze,” Eagles coach Brad Knodel said. “If we’d just thrown it away and not played well, it would be been disappointing.
“But Langley Fundamental played really well – they served really tough. It’s always better when you lose to a team that’s playing at the top of their game.”
Two Eagles were honoured as provincial all-stars – right side Jordan Loewen was on the first team, and setter Jordan Koslowsky was a second-teamer.
Both of those players – and eight of the 12 players on the Eagles’ roster – are in Grade 9, which bodes well for the future.
“At times during pool play, we had all Grade 9s on the court,” Knodel noted. “Next year, we should have the strongest team I’ve seen since I’ve been involved, and that’s been eight years. MEI volleyball looks good for the next several years.”
