The Carihi Tyees made school history by winning a silver medal at the B.C. Senior AAA Girls Volleyball Championships Saturday at Brooks Secondary in Powell River.
Ranked eighth heading into the provincials, Carihi went 3-0 in pool play last Thursday, upsetting top-seeded Crofton House of Vancouver.
“After that win the team realized that they could beat anyone and set their sights on getting to the gold medal match,” said coach Jacquie Chase.
The Tyees beat Powell River in the round of 16 and then met South Kamloops in the quarter-finals who proved to be a formidable opponent.
“This match was a battle. We pounded the ball and South Kamloops dug everything,” said Chase.
Carihi secured a trip to the semi-finals in nail-biting fashion with a 16-14 win in the fifth set.
The team swept Elgin Park of Surrey in the semi-finals, which set up a rematch with Crofton House. Crofton took the first set 25-18 before Carihi settled down and got to work winning the second 25-23. Crofton took the third. Down one set to two, Carihi needed a fourth set win to stay alive. Tied at 24-24, two well-placed tips by Emoni Bush and Austin Cameron gave the Tyees the set. In the fifth, the team fell just short losing to Crofton 15-12.
“With such a young team, the senior players stepped up and provided great leadership when the games got tight. Rebecca Tazumi took charge on the court and ran a great offence, Maya Ruehlen was aggressive and solid on the service line, Novalee Dwinnell was an incredibly calm presence in the back court and Lindsay Atkinson was fearless and came into matches providing aggressive swings when the team needed them most,” said Chase.
Emoni Bush, Carihi’s dominant Grade 10 outside hitter, was awarded a first team all-star along with setter Rebecca Tazumi. Grade 10 outside hitter Delaney Ewing was selected as a second team all-star. With such a young talented group of athletes, the future is bright for Carihi Volleyball, adds Chase.
