The Oak Bay High School senior girls volleyball team is thanking tight teamwork and strong defence for a big win at Belmont Secondary School Saturday night.
The girls took home the Vancouver Island 2019 AAAA Senior Girls Volleyball Championship, beating out Claremont Secondary 25-23. Claremont earned second place and Dover Bay Secondary took home third. All three teams will now head to provincial championships in Langley.
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“It was really a team effort,” said Oak Bay co-coach Mike McCulloch. “Everyone on our team had a role and they all knew their role and stuck to it… We were really tight as a team, it was our defence, our passing and our serving that won.
“We’re not a better team than Claremont but we were yesterday.”
Co-coach Lara McCulloch says the Oak Bay girls had played – and mostly lost – against Claremont seven or eight times before the Vancouver Island competition. And after losing three Grade 12 girls from the team this year, Lara says it took some re-arranging to find the team’s strength.
Player Talia Hill, who is typically the team’s libero (strictly back row) had to take on the role of setter, while full-time setter Amelia McCulloch acted as setter and attacker.
“With this particular team we had to mix things up in order to present the most competitive team possible,” Lara said. “I really felt like they stepped up.”
Hill left the game with an All Star award, while Amelia was awarded the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award.
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The upcoming BC Secondary School Volleyball Provincial Championships, held at the Langley Events Centre from Nov. 28 to Nov. 30 are full of opportunity, says tournament coordinator and Belmont Secondary coach Mike Toakley.
“A large number of the players are thinking they might like to play post secondary, and are thinking about scholarships as well,” Toakley said. “If you’re at provincial championships that’s more exposure for you as an individual. It’s the hot bed for high school volley ball in the province.”
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