The Charles Hays Secondary senior boys volleyball team will be competing for the provincial championship after defeating the Smithers Secondary School Gryphons in the zone final on Nov. 17.
The Rainmakers started out strong, leading 15-10 midway through the first set as the team set-up spike after spike while displaying some solid defense, and went on to win the set 25-16.
In the second set, the Rainmakers dominated the early going, amassing a 15-5 lead early on. Down 18-7 shortly after a time out, the Gryphons players looked defeated on the court, which allowed Prince Rupert to carry forward the early momentum en-route to a 25-12 second set win.
But the Gryphons were resilient and were anything but out as they took an early lead in what proved to be a competitive start to the third. The two teams were actually tied at seven in the early going, but Prince Rupert went on an 8-1 run as the Gryphons continued to falter on the court. The final nail in the Smithers coffin came when the team couldn’t return the serve, and the Rainmakers celebrated a 25-12 final set victory to take the game three sets to none.
Garret Kobza, who was a strong presence at the net, was named the Most Valuable Player of the zones. The provincials will be held in Kelowna from Nov. 28 to Dec. 1.
