The Vernon Venom U18 boys went 6-1 and earned the bronze medal at the Volleyball BC Provincial Championships last weekend at the Richmond Olympic Oval.
On Saturday, the Venom went undefeated in pool play against Kelowna, Fraser Valley Blue and Prince George. Their playoff opened with a thrilling quarterfinal victory over fourth-ranked Focus Fire in straight sets.
In the semifinal, the Venom fought hard, but came up short against the Focus Pounders, who went on to strike gold.
Venom coach Andy White was pleased with the performance of his club overall, particularly since they were without the talents of Marco Arnold, out of the lineup with a season-ending injury.
Ranked fifth among 22 teams entering the tournament, the depleted Venom lineup of eight went on to earn the bronze by sweeping the Kelowna Klutch 2-0. Power hitter Jonathan Russo was named a tournament all-star.
This is the last provincials for this Venom team of 18 year olds. Their final tournament is the Nationals, starting Friday, at the Tradex in Abbotsford.
