Through their first four tournaments of the year, no one has been able to solve the North Battleford Comprehensive High School Vikings Grade 9 girls’ volleyball team.
Prior to the Thanksgiving weekend, the team had won every event they had competed in, which included two tournaments in North Battleford at and a pair of tournaments in Lloydminster.
“We knew that we’d have a fairly good team given how strong they were in Grade 8, but we’re really happy with how well they’ve played so far,” Vikings coach Bryan Cottini said.
“They faired well against older opponents last season and many of them play club volleyball together, so their overall skill and strength has improved a lot since last season.”
Their most recent win to date came at their home tournament on Sept. 30, as they defeated the Prince Albert Carlton Crusaders in the final.
“It’s always sweet to win at home,” said Cottini, who also saw his team win an event at John Paul II to start the season.
“The win I’m most proud of came at the Lloydminster Holy Rosary tournament before that though. We went to the third set against a team from St. Paul [Alberta] and our girls showed a lot of heart to come back and win.”
The Vikings will be back in action this weekend for a tournament in Prince Albert as they prepare for the conference playoffs on Oct. 28 at John Paul II and the districts in Wilkie on Nov. 2.
“We are well aware that our defensive play and our blocking need to improve if we want to have a good finish to the year,” Cottini said.
