HUMBOLDT, MUENSTER, ANNAHEIM — By finishing second at regionals in Melfort, the Humboldt Collegiate Institute senior boys volleyball team is headed to the 4A provincial tournament.
HCI went 2-1 at the regional tournament last Saturday. Melfort and Unit Comprehensive Collegiate, the event’s host, posted a 3-0 record to claim the regional title. Tisdale Middle & Secondary School was third – and also headed to provincials – with a 1-2 record. The provincial tournament will be held in Moose Jaw.
“The team is excited to be going to provincials as a whole,” HCI head coach Braeden Ager said. “We only have three boys from previous years that have gone to provincials, so this is a whole new experience for our very young team, and we feel like we're going in as underdogs with very little pressure on us.”
In Melfort, HCI beat Nipawin’s L.P. Miller Comprehensive School 2-0, and TMSS 2-0. The Humboldt team fell to MUCC 2-0.
“As for our play, our boys played well against Tisdale and Nipawin and were able to secure the wins to get to provincials,” said Ager, who noted the team did not play well against MUCC, “but we did show flashes where we outplayed them, so we know that if we do play well, we can compete with them at provincials as well.”
Games from the provincial tournaments, including the 4A event HCI is competing in, will be streamed online. Links will be available on the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association website.
Muenster, Annaheim Provincial Bound
The Muenster School senior boys volleyball team won the regional tournament in Glaslyn to earn its berth into the 1A provincials. Annaheim School placed second and, along with third place Medstead, is also provincial bound.
Playing in Fox Valley and Maple Creek this coming weekend will be the first provincials experience for most of the Muenster squad. Only the team’s Grade 12 players have previous provincials experience.
“As with every team there, our goal is to make it to the quarterfinals and hopefully get to the semifinals in order to play for a provincial medal,” head coach Joel Taphorn said. “The competition will be even better than what our boys have seen as there are several schools with long standing traditions of boasting highly skilled teams who annually compete for provincial medals. It will be a great experience and something that our younger athletes can continue to strive towards in the future. “
In Glaslyn, Muenster School faced a challenging draw as it played the first game of the day and had a long break until its second round robin contest. The team beat Paradise Hill, 2-0, and Glaslyn, 2-0.
“Our boys were quite focussed on what was necessary in order for us to advance to provincials,” Taphorn said. “In both round robin games, consistency was probably our biggest asset. Very few mistakes and then our ability to capitalize on mistakes made by our opponent. We had some timely hits, and some great defensive plays. Our blocking also shut down the other teams from hitting at us.”
In pool play, Annaheim beat Medstead, 2-0, and Goodsoil, 2-1. It bested Glaslyn, 2-1, in the semifinals, while Muenster beat Medstead, 2-0, on the other side of the bracket.
There is a great rivalry between Muenster and Annaheim. Taphorn explained they do not like to lose to each other. Some of the opposing volleyball players are baseball and hockey teammates and they support each other when not competing.
“The final wasn't the best volleyball by either team,” Taphorn said. “There were mistakes being made that earlier in the day were plays that were made. It was the end of a pretty long day. I give both teams a lot of credit for giving all that they had left in the tank. We were both excited for each other to be advancing.”
