The Beaux-Lacs Attaque and the Notre Dame High School (NDHS) Wildcats put it all on the line in an extremely tight gold medal match, at the 2017 Bonnyville Centralized High School (BCHS) Roadrunners Classic.
Volleyball teams from across the region battled it out in the annual tournament from Sept. 22 to 23, at the Bonnyville and District Centennial Centre.
From the onset of the tournament in the girls division, it was evident the two local teams were standouts on the court. They first met in the group stage, where a tie-breaking set was necessary. That set ended 16-14 in favour of the Attaque, giving them a perfect record to that point.
NDHS defeated each of their remaining opponents enourte to the playoffs.
The two powerhouse teams met once again, this time with gold medal on the line. In front of a large crowd made-up of their friends and family, the two schools put on a show.
“Both teams showed so much courage and guts in that game. I was amazed at how many balls were dug in that game, there were some hard hit balls and people we're picking them up,” said Attaque head coach Troy Gratton.
Strong defensive play and the ability to attack not only from the front line, but in the backcourt, led Beaux-Lacs to a first set victory.
In the second set, NDHS showed resolve, jumping out to a big lead and hanging on to force a deciding third set.
“I loved my team's performance. We lost that first set and I've had teams who have stopped trying. They didn't stop trying. They fought right until the end and that's what you want,” said Tyler Collins, head coach for the Wildcats.
The intensity level went up a couple more notches with gold medals waiting for the first team to reach 15 points, in a win by two points format.
Neither team showed any sign of giving up, the Wildcats and the Attaque went point-for-point right until the very end.
It came down to one point, with the Attaque leading 15-14, and looking to close it out. They set up an outside attack that narrowly avoided the Wildcat defence, leading to an emphatic and well deserved championship celebration.
“I was amazed at how well we were able to regroup in that third and deciding game, because we kind of came out slow and made up some ground. I'm really impressed with our girls,” expressed Gratton.
The victory moves the Attaque team to 3-0 in tournaments this year, and also serves as a benchmark for the level of competition they can expect when they host the provincial championships in November.
“When you play in these kinds of situations you have to be able to push through and I think our girls are showing a lot of mental toughness. They're 3-0, they're doing awesome, and I'm pretty pumped,” exclaimed Gratton.
The players are just as excited as their coaching staff, fully aware of the unique opportunity they have this season.
“Honestly our team is coming together really well, they're such great girls. We're going into the provincials confident, we haven't seen all of the teams but if we keep playing like this it will be a good tournament,” said Attaque senior Kendall Letwinetz.
