The Wildcat senior girls' high school volleyball team competed in their first tournament of the year in Camrose, hosted by Our Lady of Mount Pleasant (OLMP) and came out on top, beating Thorsby in the finals.
"The girls started out Friday afternoon, Sept. 16 against Heritage Christian and after defeating them in two straight sets, the Stettler Wildcats went on to play Camrose Composite High School, and again prevailed in two sets," said coach Sheri Morbeck. This tournament win, in spite of three more players droppng out on Saturday morning, reducing Wildcats to eight.
"They easily won their first set to 25 against Rimbey, but then experienced a few "hiccups," falling short in the next two sets," added Morbeck.
This led to Wildcats being in second place in their pool after round- robin play.
The girls came back to face Drumheller and beat them in straight sets, which put them up against the host team OLMP in the semifinals.
"The girls were neck-and-neck in the first set, but came up short, partly due to missed serves," explained Morbeck.
Yet, the Wildcats forged ahead and "dug deep," winning the second set 25-23.
"Feeling confident they were able to keep this winning momentum going for one more set, they won the third 16-14," said Morbeck.
By the time they reached the finals against Thorsby, the Wildcats were down by another player, with only seven remaining on the team.
The first set went back-and-forth before the Wildcats pulled off a 25-23 win.
"Things fell into place a little easier in the second set and the girls were able to claim the tournament title with a 25-18 win," added Morbeck. "This was a great start to the season."
Donalda Eagles win Red Deer Fall Classic
The Donalda Eagles overcame great odds to win the Fall Classic, a two-day, 24-team tournament for junior high players in Red Deer.
"I am so proud of my little team," said Coach Don Seale. "It was an impressive feat to win a tourney like that, and against such opposition. Most of those teams choose players from junior highs of 100-250 students."
Held last weekend at Red Deer College (RDC), the annual event featured a number of sizeable Red Deer schools, such as Lindsay Thurber, Camille, St. Francis, Hunting Hills, and many from Central Alberta, such as Lacombe, East Central, H. J. Cody and St. Augustine, among others.
Donalda placed second in its pool in the round-robin, splitting matches with Bawlf and St. Augustine, and defeating Lindsay Thurber two straight.
In the playoffs, the Eagles had victories over West Central, Camille, Bawlf, and Lacombe.
"The real challenge came against Bawlf in the semis," explained Seale. "Their players are well coached and skilled. My girls didn't show up for the first game (15-25)."
The second set started out the same way, but some timely advice for setters, Jessica Dixon and Morgan Fuller, began to make a difference.
"My two captains, Taylor Fuller and Rachel Seale, were a two-woman wrecking crew," said Seale. "They hit at Bawlf from everywhere, which put their players on the heels, and they began making uncharacteristic mistakes."
The Eagles won the second set, 25-21. The third and deciding set was a "barn burner." It was a "seesaw battle" all the way up. The Eagles kept attacking, finally edging out a victory 17-15 over Bawlf.
Donalda played a solid Lacombe team in the finals, but their efforts paid off as they won in two sets 25-15 and 25-18.
Although Lacombe mounted a comeback and took a 17-16 point lead, Donalda's serving, however, was more than the opposition could handle.
The Eagles scored nine of the next eleven points to win the championship.