The Warren Collegiate Wildcats are the MHSAA “A/AA” junior varsity girls’ volleyball champions.
Warren capped off a tremendous run at the provincials with an impressive 2-0 (25-22, 25-17) win over the Rosenort Redhawks last Saturday in Flin Flon.
“It was a wonderful way to end the season. This was a very unique group of girls, they were extremely hard working and dedicated from the very beginning of the season and gelled really well as a team,” said Andrea Schutz, who coached the team along with Kim Cassils. “They all got along well and I think that transferred onto the court. They were fantastic teammates.”
The girls should be very, very proud of themselves for winning a provincial championship. Schutz said this team was well advanced in terms of volleyball knowledge right from the beginning of the season. They were also extremely coachable throughout the season.
“They were super excited, overjoyed,” Schutz said. “The win over Rosenort solidified everything we had worked for during the season. To be honest with you, that’s not who we thought we would end up against in the final so it was a bit of a surprise but the girls really pulled it together and did a fantastic job. They were super excited to celebrate the accomplishment at the end.”
In a semifinal game earlier Saturday, Warren defeated the Goose Lake High School Angels 2-1 by scores of 26-24, 20-25, 15-5. It was a great win for the Wildcats as they had won just one set against the Angels in two previous matches before the provincials.
The Wildcats started the provincial playoffs with an intense – and tough – 2-0 (26-24, 25-21) victory over Gabrielle-Roy Les Roys.
In pool play, Warren was a perfect 3-0 after posting 2-1 wins over Goose Lake High School, Rosenort, and Hapnot.
The Wildcats did a great job winning close games at provincials.
“All but two matches went to three sets in the tournament and they were intense games,” Schutz said. “I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat. It was amazing competition from the other teams as well. There are a lot of very skilled volleyball players in the province at the AA level.”
This championship win was a total team effort by Warren. But three Wildcats’ players were very deservedly recognized after the provincials.
Torie Galbraith was named the tournament’s most valuable player while Camryn Oliver and Paige Seidel were selected as all stars.
“Torie’s honour was well deserving of the MVP. She is an incredible left-side hitter and she really makes the setter look good and she can hit from anywhere on the court. She’s got really good game sense as well in where she places the ball,” Schutz said. “Camryn has come into her own as our middle hitter late in the season, she blocks, and hits in the corners. There is no stopping her. Paige is another incredible hitter and defensively she gets balls that you think they’re gone and she gets a (touch) and brings it back into play. All three are excellent players.”
At the junior varsity boys’ “A/AA” volleyball provincials, Warren was defeated 2-1 (25-20, 23-25, 15-11) by the Glenboro Panthers in the third-place game on Saturday.
The Wildcats had reached the semifinals where they lost 2-0 (25-18, 25-23) to the Miami Marlins earlier Saturday.
Warren began the playoffs with a 2-1 (16-25, 25-17, 15-13) win over Morris/St. Jean. The Wildcats then beat Margaret Barbour 2-1 (23-25, 25-21, 15-13) in another great comeback effort.
Warren finished second in their four-team pool with a 2-1 record.
Meanwhile, the College Stonewall Collegiate Rams were defeated 2-1 by the Neelin Spartans in the quarter-finals of the junior varsity girls’ “AAA” provincials.
The Rams had earlier posted a dominating 2-0 playoff win over R.D. Parker Collegiate.
In pool play, Stonewall finished with a 3-0 record
