Two Interlake rivals delivered one of the most compelling matchups of the Provincial A/AA JV Girls Volleyball Championship, held Nov. 20–22 at Birtle Collegiate, as the Warren Wildcats defeated the Teulon Saints to claim third place in an all-local medal match.
Both teams battled through deep and competitive draws to reach the bronze-medal final.
Warren opened the tournament with tough losses to eventual champion Gabrielle-Roy Les Roys (16-25, 14-25), the Killarney Raiders (20-25, 25-19, 12-15), and Teulon (10-25, 25-20, 9-15), before closing out group play with a straight-sets win over the Lac du Bonnet Chargers (25-16, 25-13) to finish 1-3.
That was good enough for fourth in Pool 1 and a quarter-final date with the Pool 2-winning Miami Marlins.
In the quarter-final, the Wildcats found their rhythm and delivered an upset win over the Marlins in straight sets (25-21, 25-20). Their semifinal rematch with Killarney again went the Raiders’ way, 25-23, 25-14, sending Warren into the third-place match.
Teulon followed a similar tournament path. The Saints dropped their opener to Gabrielle-Roy (19-25, 15-25) before defeating Lac du Bonnet (25-18, 25-15). After falling to Killarney in three sets (15-25, 25-21, 10-15), Teulon bounced back with a three-set win over Warren (25-10, 20-25, 15-9) to finish third in Pool 1. In the quarter-final, the Saints rallied past the Gilbert Plains Trojans (16-25, 25-23, 15-9) before running into the eventual champions from Gabrielle-Roy in the semifinal.
That set the stage for a highly anticipated Interlake showdown for bronze, and a rematch of October’s Zone 5 Championship.
The match delivered on expectations. Warren took the opening set 25-17, Teulon answered 25-22, and the Wildcats closed out the deciding set 15-10 to secure third place at provincials. It marked a strong finish for both programs, with each earning a top-four result in a field that featured some of the best JV teams in Manitoba.
“It was some of the best volleyball that Kim (Cassils, assistant coach) and I have seen,” said Warren head coach Cara Gulay. “For them to step it up at the right time and to beat Miami, it gave the girls some momentum moving forward, and I think the pressure was off going into the bronze game because we were up against Teulon. So many of the girls are friends with each other … it’s been a friendly competition with them throughout this whole season. Just to play them in that final game and, of course, to take the lead there and ultimately win, it was incredible.”
The Saints settled for fourth place with the loss, capping off a strong season that included a Zone 5 Championship victory.
“Our team had a great season,” said Teulon head coach Mike Rawlings. “I’m really proud of how they played and more proud of how they supported each other and were great teammates on and off the court.”
Gabrielle-Roy Les Roys captured the provincial title with a 25-12, 25-9 win over the Killarney Raiders.
The weekend showcased the growing talent in Interlake volleyball and reaffirmed a local rivalry that promises to stay competitive for years to come.
“Having two of the top four come from this zone is quite the accomplishment for volleyball in the Interlake as well. Warren runs a great program, so congrats to them,” said Rawlings.
