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Island Champs Qualify for Provincials!
The past couple of weeks have been jam-packed with victories and hardware for our Senior A Girls Volleyball Team! With a North Island Championship under their belt, the team was fired up for Island Championships at John Barsby in Nanaimo. Securing first place at North Islands was exciting, but the girls only had to get in the top four to advance to Islands. At the Island Championship Tournament, the stakes were higher: in order to qualify for BC Provincials in Merritt on December 1-3, the team had to finish in the top two against the best AA teams from across the Island. After five hard-fought games and five gutsy victories, the team emerged as Island Champions!
On Friday, the team played three pool play matches, winning the games against Lambrick and Parkland quite convincingly before a tighter match against the second-ranked team in their pool, John Barsby. Despite the Barsby fans cheering and banging on drums from the bleachers, Brentwood never let off the gas and, spurred on by the Patels who had come to watch, pulled off a three-set victory. The team finished first place in their pool, placing them in the semi-finals on Saturday.
Saturday morning rolled around and, refreshed from their morning sleep-in, the team was ready for their match. They knew the stakes were high: if they won, they would qualify for Provincials and continue their season, but if they lost, it would be the last game of Brentwood volleyball the 12s ever played. The girls faced off in a five-set match against Kwalikum, the team they beat in the North Island finals. “Five-set matches require a different type of energy and drive,” remarked Kennedy P, Mack ‘24, “we knew we had to draw on one another to keep our momentum high.” The Brentwood girls did just that, beating Kwalikum 3 sets to 1 and earning themselves a berth to BC Provincials!
In the Island finals, the team faced off against John Barsby once again. This time, Barsby had more fans, more drums, and more noise, but they lacked something that the Brentwood girls possessed: grit. Both teams came out strong with Brentwood barely winning the first set and Barsby etching out a victory in the second, but by the third and fourth sets, Barsby’s energy was clearly dwindling. The Brentwood girls pulled each other up and listened to Coach Manton’s wise words: “Energy stays and only rises!” The team won the final two sets and was crowned Island Champions!
Every person on the team contributed to our ultimate success, but there were a few of our 12s who walked away with some extra hardware. This year's Captains, Sophie H, Mack ‘23, and Alana H, Hope ‘23, were named Tournament All-Stars for their amazing kills and beautiful digs, respectively. Our brand new Italian setter Valentina S, Hope ‘23, was awarded Tournament MVP for her outstanding all-around play.
A huge congratulations to the team and a big thank you to Brentwood transport, the sports trainers, our coaching staff of Ms Jill Fougner, Spencer Manton, and Mike Minkler, and of course, our friends and family for their enthusiastic support. We couldn’t have done it without you and we are so excited to be set up so well to kill it at Provincials!
Maxine P, Alex ‘23
On Friday, the team played three pool play matches, winning the games against Lambrick and Parkland quite convincingly before a tighter match against the second-ranked team in their pool, John Barsby. Despite the Barsby fans cheering and banging on drums from the bleachers, Brentwood never let off the gas and, spurred on by the Patels who had come to watch, pulled off a three-set victory. The team finished first place in their pool, placing them in the semi-finals on Saturday.
Saturday morning rolled around and, refreshed from their morning sleep-in, the team was ready for their match. They knew the stakes were high: if they won, they would qualify for Provincials and continue their season, but if they lost, it would be the last game of Brentwood volleyball the 12s ever played. The girls faced off in a five-set match against Kwalikum, the team they beat in the North Island finals. “Five-set matches require a different type of energy and drive,” remarked Kennedy P, Mack ‘24, “we knew we had to draw on one another to keep our momentum high.” The Brentwood girls did just that, beating Kwalikum 3 sets to 1 and earning themselves a berth to BC Provincials!
In the Island finals, the team faced off against John Barsby once again. This time, Barsby had more fans, more drums, and more noise, but they lacked something that the Brentwood girls possessed: grit. Both teams came out strong with Brentwood barely winning the first set and Barsby etching out a victory in the second, but by the third and fourth sets, Barsby’s energy was clearly dwindling. The Brentwood girls pulled each other up and listened to Coach Manton’s wise words: “Energy stays and only rises!” The team won the final two sets and was crowned Island Champions!
Every person on the team contributed to our ultimate success, but there were a few of our 12s who walked away with some extra hardware. This year's Captains, Sophie H, Mack ‘23, and Alana H, Hope ‘23, were named Tournament All-Stars for their amazing kills and beautiful digs, respectively. Our brand new Italian setter Valentina S, Hope ‘23, was awarded Tournament MVP for her outstanding all-around play.
A huge congratulations to the team and a big thank you to Brentwood transport, the sports trainers, our coaching staff of Ms Jill Fougner, Spencer Manton, and Mike Minkler, and of course, our friends and family for their enthusiastic support. We couldn’t have done it without you and we are so excited to be set up so well to kill it at Provincials!
Maxine P, Alex ‘23