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Senior Girls Volleyball Provincials
Coming off of their Island Championship win, the Senior A Girls Volleyball Team headed to the mountain town of Merritt, BC in early December to compete in the Provincial Championship. Merritt was hit hard by the floods last year, but the resilient community was very welcoming of all 16 volleyball teams, their parents, and the coaches. After a day of travel, the team attended the tournament banquet dressed in their best western outfits for the Rodeo and Ranches-themed dinner, competing in lasso competitions and other team-building contests.
Brentwood came into the tournament seeded sixth and was placed in a “power pool” with the fifth, seventh, and eighth-ranked teams for their first day of matches on Thursday. The girls started off very strong and were undefeated after three matches, placing them at the top of their pool for their crossover match on Friday against Seycove, a Vancouver school that knocked out the historically strong team, York House, to qualify for the tournament.
The five-set match against Seycove kept the Brentwood fans on the edge of their seats as Ms Murtland and several parents cheered from the sidelines in Merritt and many more students, staff, and parents watched anxiously from the livestream. After the first three sets, the girls figured out how to block Seycove’s strong outside hitters and they used their newfound momentum to pull off an exciting victory, advancing to the quarter-finals.
There was little time to recover before their quarter-final match against Mulgrave, the third-ranked team in the entire province, but the girls were fired up. In one of the toughest matches of their season, the girls were pushed to their limits, but outstanding saves from libero and Co-Captain, Alana H, Hope ‘23, and tough serves from Valentina S, Hope ‘23, kept the girls right on Mulgrave’s tail until the fifth and final set. The team was down 3-9 but displayed real grit and made a roaring comeback until the very last point, where they suffered a crushing 16-18 defeat.
“The loss against Mulgrave was so frustrating because I think there were a ton of moments we wished things went differently,” stated Co-Captain Sophie H, Mack ‘23, “but I am proud of how we played hard until the very end.”
The team’s morale took a hit after that loss and they couldn’t seem to find their stride on Saturday where they lost both of their matches against some of the top teams in the province. The Brentwood girls ended up finishing eighth which, out of the 90 AA volleyball teams in BC, is definitely something to be proud of.
“I am still very proud of the team, even though this wasn’t the result we were hoping for” remarked Coach Jill Fougner. “It was a pleasure getting to know everybody on and off the court.”
This tournament marked the end of a great season for the Island Champion team as well as an emotional conclusion for the Grade 12s, many of whom have been playing volleyball since middle school. The team celebrated with an end-of-season dinner, a gift exchange, and funny presents for each player from our coaches. There are many people who deserve thank yous for making this incredible season possible: our amazing coaches Jill Fougner, Spencer Manton, and Mike Minkler, transportation, our sports trainers, and the amazing staff and students who ensured that we constantly felt their support.
Thank you Brentwood Volleyball for an amazing three years and congratulations to the team on an incredible season.
Maxine P, Alex ‘23
Brentwood came into the tournament seeded sixth and was placed in a “power pool” with the fifth, seventh, and eighth-ranked teams for their first day of matches on Thursday. The girls started off very strong and were undefeated after three matches, placing them at the top of their pool for their crossover match on Friday against Seycove, a Vancouver school that knocked out the historically strong team, York House, to qualify for the tournament.
The five-set match against Seycove kept the Brentwood fans on the edge of their seats as Ms Murtland and several parents cheered from the sidelines in Merritt and many more students, staff, and parents watched anxiously from the livestream. After the first three sets, the girls figured out how to block Seycove’s strong outside hitters and they used their newfound momentum to pull off an exciting victory, advancing to the quarter-finals.
There was little time to recover before their quarter-final match against Mulgrave, the third-ranked team in the entire province, but the girls were fired up. In one of the toughest matches of their season, the girls were pushed to their limits, but outstanding saves from libero and Co-Captain, Alana H, Hope ‘23, and tough serves from Valentina S, Hope ‘23, kept the girls right on Mulgrave’s tail until the fifth and final set. The team was down 3-9 but displayed real grit and made a roaring comeback until the very last point, where they suffered a crushing 16-18 defeat.
“The loss against Mulgrave was so frustrating because I think there were a ton of moments we wished things went differently,” stated Co-Captain Sophie H, Mack ‘23, “but I am proud of how we played hard until the very end.”
The team’s morale took a hit after that loss and they couldn’t seem to find their stride on Saturday where they lost both of their matches against some of the top teams in the province. The Brentwood girls ended up finishing eighth which, out of the 90 AA volleyball teams in BC, is definitely something to be proud of.
“I am still very proud of the team, even though this wasn’t the result we were hoping for” remarked Coach Jill Fougner. “It was a pleasure getting to know everybody on and off the court.”
This tournament marked the end of a great season for the Island Champion team as well as an emotional conclusion for the Grade 12s, many of whom have been playing volleyball since middle school. The team celebrated with an end-of-season dinner, a gift exchange, and funny presents for each player from our coaches. There are many people who deserve thank yous for making this incredible season possible: our amazing coaches Jill Fougner, Spencer Manton, and Mike Minkler, transportation, our sports trainers, and the amazing staff and students who ensured that we constantly felt their support.
Thank you Brentwood Volleyball for an amazing three years and congratulations to the team on an incredible season.
Maxine P, Alex ‘23