The NBCHS Vikings (left) and JPII Crusaders (right) senior boys volleyball teams were both in action over the weekend at the Vikings' home tournament in North Battleford. (Submitted photos).

By Martin Martinson

Senior boys Showdown

Local teams take centre stage at NBCHS volleyball tourney

Nov 2, 2022 | 2:03 PM

It was a big weekend for senior boys’ volleyball at North Battleford Comprehensive High School.

The NBCHS Vikings hosted their annual home tournament, inviting 16 teams from across the region to take part. Their city compatriots, the John Paul II Crusaders, took home the gold medal to top the podium.

Head coach of the Vikings senior boys Shawna Sturk said while the home team ended up finishing 11^th, they saw some good improvements heading into the stretch drive of the season.

“We had the best start to a tournament we’ve had all season, so that was really exciting and we played fairly well, ending our weekend beating Maidstone in three [sets]. I was really proud of the boys and their effort and how hard they worked this weekend,” Sturk said.

“We had a lot of people tell us what a great weekend it was, how organized it was, and how welcoming it was, so that was really good to hear as well.”

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The Vikings’ boys will now have one more weekend tournament in Warman to wrap up their regular season, before regionals.

JPII went undefeated on the weekend, winning six straight matches on their way to the gold, including a straight-sets win over Warman 25-20 and 25-17, and a three-set victory over Osler, taking the deciding game 15-12.

Head coach, Shelly Fransoo said a key to the team’s success was having close to their full lineup back and available to play together, something that bodes well for the team with regionals just around the corner.

“[We’re] slowly returning to a full squad due to injuries, and we are almost there but not quite yet,” Fransoo said. “Making some shifts on positions to see if we can fill some gaps [was big] and we are looking forward to a strong finish to the season.”

The Crusaders will travel to Humboldt this weekend for their final regular season tournament, before hosting regional playoffs Saturday Nov. 19.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1