The BVC 16U Storm pictured with there medals after going undefeated in Saskatoon this past weekend. (Battlefords Volleyball Club/Facebook)

By Austin Mattes

Culture and Chemistry

Battlefords Volleyball Club earn gold at first tournament of 2025

Jan 15, 2025 | 12:56 PM

After placing third at their first tournament of the season back on Dec. 13 and 14 in Martensville, coming into the new year, the promotion of hard work and team culture was determining factor for the Battlefords Volleyball Club (BVC) 16U Storm’s success this past weekend at the Wolfpack Ice Breaker Tournament in Saskatoon.

“We go into any kind of competition with our team values, our philosophy, our chemistry, our culture. The long term goal for the whole competition was just to go in compete, play hard, play smart, have a lot of fun as well as be that team that other people would want to be a part of… just enjoy this experience and just be in the moment,” said 16U Storm Head Coach, Kim Voegeli.

It was this type of team attitude that resulted in the 16U Storm going undefeated and not even losing a set throughout the weekend, beating out 11 other teams to claim first place and take home the gold.

The tournament started off on Saturday with five big round robin games and from the get-go, the team was serving up the competition. In their first game against QCVC Purple, they won the sets 25-20 and 25-9. Following that, they took on Medicine Hat, who they beat in both sets 25-22 and 25-12. The Storm then continued their success as they went on to beat Humboldt, Prince Albert En Fuego and the Saskatoon Wolfpack all two sets to none.

Due to their great performance on Saturday, the team earned themselves a bye in the first round of the playoffs and Voegeli said it was the team’s mentality is what set them apart.

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“We work a lot on mental performance and that is I feel like our advantage on this team. We want to be calm and cool and let them know that no matter what happens, we believe in you… everybody’s going to make a mistake, you’re free to make the mistakes. The important part we focus on is understanding how we move on quickly from them,” said Kim Voegeli.

For the semi-final, the team was placed in a rematch against Medicine Hat, who they played the day prior. In the first set, it was a close battle, but the Storm were able to pull away and win 23-18. Then in the second set it was a real nail-biter that came down to the last few rallies but yet again, the Storm prevailed, winning 25-23 to advance to the finals.

In the finals, the Storm had their toughest game yet as they got matched up against the Regina Cougars, who were also undefeated so far in the tournament. For the first set, both teams came out to play, making for a close one but the Storm took it 25-20. Then in the second set, things really started to heat up and yet again the match came down to the final few rallies but in the end the Storm came out on top taking the set 25-23 to win the gold.

Looking back at over the entire weekend, Voegeli said that she is proud of the team for winning the gold but the biggest takeaway from the tournament was something a whole lot more.

“Of course the medal is important…but I think that the most pride was being able to inspire and empower them to know that they got this all on their own, there’s certain moments in a game where you’re up against adversity and seeing the girls utilize the tools to get past that and seeing them really come together and support each other,” Voegeli said.

The next tournament for the BVC 16U Storm is Jan. 24 to 26 when they head to Warman and Saskatoon to play in Sask Cup 1.

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austin.mattes@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @AustinMattes