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The St. Walburg Saints senior girls pictured here with their gold medals from the weekend. (Facebook/St. Walburg School)
Top of the Mountain

St. Walburg senior girls take gold at home tournament

Sep 18, 2023 | 2:06 PM

The St. Walburg senior girls’ volleyball team took home the gold over the weekend, in front of a packed gym of friends and family in attendance, at their home tournament at St. Walburg School.

The Saints senior girls overcame some early adversity on their quest to the top of the podium, as the team opened the tournament with a loss to Pierceland (in straight sets) Friday night, before bouncing back in a big way, to run the table with three straight match wins the rest of the tournament.

Posting a 6-4 record through their 10 sets of action, the team finished second in their pool heading into the playoff rounds, with wins over Edam (in straight sets) and Paradise Hill (in three), before avenging their earlier loss to Pierceland when the teams met again in the final, taking the gold medal match in a dramatic 15-13 third-set victory.

A young team this year, comprised of just a single Grade 11 student, two Grade 9s, and eight Grade 10s, head coach, Lori Bartee said it’s been the team’s ability to mesh quickly and play a sound team game that’s been at the core of their early season success.

“I think it’s teamwork, and everyone’s just really stepping up,” she said. “They’ve shown a lot of resiliency. I’ve coached them for a couple of years now, and they have really come a long way.”

This marked the second tournament for the senior girls this season, building on a fifth place finish out of 32 teams opening weekend, in Vermillion, Alta.

The Saints will return to action this weekend in Maidstone, for the Maidstone Comprehensive High School’s annual Mega Volley tournament. St. Walburg will play their first game Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. against Glaslyn.

Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1

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