The St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Bears teams are preparing for volleyball playoffs with their final games of the season before the Chinook's Edge Northern Athletic Association (CENAA) tournament.
Coach Eric Tetrau's team, the St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Bears boys volleyball squad, fell to a record of two wins against four losses on Oct. 23, losing in three straight games to Sylvan Lake's HJ Cody's undefeated team that now has a record of six wins and no losses.
“The boys put in a ton of effort,” said Tetrau. “For a developing team we put up an excellent fight. The scores were all competitive, and the boys have been consistently learning in games against the strong teams in our league.”
Tetrau said his team is young, consisting mainly of grade 6 and 8 students, many of whom this season are experiencing their first exposure to volleyball.
“Tonight, for instance, we played HJ Cody and their team is all Grade 9 students and there is a huge difference in height and physical maturity between our teams,” said Tetrau.
The first game of the match was close with a score of 25-15 in favour of H J Cody as both teams were inconsistent in serving and finishing up their sets. The smaller Bears team showed impressive blocking on numerous Cody spikes throughout the game. The final two matches showed the Bears' impressive effort and hard work against a more mature team.
Justin Smallboy was a standout player for the Bears with his good digs, service and team play throughout the match.
The St. Marguerite girls finish the season with a four-win and two-loss record.
Both the boys and girls Bears teams start the CENAA tournaments early in November. The girls play on Nov. 1 while the boys compete on November 3 and 4 at Mother Teresa School in Sylvan Lake.
