It's onward and upward now for members of Olds High School's JV girls' Grade 9 volleyball team.
Their season came to an end earlier this month when they finished fourth in South Central Zones in Okotoks, according to head coach Kelvin Beaudry.
"They were first in round robin play in their pool and crossed the room to play off and unfortunately came up short, losing to Brooks and Okotoks in their playoff, so they would have ended up in fourth," he says.
Now they'll have a chance next year to try out for the next level of JV or senior girls' volleyball, and Beaudry is confident they'll do well.
"They came a long way and they're well prepared to go to the next level."
It was a strong round robin for the Spartans in the South Central Zones. They finished first in their pool.
"I think we had some very competitive and demanding matches to get to the playoffs and I think we just ran out of gas. We were emotionally drained and just couldn't finish when it came to the playoffs like we did in our round robin," Beaudry said.
"I think that we were three very similar teams. We defeated Okotoks in the round robin play and when we lost to Brooks, we lost 25-23 in our first match with them, so I think all three teams were very comparable. They finished better in the end, I guess."
The girls showed lots of grit and determination in that tournament, Beaudry said.
"We were down 24-18 to Canmore in round robin and we managed to come back and win that 26-24. We had a really tight match with Okotoks in the round robin. In the third game, we won 16-14. So it was some great competitive play. We just couldn't finish in the end; came up short."
Beaudry is proud of the team.
"Basically what it comes down to -- they had a great season. They learned a lot about the game. I hope they learned a lot about themselves and what it takes to be successful; you know, the hard work and commitment level. It was there."
They finished as champions in the Grade 9 girls' South Chinook's Edge league. Bowden finished second, Didsbury third, Olds Koinonia fourth, Cremona fifth and Carstairs finished in sixth place, according to Beaudry.
"Our season I believe was about 34 wins and nine losses if I remember correctly, as far as the matches went," he said.
Beaudry cited some other strong results.
"They finished first in Banff. They finished third in Bearspaw, out of Calgary. They finished second in Trochu and third in Three Hills, so it was a very positive season that way," he said.
"It was a good introduction to the next level of ball for all these girls."
