The Tyee senior girls volleyball team is heading to provincials, after placing second in the Island Championships.
Over the weekend (Nov. 20 and 21), the team travelled to Stelly’s Secondary School in Victoria to compete in the AAA Island Championships. With determination and a competitive mindset, the Tyees entered the gym ready to fight for a place in provincials.
To start the tournament, the senior girls beat Gulf Islands and Ballenas to place 2-0 heading into the final round robin game. Their final round robin game was against Mount Douglas, a team among the Tyees’ toughest competition this season.
Carihi battled hard but came up short, losing 22-25 and 22-25 in both sets. Despite the loss, the Tyees had nothing to be disappointed about, as each player pushed their hardest and played as a cohesive team.
The Tyees had to get fired up as they were second in their pool, meaning they faced Wellington in a crossover game.
Carihi came out strong defeating Wellington 25-13 and 25-20. With this win, the Tyees made it to the five-set semi-final against the top seed, Stelly’s.
In the first set of the semi-finals, the Tyees started strong with a 7-1 lead, but Stelly’s won 21-25. The Tyees then battled in the second set with great serving and came out on top 25-22. Stelly’s then came out strong in the third set and won 16-25.
The Tyees were determined to continue fighting and push the game into the fifth set.
In the fourth set, both teams scored back and forth, but the Tyees came out on top, winning 25-22.
The fifth set — determining which team would reach provincials — was played to 15, with teams needing to win by two. Carihi and Stelly’s were neck and neck throughout this whole set. The battle was fierce, with adrenaline running high.
The Tyees led 14-12, needing only one more point to take the set, but Stelly’s did not give up and fought back to tie it 14-14.
The lead continued to switch between each team, making the atmosphere even more tense.
The Tyees were leading 20-19 and needed one more point to win and reach provincials.
Simmona Kummer served the ball in, meaning Stelly’s was attacking. Emma Knight and Dezarae Pelletier had a crucial block against the hit, giving the Tyees the win and sending the team to provincials.
The Tyees were riding on a high after winning the hard battle, but had to focus once more to face Mount Douglas again in the finals.
Each player pushed hard in the final game and managed to force the game to another fifth set. Both teams wanted the championship, but Mount Douglas ended up taking the final win, after five hard sets.
A deserving congrats to the Carihi Senior Girls team for placing second on the Island, and making it to provincials, through hard work, dedication, and determination.
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sean.feagan@campbellrivermirror.com
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