More than the wins, it’s the experiences that will be remembered as players for the Alpha and Burnaby Central volleyball teams look back at the 2019 provincial championships.
With three teams competing in separate divisions, the results may have been less than hoped for, but the performances and yardsticks were both moving and moved.
The Burnaby Central Wildcats placed 11th in the senior girls 4-A division, overcoming a rough 0-3 record in pool play.
Battling back from some tough losses, Burnaby Central posted a 2-2 record in the playoff round to earn a tie with Dover Bay at 11th.
Their final loss, 2-1 to Oak Bay, was for ninth spot and was a prime example of how close they were to achieving more.
Burnaby won the opening set 20-25, then took Oak Bay to extra points in a 34-32 loss, before bowing out 15-8.
The Wildcats launched the playoffs with a well-played 3-0 (25-14, 25-7, 25-23) victory over Mount Boucherie and defeated South Delta 2-0 (25-21, 25-23) to earn a shot at a top-10 finish.
On the boys 3-A side, Burnaby Central placed second in their pool with a 2-1 record but dropped their first two playoff games, including a 3-2 marathon (22-25, 25-16, 25-18, 19-25, 15-10) before setting in for 19th place. They closed out the tourney by defeating Mount Baker 2-1 (25-13, 19-25, 15-8).
Earlier, the Wildcats rebounded from a 2-0 setback to Seaquam to best Semiahmoo 2-0 (25-22, 25-14).
The Alpha Aztecs, meanwhile, won the first game of their 2-A boys championship pool play but came out on the wrong end of five straight matches before wrapping up the tourney 15th overall with a 2-0 (25-11, 25-13) rematch win over Prince Charles.
After opening the tournament with a win over Prince Charles, Alpha fell 2-0 to W.L. Seaton (25-19, 25-18) and stood in against Sir Charles Tupper before falling 2-1 (26-24, 23-25, 15-13).
“I am excited for Alpha volleyball and hope that this experience will get Alpha back to provincials next year and achieve a higher finish,” remarked coach Allen Tsang.
