Comox Valley volleyball athletes Carson East, Keona Savage and Caleb Galagher were selected to their respective Team BC teams and competed at the 2024 Canada Cup at the Seven Chiefs Sportsplex on Tsuut'ina Nation in Calgary July 24 to 26.
All three athletes trained in Kamloops for 10 days before loading up on a coach bus and taking the eight-hour journey over the Rocky Mountains to Calgary.
Carson East (Mark Isfeld Secondary and Wave / Comox Valley Volleyball Club) attended his second consecutive Canada Cup as he won a bronze medal with the U16 Team BC in 2023. This year the Boys U18 Team BC Selects competed hard going undefeated in the round robin beating Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan B team and Ontario.
In the quarter-final match, the BC Team beat the Quebec B team in four sets getting them into the semi-final medal rounds. The team played hard but fell to the eventual gold medal Team Alberta in the semi-finals and then Team Quebec A team in the bronze medal game. The team improved their rank from last year's fifth-place finish to fourth in 2024.
Keona Savage (Mark Isfeld Secondary and Wave / Comox Valley Volleyball Club) also attended her second consecutive Canada Cup as she competed with the Team BC U16 girls in 2023. The Girls U18 Team BC Selects went undefeated in their round robin winning against Team Saskatchewan, Team Ontario and Team Canada, but lost a thrilling five-set match against Team Alberta in the quarter finals. The team closed off the tournament with two straight wins against Manitoba and Ontario capturing a very respectful five place only losing one match the entire tournament (which was in five sets).
Caleb Gallagher (Highland Secondary and Wave / Comox Valley Volleyball Club) was at his first Canada Cup training and competing with the U16 Team BC Blue/Red. This team did not disappoint, going into the tournament ranked first, they went undefeated through the round-robin and playoffs with wins against the U18 Team New Brunswick(crossover - to even the number of teams) , Team Yukon and Team Saskatchewan.
Continuing their winning ways, they beat Team Yukon again in the quarter finals and the Team Alberta B team in the semi-finals setting up the opportunity to compete for a gold medal against the Team Alberta A team. The crowd was loud for both sides and Team BC was just too powerful for the home team from Alberta winning the gold medal in four sets in a best of five.
Caleb Gallagher was also awarded the Team BC Boys Blue/Red Maple Award. This prestigious award is given to a player that best represents the values of Volleyball BC and Volleyball Canada, embodies the spirit of the sport and displays support and consideration for their teammates as well as other participants.
The U16 Girls Team BC Blue/Red also won the gold medal beating Team Alberta in a thrilling five set match.
The Canada Cup brings together Canada's next generation of high-performance athletes to compete for their home province/territory in a national championship. Athletes selected to their respective provincial team programs will compete each year in this national tournament.
Canada Cup is a critical piece of the talent development process in Canada with more than 300 athletes covering a four-year age span in the high-performance pathway.
