It was a great weekend for high-level volleyball at Highland Secondary School in Courtenay Nov. 1 and 2 for the Junior Boys North Island championships.
The tournament was hosted by Highland Secondary, and had teams from Ladysmith, Dover Bay, Nanaimo Christian School, NDSS, Brooks, Timberline, Isfeld and Highland. The host team's first match was in front of a packed crowd on Friday, when they played Ladysmith 鈥� the top team in the Nanaimo district.
"I have not seen our team that focused and ready to play this season," said Highland coach Brian Stevens, "They were fired up. Sometimes the home crowd gets the nerves a little higher and distracts a player. This was not the case on Friday."
After their strong start, Highland won their next two games on Friday, and won their pool. The next significant game was against Dover Bay in the semi-finals on Saturday afternoon.
"Never having played Dover Bay this season, some scouting was done, but ultimately our main goal was to stick to our style of play," said Stevens. "Our boys were in 鈥榯he zone.鈥� This was clear from the first whistle. Not only did we play very well and disciplined, we had fun, smiled, and played with, and for, each other. It was definitely a complete match from start to finish."
The team was playing to earn a spot in the Island championships, which would go to the top three teams. Highland secured that spot by defeating Dover Bay, and moved on to the finals. Stevens said that the team was aware that winning mean that they would bring home the tournament championship, and earn a solid seed spot for the Island Finals. They took to the court against Nanaimo District Secondary School, " a team who we met in round robin play and beat two straight. Round robin play, although important, does not dictate the playoffs.
"As a team our goal was to play point by point and trust our process," Stevens said.
The fans helped as well, with Stevens remembering that "it was an awesome environment for the finals."
Highland won their matches, 25-15 and 25-14.
"This was a match that we had prepared for all season and excited to play in. Our preparation, training, and playing as a team were all immensely evident,'" Stevens said. "North Island Champs at home in front of home fans was an amazing experience for the team. Although an outstanding achievement, our mind-set is now the Island Championships at Oak Bay."
