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This article was published 28/11/2018 (2814 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Oak Park Collegiate’s junior varsity girls volleyball team capped off an unstoppable season with a provincial championship title.
On Mon., Nov. 26, the Raiders won the MHSAA AAAA JV girls final, beating the Westwood Warriors in straight sets by scores of 25-10, 25-18 and 25-18.
The Raiders finished first in the West Winnipeg Athletic Conference with a 10-0 record and kept the momentum going at provincials, winning every game they played in just three sets.
“I was on the bench and as soon as we got the last point, we ran onto the court and we all just started hugging and screaming,” said Grade 10 power and middle Andi Almonte. “I was just so happy.”
Oak Park and Westwood had both served up upsets to make it to the championship game. The Raiders beat the top-seeded Dakota Lancers in one semifinal (3-0) while the Warriors had beaten the second-ranked Mennonite Brethren Hawks in the quarter-final (3-1).
Almonte and teammate Ella Arksey were both named tournament all-stars and setter Kati Hruska was named the tournament’s most valuable player. Westwood’s Abbey Howard and Kate Watson also got all-star nods.
The three Oak Park players attributed the team’s successful season to good coaching and good chemistry on the bench.
“We worked very well together and we had a lot of fun,” said Arksey, a Grade 9 right-side hitter.
“Most of our girls already knew how to play volleyball through club… and our coach made us work really hard every practice,” Almonte added.
Coach Tyler Chartier joined the team in September. He is the assistant coach of the University of Manitoba women’s volleyball team and arrived at Oak Park with varsity high school coaching experience, too. His goals for the season were to work on foundational skills and build the girls’ confidence — he had no expectations of making it to the finals, let alone winning a provincial title.
”I expected us to be right in the middle of the pack,” Chartier said. “With all the hard work they put in throughout the season, to come in and finish it on a high note with a win was awesome.”
Throughout the playoffs, the team excelled due to its consistent serving and strong hitting. Heading into the final against Westwood, Chartier said the focus was on ball position and placement, as well as staying calm in front of a big crowd at the U of M’s Investors Group Athletic Centre gym.
“Once you blocked out all the noise you got used to it and we were able to just play the game,” Hruska said.
To mentally prepare for difficult competitions, the Raiders started a pre-game ritual of closing their eyes and silently visualizing what they were going to do on the court.
This was Hruska and Almonte’s second season with the team and second time playing in the provincials — last year, Oak Park also won the WWAC title but lost in the second round of provincials to Brandon’s Vincent Massey High School.
“I was just trying to have fun again and I’m proud of where we came out,” Hruska said.
Oak Park Collegiate’s junior varsity girls volleyball team capped off an unstoppable season with a provincial championship title.
On Mon., Nov. 26, the Raiders won the MHSAA AAAA JV girls final, beating the Westwood Warriors in straight sets by scores of 25-10, 25-18 and 25-18.
Photo by Daniel Crump / Winnipeg Free Press photo archives
Oak Park junior varsity volleyball players Andi Almonte (No. 4) and Kati Hruska shake hands with the Westwood Warriors after winning the provincial championship game on Nov. 26.
The Raiders finished first in the West Winnipeg Athletic Conference with a 10-0 record and kept the momentum going at provincials, winning every game they played in just three sets.
“I was on the bench and as soon as we got the last point, we ran onto the court and we all just started hugging and screaming,” said Grade 10 power and middle Andi Almonte. “I was just so happy.”
Oak Park and Westwood had both served up upsets to make it to the championship game. The Raiders beat the top-seeded Dakota Lancers in one semifinal (3-0) while the Warriors had beaten the second-ranked Mennonite Brethren Hawks in the quarter-final (3-1).
Almonte and teammate Ella Arksey were both named tournament all-stars and setter Kati Hruska was named the tournament’s most valuable player. Westwood’s Abbey Howard and Kate Watson also got all-star nods.
The three Oak Park players attributed the team’s successful season to good coaching and good chemistry on the bench.
“We worked very well together and we had a lot of fun,” said Arksey, a Grade 9 right-side hitter.
“Most of our girls already knew how to play volleyball through club… and our coach made us work really hard every practice,” Almonte added.
Coach Tyler Chartier joined the team in September. He is the assistant coach of the University of Manitoba women’s volleyball team and arrived at Oak Park with varsity high school coaching experience, too. His goals for the season were to work on foundational skills and build the girls’ confidence — he had no expectations of making it to the finals, let alone winning a provincial title.
”I expected us to be right in the middle of the pack,” Chartier said. “With all the hard work they put in throughout the season, to come in and finish it on a high note with a win was awesome.”
Photo by Daniel Crump / Winnipeg Free Press photo archives
Oak Park’s Raina Guliani (No. 10) goes for a kill during the MHSAA AAAA junior varsity girls’ volleyball championship final against Westwood on Nov. 26.
Throughout the playoffs, the team excelled due to its consistent serving and strong hitting. Heading into the final against Westwood, Chartier said the focus was on ball position and placement, as well as staying calm in front of a big crowd at the U of M’s Investors Group Athletic Centre gym.
“Once you blocked out all the noise you got used to it and we were able to just play the game,” Hruska said.
To mentally prepare for difficult competitions, the Raiders started a pre-game ritual of closing their eyes and silently visualizing what they were going to do on the court.
This was Hruska and Almonte’s second season with the team and second time playing in the provincials — last year, Oak Park also won the WWAC title but lost in the second round of provincials to Brandon’s Vincent Massey High School.
“I was just trying to have fun again and I’m proud of where we came out,” Hruska said.
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