Olympiens among top teams in province

St. Vital

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/10/2023 (1057 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Rival teams have a mountain to climb if they’re to get the best of the Olympiens.

“We’re enjoying the season as it’s getting closer and tighter and the pressure’s on,” said Jack Durand, head coach of the Collège Jeanne-Sauvé girls varsity volleyball team.

At press time, the Olympiens had been ranked the top team in the province two weeks running. Despite losing a pair of South Central Athletic Conference league games to Steinbach and Westgate, the St. Vital-based team won both the Wesmen pre-season tournament on Sept. 16 and the Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute varsity girls tournament on Oct. 7. The Olympiens also took home third-place from the Varsity Girls Royal Rumble Invitational in Selkirk, Man., on Sept. 23.

“This team is very good at controlling the ball,” said Durand, who has been coaching volleyball for over 30 years. “I like to say we serve well. We’re not the biggest team, but we play good defence and we pass well. Offensively, we find ways to score.”

With a half-dozen key spots taken by Grade 12 players, the rest of the roster is made up of Grade 11s.

“It’s really balanced that way,” said Durand, whose daughter Payton is in Grade 11 and playing on the team this year. “Our biggest challenge right now is keeping people healthy. We’ve had some injuries and sickness at crucial times. That has held us back a little bit. We hope to keep everyone together and keep everyone fit.”

Durand credits the leadership of team captain Reegan Aitken, a middle-blocker, with helping foster a winning culture among the team.

“She is an exceptional leader and one of our best players,” he said. “One thing I can say about this team is how well they get along. They like each other, respect each other, they work hard. And Reegan is a big part of that.”

With the Women’s St. Vital Invitation coming up Oct. 26 to 28, and provincial championships at the end of November, Durand said the team’s primary goal remains getting to the zone final. If that comes to pass, Durand said the team hopes to then make the provincial final four.

“Hopefully as the season progresses, we might change those goals,” he said. “But there are a lot of good teams out there. We respect all our opponents. We’ll see how it all goes.”