Best on the beach

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This article was published 21/08/2015 (3697 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Vanessa Schulz rallied to win beach volleyball provincials.

Schulz, a West St. Paul resident, and her partner Hailey Hildebrand of St. Andrews, took first in the senior women division at the Volleyball Manitoba Provincial Beach Championships on Aug. 8 at Maple Grove Rugby Park.

Schulz and Hildebrand faced Angela Diboll and Patti Parker in the finals, a team they had previously lost to in the round robin portion of the tournament. Schulz and Hildebrand took the finals in two sets, winning 21-14 and 21-19.

“They (Diboll and Parker) were definitely our biggest competition,” Schulz said.

“They have been playing for a really long time. They have a great defence and great blocking, so that was a struggle for us, but in the finals we played very well against them and came out on top.”

Schulz, 19, said she and Hildebrand often play against older, more experienced players because the senior women’s division has no maximum age limit.

“We’re often playing against older girls who have been playing for longer and know the game a bit better than us, so it was a little rough getting up to provincials,” Schulz said. “But playing against the older more skilled girls is really good practice. When you practise against better players it helps you to play better as well.”

Schulz and Hildebrand have played beach volleyball together for two years.

Schulz said she and Hildebrand have a special synergy on the sand.

“Hailey is a great defence player, very quick, knows the game. She’s great at predicting plays, and I’ve got some height (5-11) so that’s good for blocking and hitting,” Schulz said.

“We get along really well and we just have a good feel for each other. We know who’s taking what. It’s really good working with her.”

The duo trains with Wanda Guenette, a former professional beach volleyball player and a member of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.

Hildebrand has worked with Guenette for a while now, but this season marked Schulz’s first with the former All-Canadian indoor volleyballer, who played in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

“She’s helped us with everything, from passing to hitting to just the general flow of the court and our communication with each other,” Schulz said.

Their beach volleyball season is over, but Schulz and Hildebrand will continue to be on the court together this fall.

Both women are pre-medicine students at the University of Winnipeg where they play for the University of Winnipeg College Wesmen in the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference (MCAC).

“We’re sticking with MCAC because with the school schedule it can be very difficult to balance that with a CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) team,” said Schulz, who hopes to become a virologist.

“This way we get our playing in and have a lot of competitive fun while also still doing well in school.”