Olympiens thrive under pressure

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This article was published 28/11/2017 (3077 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

They will hit the court tonight as the No. 1 seed, carrying the same target on their backs that has remained all season. For members of the Collège Jeanne-Sauvé Olympiens girls volleyball team, they wouldn’t want it any other way.

“We’ve talked about the privilege of pressure, and how it’s good to play with pressure. It really drives us to do much better. It’s awesome,” team captain Julie Arnold told the Free Press on the eve of their semifinal match with the No. 5-ranked Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute Hawks.

The winner of the match, set for 8 p.m. at the University of Manitoba’s Investors Group Athletic Centre, will head directly to next Monday’s AAAA provincial high school final. No. 2 Lord Selkirk Royals take on No. 3 Portage Collegiate Institute Hawks in tonight’s other semifinal at 6 p.m.

“I think we have a really good group of girls. We’re all focused and driven towards a main goal of winning provincials. And we’re all super dedicated to practising hard and doing it together,” Katreena Bentley, the Olympiens’ setter, said Tuesday.

Bentley and Arnold are Grade 11 students in their first year on the varsity team, but played major roles on a squad that captured four tournament titles this season while compiling an 11-0 league record and 41-3 overall mark.

Coach Ben Albrecht, now in his 10th year with the varsity team, said this truly has been a dream season.

“These girls are so hyper-competitive, and they’re highly skilled as well. They like to perform well, and they do not like to lose,” he said. “They know, especially when you get to this time of the year, that anybody can beat anybody on any given day. If we don’t bring our ‘A’ game and our opponents do, then we’ll be in trouble. But at the same time, they are a very confident group. They know what they’re capable of, they know that they’re ranked No. 1 for a reason. They know teams are coming after them.”

On the boys side, No. 1 ranked Lord Selkirk will be looking to make it back-to-back provincial titles. They face a tough task in Thursday’s semifinal against No. 4 St. Paul’s Crusaders, who won it all in 2015.

No. 2 River East Kodiaks take on No. 3 Dakota Lancers in the other semifinal, with the winners meeting Monday in the final.

Only five players are back from last year’s championship team at Lord Selkirk, with the other nine members being new arrivals in Grade 11. Veteran coach Jeff Scarcello credits a strong development program with being able to maintain success, despite so much turnover.

“It’s not just what we do at the high school varsity level,” said Scarcello, now in his 18th year of coaching. “We’ve got lots of people, right from when these guys are 12, 13 years old, getting them in the gym, getting them to love the game and learn some good techniques. By the time they get to me, I’m in a pretty fortunate situation. I’ve got really good players to work with all the time.”

Lord Selkirk also won four tournaments this year, compiling an overall record of 31-4.

“It would mean everything,” senior Nigel Nielsen said of capturing another title to end his high school athletics career. He’s set to attend the University of Winnipeg next fall.

Nielsen was part of a junior-varsity team that won provincial titles in Grade 9 and Grade 10, then was a key part of last year’s championship varsity squad. He has the chance to make it four-for-four.

“They put their all into the program in order for us to improve,” Nielsen said of the coaches he’s had along the way. “They take the time out to spend hours and hours a day, and just grind with us and make it better.”

Tim Juvonen, Lord Selkirk’s setter, said the experience of having won last year should help calm the nerves this time.

“It’s a different pressure, for sure. You definitely feel it more, especially in games and practices, that you’re the top team and everyone else is gunning for you and you have that big target on your back,” Juvonen said. “But I think, for me, it doesn’t really get to me. I just take it in stride and play my game, and try not to focus on that we’re No. 1 and everyone wants to beat us.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @mikemcintyrewpg