Top four squads vie for volleyball crown

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This article was published 26/11/2019 (2465 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Steinbach is looking to make a strong claim to being Manitoba’s volleyball capital.

After winning the high school junior varsity boys provincial title on Monday, the Sabres find themselves in the hunt for yet another volleyball banner. Steinbach Regional Secondary School’s varsity boys are the No. 1-ranked team heading into this week’s provincial volleyball championships final four, which takes place at Investors Group Athletic Centre.

The Sabres are led by twin brothers, middle blocker Paxton Koop and setter Tyson Koop, who have helped guide the team to a 33-9 record this season. Clearly, they’ve learned a thing or two from their coach, and mother, Michelle Sawatzky-Koop. The Sabres head coach was a three-time national champion with the University of Manitoba Bisons and represented Canada at the 1996 Olympics.

“It would mean a great deal. We have a big school but we’re still rural,” Sawatzky-Koop, a setter during her career, said about the school potentially winning two provincial titles this year.

“I think we work hard outside the perimeter to bring value to our sports programs and to give quality coaching and all of that, and I think that’s really shown. Yes, SRSS is really proud of our junior varsity boys. Wow, what a job they did (Monday) night and we have an opportunity now to do the same. I think that was really inspiring.”

Regardless of their ranking, it won’t be easy for Steinbach. They’ll meet the defending provincial champions, the fourth-seeded Dakota Lancers (40-8-2), in semifinal action on Thursday. The two schools recently met in the South Central Athletic Conference championship game, with Steinbach winning a nail-biter in five sets.

“I think we’ve played Steinbach eight times this year and it’s been close the whole year,” said Dakota coach Ryan Hudson, who has three returning players from last year’s squad. “I think the experience will help. Our JV team also winning last year with a few starters will help with that experience. But they have a good team and Michelle’s a really good coach. I think it’ll come down to who’s handling the nerves the best and who comes to play.”

The other semifinal features the No. 2-ranked St. Paul’s Crusaders (39-9) and the third-ranked Westwood Warriors (32-7). It’s a battle of familiar foes as they’ve played each other nine times this season, with St. Paul’s having a 5-4 edge. Crusaders head coach Lloyd Voth has been coaching for 39 years and he said this year features a lot of parity.

“If you take a look at the records, all four teams in the top four have lost between seven and nine matches each. Usually the top two teams probably only have three or four losses, so it has been more balanced,” Voth said during Tuesday’s final four media conference at the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.

“I think a lot of teams have lost to teams outside the top four as well. These four teams have played each other and each team has won and lost against each other… it’s been quite a good year, actually.”

So what does one of these teams have to do to rise to the top?

“Unfortunately, there’s no magic secret here,” Westwood coach Brian Schmeichel said. “I think it’s just who executes the best on Thursday. All the teams are super evenly matched. There are strengths and weaknesses for each one and each team will try to exploit those. But I think it will come down to who’s going to serve and pass the best and be able to run their offence.”

Sawatzky-Koop had a similar answer. According to her, you might as well throw the rankings out the window because everybody has a legit shot.

“For us, really, the ranking of one, two, three or four doesn’t mean much to us because it’s all about what happens now and in the future. It’s going to be a battle in both the semifinals,” Sawatzky-Koop said.

On the girls side, a new champion will be crowned. The Collège Jeanne-Sauvé Olympiens, who won provincials the past two seasons, failed to qualify for the tournament. Instead, the heavy favourite is Dakota. The top-ranked Lancers went 39-3, thanks to a perfect conference record and five tournament victories. Dakota meets the fifth-ranked Oak Park Raiders (23-8) tonight in the semifinals.

“We definitely have a great resumé up to this point but it doesn’t matter, really,” Dakota coach Sara Harrington said. “Everyone who’s in the final four deserves to be in the final four. I don’t think we’re prepping any differently than anybody else. We’re taking it very seriously and not relying on what we’ve done the last couple months.”

The opposite side of the bracket features two schools from outside the city, as the No. 2-ranked Portage Saints (35-8) will kick off the final four tonight at 6 p.m. against Brandon’s Vincent Massey Vikings (32-12). Portage has been knocking on the door the past couple of years and they hope this will finally be their year. The Saints are still looking for their first varsity volleyball provincial title.

“It would be fantastic. Two years ago, we were in the finals. Last year, we were in the final four. This year, I like our chances to get to the final,” Portage head coach Derek Casper said. “It would be awesome because the girls in our program have worked hard for this. I’m hoping that we can get there.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31