Top-ranked Royals seek 13th crown Lord Selkirk varsity girls face tough competition for provincial volleyball title By: Mike Sawatzky Posted: 6:51 PM CST Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023

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This article was published 28/11/2023 (1025 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Megan Carpenter is part of a rich volleyball heritage at her school.

On Wednesday, the Grade 12 left side and her No. 1-seeded Lord Selkirk Royals will attempt to add to that legacy when they take to the court against the No. 4 Vincent Massey (Brandon) Vikings in one of two AAAA Provincial Varsity Girls Volleyball Championship semifinals at Investors Group Athletic Centre.

A victory in Wednesday’s 6 p.m semifinal and another triumph in Monday’s final would deliver the 13th varsity girls provincial title in school history.

“We have a plan and so I’m hoping that gets us through the game,” said Carpenter, who was ranked third among varsity girls players in the recent Free Press coaches’ poll. “It’ll be a tough fight. They’re a really good team with lots of good hitters. We’re just gonna have to find a way to make it work.”

“It’ll be a tough fight. They’re a really good team with lots of good hitters. We’re just gonna have to find a way to make it work.”–Megan Carpenter

The upper echelon of the provincial scene has been dominated by the Royals, Steinbach Sabres and Collège Jeanne-Sauvé Olympiens in 2023, with each team holding the top spot for a time in the provincial rankings. The Royals, who lost their only previous meeting with the Vikings this season, own the top seed at provincials after beating Steinbach in their conference final.

“The No. 1 tag next to our names is really just a starting point in the bracket,” said Royals head coach Chad Whiteside. “We’re well aware of what Vincent Massey (Brandon) and can do and but I’m confident that our girls are up to the challenge.”

“The No. 1 tag next to our names is really just a starting point in the bracket.”–Chad Whiteside

Meanwhile, Selkirk has a 3-2 edge in the season series over Olympiens and a 2-1 advantage over the Sabres.

“At the end of the season there’s definitely a real sort of importance placed on preparing for your opponents,” added Whiteside. “But you also have to focus on your side of the net. We’re going to prepare for our opponent’s tendencies and we assume that they’re doing the same for us. So it becomes a bit of a battle, I think, just to make sure that you’re acknowledging both of those things.”

In Wednesday’s 8 p.m. semifinal, second-seeded Jeanne-Sauvé faces No. 3 Steinbach.

Star middle Reegan Aitken of the Olympiens will face some of her club volleyball teammates, setter Izzy Voth and left side Sienna Driedger, in what should be a a compelling match-up.

“Everyone’s kind of had a turn in first place or third or second and this is when you need to be on the top,” said Aitken, ranked fourth in the FP coaches’ poll just behind Driedger and Voth, who were first and second, respectively. “I believe (the rivalry) is quite heated.”

Aitken, coming from a volleyball powerhouse, believes her team will be prepared.

“As a team, we’ve been playing very cohesively,” said Aitken, who will join Carpenter and St. Mary’s Academy star Ashley Lawrence at Lakehead University next fall. “Everyone’s working very hard and pushes each other in practice, which definitely translates to the game.”

Voth, who has committed to play next year at the University of Winnipeg, said there’s not much to choose between the province’s top four varsity girls squads.

“I think that we’re all pretty even and then it just kind of depends on the day,” she said. “After the (conference) finals, we moved from the No. 2 spot to No. 3 when we lost the CJS but I think that any of these top four teams could be in any of these top four positions.”

On the varsity boys side, Vincent Massey (Winnipeg) is looking to put the finishing touches on a season for the ages. The Trojans, who had four players in the FP’s top 10 poll, are an astounding 47-0, including three wins over the River East Kodiaks, their semifinal opponents on Thursday at 6 p.m.

“I think off the court there’s a lot of talk (about a perfect season) and there’s a lot of pressure put on us from everybody at school,” said Massey middle Morgan Eby. “As a team, it’s in the back of our heads a bit but I think as soon as we step on the court and just kind of play our game, it doesn’t enter our thoughts at all.”

The Kodiaks will need a big performance from star left side Jack Kisil to be in a position for an upset.

“They’ve been really good games and it’s been close every time,” said Kisil, voted eighth in the FP poll. “It’s always very competitive against them and I think we’re right there with them.”

Meanwhile, the No. 3 Glenlawn Lions and No. 2 Dakota Lancers will meet in Thursday’s 8 p.m. varsity boys semifinal.

The teams split the four previous meetings this season with Dakota winning an epic five-set, 2 1/2-hour marathon in the recent SCAC Tier I conference final.

“We’re gonna have to focus more on our side of the floor,” said Lions libero Izzy Elendu. “I feel like the reason we lost (the conference final) is we made a lot of mistakes. So if we play our game and play some clean volleyball, we will come out on top.”

Dakota setter Jhet Bowen anticipates another drawn-out battle between the south Winnipeg schools.

“We want to establish our offence early on and then, just honestly, outlast them because we’re both scrappy teams,” said Bowen. “So if we’re gonna get balls up, we’re gonna get good digs and make good hits.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca