Vikings on verge of championship repeat

If the Vincent Massey Vikings were nervous entering a pressure-packed match with a trip to a second consecutive provincial championship at stake, they weren’t apparent.

The Brandon-based juggernaut looked every bit of a squad with designs on extending its reign Wednesday evening.

The Vikings showed few cracks in their collective armour as they cruised to a 3-0 (25-23; 25-18; 25-8) victory over the Sturgeon Heights Huskies in the first semifinal of the AAAA varsity girls volleyball provincials at Investors Group Athletic Centre.

“This season, we’ve been starting pretty slow, so our goal was to have a great start, and it really showed,” said left side Hannah McGregor, who was named the No. 1 player in the province by a panel of coaches last week.

“Me personally, I didn’t have any nerves. I don’t know about everybody else. I think we were more excited because we were in the same position we were last year. I think we were less nervous because we’ve played in (IGAC) before.”

The No. 2-ranked Vikings will seek a consecutive provincial title against No. 4 Collège Jeanne-Sauvé Olympienes next Monday, at IGAC (6 p.m.).

McGregor played her usual lead role, registering 10 kills, but the surprising co-star on this night was right side Hayden Wharf, who finished with eight kills and an ace.

“I’m new to right side this year, so it’s kind of adjusting to it. I feel like it just really clicked, and me and Kaitlyn (Couckuyt) got our connection down, so it’s really awesome and feels so good to be set and getting kills,” Wharf said.

The Grade 12’s performance even shocked her teammates.

“She shone today,” said McGregor, who, along with outside hitter Zoe Redekop, receives most of the praise. “I’ve never seen it from her, and it was amazing that she got to, because all season she’s kind of been hiding. But it was great that she came out and helped our team win, especially today.”

Redekop, the No. 10 player in the coaches poll, chipped in with four kills, three blocks and a pair of aces.

The Vikings had stretches of dominance at the net, most notably in the first set. Massey never trailed in the frame, and that was owed in big part to the defensive work by Redekop and Ella VanDaele, who teamed up for seven blocks in the match. VanDaele, a 5-11 middle, led all players with four.

“She does have a decent vertical, that girl,” Vikings head coach Kelly DeRoo said of VanDaele. “Ella did a great job tonight for us. She’s Grade 11, it’s her first time playing on a big court like this. She did an awesome job for us.”

Middle Ashley Sullivan stood out at the service line, registering seven aces for the Vikings. She ended the contest with an ace on three of the last four points, including the match-winning point.

Sullivan had been up and down from the line all season. When it was on, however, it was lethal, and she had her best stuff on this night.

“In practice (before the match), she’s like, ‘Guys, I got my serve,’ and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, she’s good for the game,’” Wharf said. “So happy for her that she clicked in.”

Sturgeon Heights was led by left side Kaitlyn Lusk and Charsley Goetz, who each accounted for four kills. Goetz, a promising left side in Grade 10, also had three blocks.

“The girls have been focused on this day and the final all season, and there wasn’t much nerves — maybe a little bit, but I think they knew what it was like last year to win, and so we’ve kept that winning spirit throughout the season, and this is something they’ve been really focused on,” DeRoo said. “So we’re happy to be in the final.”

In the second semifinal, the Collège Jeanne-Sauvé Olympienes triumphed in a heart-pounding 3-2 (23-25; 24-26; 25-23; 25-23; 15-7) marathon over the top-ranked MBCI Hawks.

Jeanne-Sauvé was led by sensational performances from outside hitters Celeste Pelletier and Amara Shams, who had 16 and 15 kills, respectively. Pelletier, the No. 3 player in the coaches’ poll, also had three aces. Leah Derkatch chipped in with five kills.

The Olympienes went blow for blow with the Hawks in the opening two sets, but couldn’t close and found themselves in a deep hole. The tide turned in the third and fourth set, and Jeanne-Sauvé commanded the final set from start to finish.

Madison Kasdorf led the charge for the Hawks with 13 kills. Janaya Kasdorf and Lily Molitowsky also supplied seven kills, respectively.

The Olympienes will try to capture their first provincial championship since 2018.

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