Step one is complete for the Elphi Cougars.
The senior girls volleyball team captured the North Shore title with a 3-2 win over the Handsworth Royals in North Vancouver last Thursday night.
The match was one for the ages as both teams left everything on the floor.
Elphi won the first game 25-21. Handsworth won the second and third games 25-20 and 25-22 to take a 2-1 lead in the match. But Elphi fought back to take the fourth set convincingly 25-16 to set up a fifth and deciding set for all the marbles.Elphi broke out to an 11-3 lead, but the Royals dug deep and came back to eventually tie the game 14-14. Elphi won the next two points to win 16-14 and claim the North Shore banner.
"It was pretty intense," said Elphi coach Jan Richey. "When we got down two games to one, the girls never gave up. They never quit. To pull out such a big win is a testament to their hard work and determination all year long. Kyla [Richey] rolled her ankle in the first set. We were a little worried, but the other players stepped up and played their hearts out. Kyla said she couldn't jump and she was hurting, but she said 'tape me up, there's no way I'm missing this,' so we did and she went back in."
The AAA conference Cougars tied the quad-A host Royals for number one in the North Shore league this season with 10-1 records. Elphi also won the teams only other meeting this season 3-2 on Oct. 26.
Handsworth head coach Michelle Muldoon said that her team's struggles in the fourth set were likely due to the fact that the Royals had to regroup after the loss of Grade 12 setter Becky Kerr, who went down with an injury.
Even after the fourth-set loss, the Royals also had to rebound from a 12-3 deficit in the beginning of the fifth set. "I'm really proud of them for coming back," said Muldoon. "They all fought and everybody in our lineup got on the court and contributed. I think Elphinstone is an excellent team. I really do. But I also think that we gave away a lot of points, which didn't help us. We definitely gave a lot away on serves, and the first four points we gave away in the match were net violations, so I think we were a little overaggressive to start."
The Cougars have been playing all season with heavy hearts.
Star players Trina Borley and Hanna Anderson died in a tragic car accident in July. The team rallied behind each other dedicating the season in their teammates honour. The team had special T-shirts made up with "In our hearts forever" emblazoned on the front.
About 35 students and teachers from Elphi made the trip to the North Shore for the game. They wore the special T-shirts, had signs and cheered loudly every time Elphi won a point.
"Our student section was packed. It was great to see and it really gave us a boost," added Richey. "I found yesterday very hard. I was thinking about Hanna and Trina a lot. Winning was bittersweet in some ways. You celebrate their success, but it comes at a cost. At the end everyone broke down not just because of winning the championship, but also because we were missing two pieces."
Elphi now advances to the AAA Vancouver and District playoffs, which begins today and wraps up Saturday. The top four teams from that event will get berths to the provincial championships, which will take place in Prince George Nov. 30 to Dec. 2.- With files from Jan-Christian Sorensen/NS News
