Provincials Mark the Peak of Play & End of Season for Senior A Volleyball

9 December 2014Jim Ganley

Mollie MG, Mackenzie ‘15

With the training which started last December all leading to this, we were full of anticipation for the AA Provincial Championships held at home last weekend. With many people working around the clock in order to make this tournament a success, when the lights turned off late Saturday night with everything have gone brilliantly, people were rightfully pleased. Our Brentwood girls became a team in September and were a family by the end of this tournament. Playing a total of seven games over three days, the girls pushed themselves both physical and mentally. For everyone these were their last games as a team but for our four Grade 12s, Hannah C, Allard ’15, Lauren H, Allard ’15, Hannah W, Allard ’15 & Mollie MG, Mack ’15 these were their last games as Brentwood volleyball players. With the banquet on Wednesday filling Crooks Hall with teams dressed in white and black, the tournament festivities got started. Thursday morning brought the opening ceremonies where the teams paraded into the gym and Emily B, Mack ‘15, sang the national anthem and the athletes oath was read by Mollie MG, Mack ’15. A few hours later the Brentwood girls were warming up for their first game against Surrey Christian School. Surrey Christian, the eventual bronze medal winner of the tournament, was able to beat us in the third set, but Brentwood left proud by the way they played and ready to continue the battle in our next game against DP Todd from Prince George. In this second game, the girls continued to play at a level they had not reached yet this season and won the first set 28-26, with an extremely close second set of 27-29 going to DP Todd and the third set as well, the game was over and the Brentwood girls were disappointed. With the last game of the day against Smithers, the girls put their heads together knowing they needed to win this match. Winning it in two straight, the girls placed third in Pool D. Friday morning meant the first playoff game, the game to decide if our girls would be in the top eight or the bottom eight. Playing against Sir Thomas Moore, the girls prepared themselves for the most important game of the entire season. Losing the first set by two points at 28-26 the girls knew this game could be theirs as long as they continued to play with the passion that fueled their bodies and didn’t break with the pressure. With the proper mindset and incredible play by the entire team, the girls won the second set. The third was taken by STM and the fourth Brentwood won! This meant it was down to a swift 15-point set to determine which team would make the top eight. With the teams never being more than three points away from one another, STM was able to win 16-14 in the fifth set. The girls were extremely disappointed but held their heads high as they walked out of the gym. With another game at Kelsey, the Brentwood we turned our disappointment into fire and beat Selkirk to continue our journey to our eventual 9th place finish. Two more games on Saturday determined this placing. Beating Princess Margarets in two straight, the girls had one last game to their season. The girls were ready to play Langley Fundamental and claim ninth! Winning the first set, the girls were ready to push for another 25 points to end their season. They did just that and beat Langley Fundamental in two: the girls were 9th in BC and finished their season! The last point of the last game brought automatic tears: we were happy to have won but saddened at the fact we would never again play as a team. For some of the girls this was the end of three years playing side by side. The team met for one last meeting and Coach Fougner shared with the girls how happy she was with them and the importance of every girl on the team and their help to the success of the team. Later that night, after the closing ceremonies, the girls and family had a final banquet where secret buddies were revealed, thanks were given, final tears fell, and team memories were created. The Senior A Volleyball team was successful and all the girls on the team will look back next week and decades from now with fond memories. On behalf of all the Grade 12s, I would like to thank the Brentwood Volleyball program for all that it has done for us in the last three years. It truly is a unique program and has taught us more than we know. Good luck to the team next year! Mollie MG, Mackenzie ‘15

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