It’s been so long since the F.H. Collins Warriors captured the senior girls Super Volley title, no one seems to know if they’ve ever won it.
If they have, it was before 2005 where the record trail runs cold.
Needless to say, the team is pretty pumped up about winning it last Friday at the YSAA Super Volley finals at Porter Creek Secondary School.
“We’re feeling great. We really put up our energy and came home for the win,” said Warriors captain Katelyn Holway.
The Warriors took the title with a tight 25-23, 21-25, 17-25, 25-15, 15-12 win over the Porter Creek Rams in the Whitehorse high school volleyball league final.
“It gave me a heart attack there for a bit,” said Warriors head coach Adam Robinson. “I don’t particularly think either team played at their full potential. I’ve seen PC play better and I’ve seen our team play better and I was hoping for a more intense game. It seems intense because we went to five sets, but I know how each team can play.”
After taking the opening set on a kill from Holway, the Warriors took a 10-4 lead in the second before the Rams went on an eight-point run on the serve of Billie Robertson. Things began to look bleak for the Warriors in the third set, getting called on three rotation violations, helping the Rams establish a 10-point lead. After dropping a five-point lead in the fourth set, allowing the Rams to tie it 11-11, the Warriors got back on track with a block from Mykhail McInroy, who later won the set with a tip over Porter Creek blockers.
“We just had to let go of the third set and really push our energy and celebrate the things that we did well,” said Holway.
Tied 8-8 in the fifth set, the Warriors took the lead for the last time on a cross-court kill from Holway. Facing match point, the Rams staved off defeat on an ace and then a kill from Robertson before a missed serve gave the Warriors the title.
With big hits a crucial points and her coolheadedness, Holway was named the Super Volley season MVP.
“I wasn’t expecting anything. It was a big surprise,” said Holway.
“She stays very levelheaded. She’s been very levelheaded the whole season,” said Robinson. “When things get rough, she keeps a cool, calm head, which is why the girls picked her as captain. She knows the game super well and she’s a pretty consistent player.”
Having also won the senior girls title at the Dawson Invitational Volleyball Tournament the previous weekend, the Warriors will attempt to capture the coveted Triple Crown with a win at the YSAA Volleyball Championships in two weeks — but not if the Rams have anything to say about it.
“We’re definitely looking for some redemption,” said Rams head coach Kim Hickman. “Because we didn’t do too well in Dawson, and again such a tight one here, so we really have to focus on the small things. So we’re going to be working on speeding up our offence and serving tough and that could be the difference at the Yukon champs. So we’re hoping we meet F.H. again because we’re looking for some redemption.”
The Warriors, who placed second behind the Rams in the regular season, reached the final with a 25-16, 25-14, 20-25, 25-20 over the Vanier Crusaders in Thursday’s semifinal. Players of the Game were Kim Garaygay for the Crusaders and Alice Frost for the Warriors.
Contact Tom Patrick at tomp@yukon-news.com