Only one team last week outperformed Yukon in junior male volleyball at the 2016 Arctic Winter Games in Nuuk, Greenland.
Team Alberta North had Yukon’s number, winning 25-23, 25-18, 25-13 in the final on Thursday. It was the second Arctic Games in a row Yukon took silver in the male tournament.
“I am very proud of the way we played all week and although I would have like to get gold, a silver medal was a great accomplishment,” said Yukon coach D’Arcy Hill in an email to the News.
“The success of the team came from all the work we did three months leading up to the Games. I demanded a higher level of volleyball from this group and through hard work and a never-give-up attitude these athletes delivered this high level at the AWG. (I’m) very interested what they will be able to do going forward.”
The Yukon team placed second in the round robin with a four-set loss to Alberta North, who went undefeated at the Games.
Yukon defeated Team Alaska in four sets in the semifinal before losing to Alberta North a second time in the final.
“I feel like our team could’ve taken the gold for sure,” said Yukon libero Morgan Schmidt. “We played hard all week and overcame obstacles in our paths along the way and really came together as a team. We are proud to have proven ourselves against other teams and very proud to be coming home to the Yukon with a silver medal.”
Alaska took the bronze with a straight-set win over N.W.T. and Nunavut defeated Greenland in four sets for fifth place.
Yukon’s female team went winless and did not make the playoffs.
“Arctics has been a blast. The venues are awesome and the shared accommodations were phenomenal,” added Schmidt. “The other teams are really nice and you get to connect with other kids your age from different parts of the world. Arctics here in Greenland has been a great experience and I am looking forward to the next one.”
Contact Tom Patrick at
tomp@yukon-news.com