ESTEVAN - The Estevan Extreme volleyball program’s teams have thrived at provincials this season.
The five teams who have competed thus far have combined to win three gold medals and a bronze medal. The other team finished fourth.
The 14-and-under men’s team won gold at the tournament, held in Warman from April 22-24. Estevan lost their first game in round-robin play to Prince Albert, and then went undefeated over their next eight contests, defeating Warman’s Central Valley Vikings 2-1 (26-24, 23-25 and 15-9) in the final.
They also defeated the Lloydminster Rustlers Green in the quarter-final and the Regina Volleyball Club Red in the semifinal.
Coach Bryton Such said the Extreme thrived in every aspect of the sport.
“They played well physically, they executed when they needed to, they were able to bounce back mentally after a tough call or making a mistake, and they played together as a team,” said Such.
The Extreme also did a good job of encouraging each other and not getting angry after a mistake. They always believed they would get the next point, Such said.
Those who would have watched the team at the start of the season wouldn’t have believed Estevan would be a provincial contender, he said. Some players were still serving underhand.
The level of competition was very tough at provincials. There were some really good teams and great athletes.
“It’s exciting to know that there’s some promising volleyball upcoming here in Saskatchewan. I’m definitely looking forward to continuing to keep our team together and playing against some top-level teams,” said Such.
Six players will be eligible to play on the club next year, so they should be strong once again.
The 13U women’s team won gold in Division 2 at their provincial event, held April 22-24 in Saskatoon. Their combined record was 7-0, winning all five matches in the round robin. They took the semifinal over Saskatoon’s JCVC team and the final 2-0 (25-18, 25-23) over the Prince Albert Toppers Espirit. They didn’t lose any of their 14 sets.
Round robin victories were over Lloydminster, Yorkton, Lanigan, Watrous and Warman.
Coach Brittany Zahn said the coaches were in their first year with the program, and all of the girls had only played school volleyball before. Club volleyball was a lot different for them and it took time to build cohesion.
“I think we all just gelled so well from November to last weekend, that it was evident that it took us as far as it did. We all just played as a team. They didn’t get down on themselves. If we lost a few points or we made mistakes, we were able to let it go and move on to the next play,” said Zahn.
It was their fourth tournament of the year, and the girls wanted to win a medal. It was a great feeling to finally win one, and a gold medal to boot.
The players have come a long ways with all of their skills in the last few months.
Zahn praised the Extreme program and school volleyball in Estevan.
“They’re very supportive. Anything that we needed addressed or needed support from the board or other coaches who have coached before, they were super helpful. The parents were amazing.”
The other team competing from April 22-24 was the 14U women’s team, who won bronze in Tier 2 in Saskatoon. They swept Saskatoon JCVC Black 2-0 (25-10, 25-22). Estevan trailed 19-4 at one point in the second set.
Coach Aiden Miller said they lost their three round-robin games, but they responded on the second day and played their best volleyball of the season.
“They definitely peaked at the right time,” said Miller.
Estevan was seeded fourth after the round robin, and then upset the Prince Albert Toppers Espirit 2-0 (25-13, 25-18). Then they lost 2-0 to another Prince Albert team, the Espirit En Feugo, before recovering to win the bronze medal game.
Miller was pleased with their teamwork at provincials.
“They started calling the ball more, making smarter choices on the court and that kind of stuff,” said Miller.
Players worked hard to reach this stage.
Two Extreme teams were at provincial tournaments from April 29-May 1 in Saskatoon.
The Extreme 15U women’s team came away from provincials with a first place finish in Division 3, Tier 2. They defeated the Junior Sun Dogs team 2-0 (25-18, 25-17) in the gold medal game.
Coach Sara Saigeon said they came together for provincials.
“Throughout the year, they slowly got better at working together as a team on the court,” said Saigeon. “And their skills just improved all together, and we were able to pull off a win.”
She was looking to see the players perform to their best, and she would have been proud of them regardless of the outcome. The provincial title was “the icing on top of the cake,” she said.
Saigeon said the players have come a long way, from not playing for two years due to COVID-19 restrictions, to playing in Sask. Cup tournaments and then provincials. Two players on the team had never played before.
“They definitely all show a love and a passion for the game, both in practice and on the court,” she said.
All members of the team will move up to the 16U women’s team next year. Saigeon looks forward to seeing how they progress.
The 16U team finished fourth in Tier 2. They went 4-1 in the round robin, which left them tied for first, but Estevan was awarded first on a tie-breaker.
Estevan won their quarter-final contest over the Battlefords Volleyball Club Storm, but lost in the semifinal to Esterhazy and the bronze medal game to Weyburn.
Coach Brooke MacDonald said the Extreme saved their best volleyball of the season for provincials.
“It was quite heartwarming to see their progression through the season, and they played the best volleyball they had played all season at provincials,” said Macdonald.
The quarter-final and the semifinals were fun games to watch and the crowd was into the contests.
The level of competition at provincials was strong. Estevan was among the top 20 teams in the province in their age group, and they faced some really good talent.
MacDonald was pleased with the progress shown by the team this season.
“They were able to come together and jive really well as a whole, and then each individual player, their skills have come so far with attacking and serving, and being able to read where the other team is and where to place the ball. They were really honed in and focused. Especially during provincials, it was really good.”
