MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- The final weekend of high school volleyball in Saskatchewan saw four teams crowned provincial champions on Saturday afternoon.
The Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association senior boys provincial tournaments took place in four divisions on Friday and Saturday, and here’s a look at how things turned out.
In the 1A division, the Rouleau Rebels were the class of the field, putting together a perfect weekend without dropping a single set in Medstead and Glaslyn.
The Rebels rolled through the round robin with two-set wins over Meath Park, Medstead, LeRoy and Annaheim to finish first in their pool, and it was more of the same in the playoffs.
Rouleau defeated Ogema 25-13, 25-14 in the quarter-final and were even better in the semifinal, where they won 25-11, 25-10 over LeRoy. That sent the Rebels into the gold medal game, where they dowed Annaheim 25-18, 25-23.
Edam defeated LeRoy 25-18, 25-19 for bronze.
In the 2A division, the Saskatoon Christian School Royals posted a 3-1 record in the round robin before battling through two tough games in the semifinal and final to claim gold in Hillmond and Lashburn.
The Royals defeated Ministikwan, Rocanville and Englefield in two sets each to finish Friday play undefeated, but dropped their final round robin game Saturday in three sets to Harvest City.
They were able to rebound in style in their first playoff game, downing Lashburn 25-20, 25-15 before ending up in a couple barnburners -- a 22-25, 25-16, 15-13 win over Wilkie in the semifinal and 19-25, 25-21, 15-7 win over Harvest City in the gold medal game.
Wilkie defeated Langenburg 21-25, 25-20, 15-11 in the bronze contest.
In the 3A division, the Esterhazy Warriors got hot at the perfect time, taking three straight-sets victories in the playoff round to claim the title as tournament hosts.
The Warriors went 3-1 in the round robin, falling in two sets to Regina Christian School to open the tournament but going undefeated the rest of the way, including wins over Clavet, Waldheim and Biggar to close out the preliminary round.
Esterhazy then defeated Oxbow 25-22, 25-15 to reach the semifinal, where they downed Unity 27-25, 25-21 to reach the gold medal game. It was more of the same there, with a 25-18, 25-19 win over Regina Christian.
Unity defeated Waldheim 25-21. 18-25, 15-11 for bronze.
In the 4A division, the Moose Jaw Central Cyclones bounced back from a loss in their final round robin game to win three straight in the playoffs and land gold in front of their hometown fans.
Central went undefeated on Friday, taking two-set wins over Humboldt, Lumsden and Yorkton Sacred Heart. Things didn’t go as well in their final round robin game, as they dropped a three-setter to North Battleford John Paul II to finish second in their pool.
It was clear sailing from there, though, as the Cyclones defeated Melfort 25-16, 25-21 in the quarter-final, battled tooth and nail to defeat Moose Jaw Vanier 17-25, 25-12, 15-7 in the semifinal and claimed gold with a 25-18, 25-20 win over Humboldt in the final.
Vanier defeated North Battleford 25-21, 14-25, 15-7 to claim bronze.
