Less than a month after the South Surrey-based Raincity Rush volleyball team met their Raincity Rebels brethren in the finals of the U14 Tier 1 Girls B.C. Volleyball Championships, the two clubs met again – this time at nationals.
And as was the case at provincials, the Rush settled for second place, with the South Delta-based Rebels claiming the gold medal at the 104-team national showdown, which was held at the Richmond Olympic Oval earlier this month.
In the final, the Rebels won 2-1, though it was the Rush that won the first game, 25-19, thanks to “strong serving and setting by Arwynn Houchen, strategic hitting by Shania Beliveau and Camryn Trudeau and a committed defensive effort by Alicia Thai,” according to head coach Gord Houchen.
In the second set, however, the South Delta squad battled back to win 25-14, and in the third, clinched the title with a 15-5 win.
Both the Rebels and Rush went a perfect 6-0 in round-robin play, with the Rush earning victories over teams from Winnipeg, the Yukon, Alberta and Saskatchewan.
“It was an awesome weekend for the Raincity Volleyball Club as we went 17-1 (combined) over the tournament and if you have to lose one, falling to your own club rivals in the final is about the best finish you can ask for,” said Houchen.
“Our girls really rose to the occasion and managed to win a number of really close pressure-packed matches. I think we grew as a team and played our best volleyball of the season in the nationals. I am really proud of how our Rush girls battled all weekend and I am sure the Rebel coaches would say the same about their team.”
sports@peacearchnews.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter