It’s better late than never as the South Delta Sun Devils, Seaquam Seahawks and Delta Pacers senior girls' volleyball teams head to their respective provincial championships, starting Thursday.
Due to travel issues related to the recent flooding and fuel rationing, B.C. School Sports decided to extend the fall season by an additional week to allow the tournaments to proceed.
“There is continued support for these events given that this is the very end of the season, and relatively few teams remain playing,” said B.C. School Sports executive director Jordan Abney, in a prepared statement. “Further, there is recognition of the significance of the championships as the pinnacle of the school sport season after a full season of play, especially for those graduating student-athletes who already missed their Grade 11 year due to the pandemic, and with an alteration or cancellation would miss out on a championship experience throughout their entire senior years.”
The Sun Devils and Seahawks take their season to Dover Bay Secondary in Nanaimo for the B.C. AAAA Championships.
The top ranked Sun Devils will be looking to cap off a memorable season by winning their fourth provincial banner in school history, under head coach Dan Burgess. They have already produced high-profile tournament wins at UBC and the Red Serge Classic in Coquitlam, while defeating the Seahawks in four games to win the South Fraser AAAA title.
There will be plenty of elite teams standing in their way as 19 of the 20 qualifying teams will be making their way to Vancouver Island. Among them are Okanagan champion Kelowna, Fraser North champion Riverside and Sea to Sky champion Handsworth.
Other participating teams include Mt. Boucherie, Nanaimo, Semihamoo, West Vancouver, North Peace, Oak Bay, Claremont, RE Mountain, Pinetree, Yale, Burnaby Central, Terry Fox, Earl Marriott and Dover Bay.
Round-robin play goes on Thursday and the playoffs start Friday morning. The final goes at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
Participating in their first provincial tournament in over a decade, the Pacers will be at Crofton House in Vancouver for the B.C. AAA Championships.
Volunteer parent coach Grant Hornby guided the Pacers to a second-place finish at last month’s South Fraser AAA Championships where the girls dropped a hard-fought five-set thriller to No. 3 ranked McMath Wildcats of Richmond.
Delta begins pool play on Thursday in a group that includes Little Flower Academy, Vernon and Byrne Creek. The 14-team event also includes Mt. Doug, Windsor, LV Rogers, Langley, Seaton, Duchess Park, McMath, Carihi, Dawson Creek and Crofton House.
The playoffs and placement games take place on Friday and Saturday.
