The South Delta Sun Devils find themselves in familiar territory but with a different formula than what has put them among the top ranked senior girls volleyball teams in the province for the better part of a decade.
Three straight B.C. titles from 2012-14 has been followed by consecutive appearances at the showcase tournament thanks mainly to volleyball first athletes who play during the club season too.
This edition is led by players who also thrive in other sports but are still more than comfortable playing at a high level.
That was evident on Monday night in Cloverdale where the Sun Devils went toe-to-toe with the Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers in an early season league battle of top 10 ranked 4A schools.
The No. 4 Panthers rallied to win the first set 25-23 and used their superior size to also win the next two — 25-20 and 25-14. Despite the sweep there were still plenty of encouraging signs of what this group is capable of.
“Unlike some of our previous teams, these girls aren’t destined for post-secondary volleyball. They are just athletes,” said South Delta head coach Dan Burgess. “You got kids who are just really athletic and a lot of their success comes from their familiarity with each other.”
The Sun Devils’ defence was outstanding — digging balls out of the Tweedsmuir gym floor for much of the night — thanks to that athleticism.
The difference between the teams was the Panthers’ significant size advantage at the net and that’s something the Devils are going to have to deal with much of the season against the top teams.
The good news is they are going to get plenty of practice thanks to an extremely tough Tier One West League that also features top 10 ranked Earl Marriott and Seaquam.
“When we fall out of our system, they are digging balls that are incredible. We just don’t have the kids who can consistently put it away. You basically hope your ground defence is going to get the job done in the backcourt,” continued Burgess.
His roster of 15 players includes four starters from a year ago — Michaela Hayes, Megan Hendrickson, Sarah Waterfall and Breanne Gallagher. Gemma Thomas and Olivia Wickett also were a significant part of the rotation. These Grade 12s won silver at the junior provincials two years ago.
Carrying nine Grade 11s bodes well for next season.
“We scramble very well but you can also see we don’t play play during the club season so that’s where a teams like Tweedsmuir has a little bit more technical superiority,” added Burgess. “We have to rely on our athleticism and hope it carries us. I think it will.”
The Sun Devils already have three tournaments under their belts and head to the Island for another this weekend. Their home league matches are Oct. 15 against Southridge and Oct. 24 against Elgin Park. Both 7:30 p.m. starts.
