For the second year in a row, the Kelowna Secondary School Owls have proven themselves as the top high school girls volleyball squad in the province.
Seven wins in a row took the group to the provincial finals to capture their second straight 4A girls volleyball title at the Langley Events Centre this past weekend.
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Leading up to the win, the girls claimed victory against Mission Secondary School, Handsworth Secondary School, and finally Lords Tweedmuir on Saturday to cement the championship.
Despite the big victories in the playoffs, Coach Kelly Hettinga said the final pre-qualifying match against Claremont Secondary School ultimately set the stage for the run to the trophy.
“The match goes to 15, they were up 14-7. We had to win 7 straight. In rallying volleyball, that doesn’t happen, we couldn’t make one mistake,” said Hettinga.
“That match coming out of the pool was the best thing for us, it was a wake-up call that we needed.”
Kelowna narrowly edged out Claremont in the close three-set victory.
With the championship win last year, Hettinga said there was added pressure for the girls this year.
“In a sense, because we were ranked first and held that ranking mostly through the year, it meant that all the other teams brung their best to play us,” said Hettinga.
“There was definitely no easy road and no free ride.”
There are around 70 women’s teams competing in the division every year, according to Hettinga.
Hettinga said each championship win his teams get are different.
“The best way to describe is that winning a championship like this never gets old and it’s never the same.”
@connortrembley
connor.trembley@kelownacapnews.com
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