HCC Hawks volleyball program producing in tourneys

By Tyler Lowey, Times Reporter

The Holy Cross Collegiate Hawks senior boys volleyball team is proving to be a top contender in every tournament they have entered this season.
In their most recent results, the Hawks collected the silver medal at the Three Hills volleyball tournament Oct. 28.
The Hawks were pushed to the third set against the Sundre High School Scorpions, but dropped the third set, losing 2-1 (25-16, 18-25, 9-15).
“I thought they performed very well. Of course, the boys were a little disappointed leaving the gym at the end of the day; losing by six points in the finals hurts,” said volunteer Hawks Head Coach Myles Pirie. “It was a very long day of volleyball. We jammed a whole tournament into one day. We were there from 7 (a.m.) and left just after 8 (p.m.). To go the whole day only losing three out of 12 sets is pretty good in my eyes.”
The most thrilling match of the weekend saw the Hawks get the best of the host Three Hills School Royals, where it took an extra point in the third set to topple the hosts, 20-18 in the semifinals.
Earlier in the weekend, the Hawks steamrolled through the round robin, sweeping the Royals in the opener 2-0 (25-14, 25-18), followed by a straight-set win over the Calgary Academy Knights 2-0 (25-16, 25-20) and cooked the Scorpions 2-0 (25-8, 25-23).
“We came out strong in the morning and played well right from the start while other teams took a while to get going,” said Pirie. “I think we played stronger teams than we did in the Drumheller tournament, so I actually think we played better today and lost in the final, compared to winning it all last weekend.”
These are the latest results in an impressive start for the Hawks, who won third at a tournament in Airdrie Sept. 22 and 23, and took gold at a tournament in Drumheller Oct. 21 and 22.
On deck for the Hawks is a tournament in Rosemary Nov. 3 and 4, as they prepare for the South Central Zone championship Nov. 18 and 19 back in Three Hills.
And nothing is out of the question for the upstart team run by a new head coach with players new to the sport. If they continue to progress at this current rate, they have a chance at bringing home the zone title.