Hawks show valiant efforts at zones

Justin Seward
Times Reporter

 

The Holy Cross Collegiate Hawks senior volleyball teams competed hard for every point at the season-ending zone tournaments.
Senior boys coach John Reinhart could not be more proud of his players despite having a short bench in Three Hills.
“The boys played hard, fought through fatigue and worked very well as a team. I was extremely proud to have coached this group of boys and I am looking forward to next season,” said Reinhart.
The team was shorthanded and still managed to take all their matches to a third set, including a game against the top team in the tournament.
“We only had seven boys that could make the tournament. We finished one win and two losses (all in three sets) in the round robin,” said Reinhart. “During the quarterfinals we played Three Hills and beat them in three sets. In the semi-final, we lost in three sets to Prairie Christian Academy and we lost the bronze medal game to Oilfields High School in three sets (the final set 14 – 16).”
As for the girls, they were knocked out in the quarterfinals in their zone tournament in Carstairs.
“We made it to zones in Carstairs after we finished second at regionals,” said coach Josh Jalbert.
He added that his younger players did step up when called upon.
“At zones, we played strong as a team and our young players really stepped up to the occasion. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get past Three Hills in the quarterfinals,” he said.
Grade 12 player Rhiece Cordes thought the team adjusted well to a new coaching style and became stronger as the season went a long.
“I think it was an adjustment for us with Mr. Jalbert, but I think we all warmed up to him by the end of the season. The team really improved because of his hard work and our hard work at practice,” said Cordes. “I was happy with how our season went. At the end of the day it’s not about the wins and the losses. It’s about the growth of your team and I think everyone was able to come together, especially in our last game, we wanted to end the season on a positive note.”
Cordes added that she was impressed how the younger players on the team were able to bond as a team and adjust well to the high school level.