Spartans net home tourney win

Tyler Lowey
Times Reporter

 

The Strathmore High School Spartan boys captured the title during their annual volleyball tournament, rolling through the competition undefeated.
The Spartans faced off with the Eagle Butte High School Talons in the championship game and downed them in three sets, 2-1 (25-19, 16-25, 15-11).
“It was exciting for the guys to experience this level of success at home,” said Spartans head coach Cole Hintz. “It was a really competitive draw this year, so going undefeated was a really good result for us and a great confidence boost heading into zones.”
The Spartans slipped by the Senator Gershaw School Gators in the semis 2-0 (25-18, 25-18).
“We really started to stabilize our passing, which allowed us to get some good match ups attacking out of the middle,” said Hintz. “We also started to improve our intensity and grittiness on defense. We’ve been struggling with how we deal with frustration all year, so this weekend was a big step forward in how we move on mentally and put ourselves in a position to play free.”
The Spartans barreled through the round robin with wins over Canmore Collegiate High School Crusaders 2-1 (25-15, 21-25, 16-14), Three Hills Royals 2-1 (23-25, 25-14, 15-7) and the Talons 2-0 (27-26, 25-19).
Next up for the boys will be the zone tournament Nov. 18 and 19 in Brooks.

 

Spartan girls come up short
The Spartans girls couldn’t capture the magic of playing a tournament on home court. The Medicine Hat High School Mohawks swept the Spartans in straight sets during the quarterfinals.
“We have a tendency to get off to a slow start giving our opponents a three-to-seven point head start before we settle our nerves and find the self confidence to compete with the top teams,” said Spartans head coach Randy Moncks.
The Spartans finished the round robin second in their pool with wins over the Holy Cross Collegiate Hawks 2-1 (21-25, 25-17, 15-5), Crescent Height High School Vikings 2-1 (16-25, 26-24, 15-10) and Highwood High School Mustangs 2-0 (25-16, 25-11).
“If we can control those unforced errors more effectively, I believe we will be able to compete against the top four teams at zones,” said Moncks.
Zones run Nov. 18 and 19 at Bert Church High School in Airdrie. Until then, Moncks will be working his girls hard on passing and defensive strategies.
“My goal this year at zones is to make playoffs and hopefully play our best volleyball of the season and upset one of the top teams (Springbank, Bert Church or Brooks) and make a run for a medal at zones,” said Moncks.