Crowther Memorial Sr Girls Volleyball team victorious at George Freeman Tournament

By John Watson Local Journalism initiative Reporter

The Crowther Memorial Cougars Sr. Girls Volleyball team has emerged victorious from the George Freeman tournament held Oct. 15-16.

Coach Jerry Flaws explained though the team had a rough start early into the tournament on the Friday, the girls quickly found their groove and made their way up the tournament ladder. 

“We were rocky on Friday. We split a couple games and we weren’t playing our regular level of ball,” said Flaws. “On Saturday, we came out and in the semifinal … we found our rhythm there.”

The girls played three games on the Friday, followed by two games and the final on Saturday.

“I thought we got better as the weekend went on. We definitely improved and cut down on some of our mistakes on our side of the net,” said Flaws. 

The final game of the tournament came down to the wire for the Cougars as they squared off against the J.C. Charyk Hawks.

According to Flaws, the three sets ended with scores of 25-20, 16-25, and 15-13 resulting in the 2-1 victory. 

“We played a really strong team in the finals, so it was good to squeak through with a victory there,” he said. “They were by far the best defensive team we’ve played all year, they never let anything go. They chased everything down.”

He attributed the end of the game to a handful of lucky bounces on the opposing side of the net and commended the Hawks for their resilience and defense.

“Our offense was stronger than theirs but their defense was stronger than ours,” said Flaws.

Flaws regarded Lena Johansson (middle blocker) as the team’s MVP over the course of the weekend.

“She hit very well all weekend. She’s probably our most consistent hitter … she got the majority of the sets over the weekend,” he said.

Going into upcoming tournaments in November, Flaws wants to see the team tighten up their defense as well as improving their passing.

This mindset, he added, is similar to what he’s been instructing his team throughout the season.

“What I’ve been coaching all year is, take care of our side of the net and we don’t have to worry about what they’re doing,” he said.

Coming out of the tournament he said the girls will need to work on increasing the amount of successful serves they are able to perform, as well as their serve receives.

The next tournament the Cougars will compete in is scheduled to take place in early November.