SHS senior boys volleyball claims first-ever victory at provincial tournament

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Strathmore Spartans high school senior boys volleyball team claimed the 3A Volleyball Provincial Championship Nov. 22-23 for the first time in the school’s history. 

“3A this year was an extremely strong … I think that the Top 5 in in 3A could compete with the Top 5 in 4A – with all the bigger schools in the province and they have been doing that all year,” said Cole Hintz, head coach of the SHS senior boys volleyball team. “There are a lot of good teams at the top and we knew it was going to be a difficult task. We played six matches total, and the way that provincials are set up is a power pool, so the Top 4 teams are in a pool together.”

Hintz explained the Top 4 teams square off, and then playoffs are decided from those results. SHS started its run through the provincial gauntlet against Beaverlodge, followed by squaring off with the team from Grande Cache.

The round robin pool concluded with games against Strathcona Christian Academy, leading to the quarterfinals against Barrhead.

“We started Saturday with the semifinal against Beaverlodge and our guys pulled it out 2-1 … that was a really tight match. Then in the final we came up against Strathcona Christian Academy again. They are also the same team that we played in the finals of our home tournament,” said Hintz. “They are all so good – they are so well coached. At the top, everyone plays the right way; it is really hard to score points, they make it really hard on teams by committing to team defense and spreading the ball around on offense. There is no such thing as an easy match.”

Hintz added his team are very strong when it comes to playing the long game and keeping rallies going, relishing long, hard-won points.

He commended his team for their ability to be as resilient as they are under pressure, and maintaining a belief in themselves as well as in each other.

“The first set in the final, we were down 12-6, and the guys just chipped away one rotation at a time and were able to pull out that set 25-23,” he said.

The Spartans had never placed higher than third in the provincial championship until this tournament. Last year marked the second occasion the team took third since Hintz started coaching. 

The Spartans will see three of their athletes graduating at the end of this season. Hintz is excited to see that 80 per cent of his team will be returning next year for another run – now defending their provincial title.