St. Paul takes double gold in SPAA Volleyball Championships
On Wednesday night, St. Paul Regional's boys’ and girls' volleyball teams claimed first place in the SPAA volleyball championships after playing five games each during the one-day tournament.
The girls defeated the Ashmont Falcons in a tight final contest, and the boys won a decisive final victory against the F.G. Miller Crusaders out of Elk Point.
The boys were up first, taking on F.G. Miller in the finals at École du Sommet. In their first match F.G. Miller took a marginal lead early, and stuck to it until midway through the game. Things changed after a long and blistering round of serves by the Saints' Justin Pasitney, turning the tide of the match and giving St. Paul a healthy lead.
The two teams traded points back and forth until St. Paul finally delivered the match point, winning the first game in a best-of-three set 25-20.
In their second match, the Saints stormed to a huge 10-point lead before the Crusaders managed to gain a bit of control. A saved set off of a Crusaders' foot shifted momentum over to F.G. Miller, but St. Paul’s lead was too large to be toppled, and the Saints won their second match 25-17, winning the championship for the third year in a row.
“Winning this one didn’t come easy,” said St. Paul senior Brandon Fedoruk. “F.G. Miller is always a good team, and we've got a pretty good rivalry going with them. But we know going in what was at stake, and we really wanted that three-peat championship. We worked hard and got what we wanted.”
“It was tough,” agreed Pasitney. “But we had a bit more size on them, and one thing we do really well is communicate. We are never quiet. We're always talking and on the move. And I think the way that we mix with each other really helps us win games.”
Coach Brandon Strocki echoed Pasitney's thoughts about the importance of communication on their team.
“It’s crucial to know what's going on, every minute of every game,” Strocki said. “We gave up a few points that we shouldn't have, and that was when our communication fell short. But we had great served, and we executed when it mattered. That's what made the difference all day today.”
Meanwhile, at St. Paul Regional, the St. Paul and Ashmont girls' teams faced off in a nail-biting best-of-three final that went all the way to the third match.
The St. Paul girls took the first match by the slimmest margin possible, winning 25-23. The second match between the Saints and the Falcons was one of the most exciting of the tournament.
The two teams swapped leads back and forth all game, until Ashmont started to slip ahead after their fifteenth point. They capitalized on the frazzled and upset emotions of the Saints and earned themselves a six-point lead heading into the final rally.
The last rally of the second match was intense, and it took Ashmont 23 hits before they could finally seal the deal and win 25-18.
The Saints bounced back in a big way in the final match, which was played to 15 points instead of 25. After being tied at five points each, St. Paul went on a massive 10-point scoring streak to claim the championship with a 15-5 win.
“I think all of us were feeling pretty upset and frustrated in the second game,” said St. Paul's team captain Taylor Fedoruk. “And that made it tough to come back. But all of the girls were amazing and we knew we had another shot to win it. And that was a shot we didn't want to miss.”
Long-time coach Hank Smid, who has coached the girls for 17 years, says that this championship was won thanks to the team’s dedication.
“These girls work so hard every single time that they play,” he said. “They play hard, they work hard, and they don't give up. Even when things get tough, like they did today, their work ethic is top-notch, and we can we proud of what we did tonight.”
Over the weekend, qualifying teams went on to compete at zones, with both St. Paul Regional High School teams again taking top spot and bringing on the zone banners.
See next week’s Journal for more coverage from zones and provincials.
