THE North Shore will be the sight of some smashing volleyball action starting Thursday as Handsworth and West Vancouver secondaries co-host the senior girls AAAA provincial championship tournament.
The biggest storyline heading into the tournament is whether Handsworth can take advantage of their home cooking to win their fourth consecutive provincial title. The Royals appear well positioned to do just that, coming off recent wins in the North Shore championship game over tough AA school Saint Thomas Aquinas and in the Lower Mainland AAAA final over Richmond's McMath.
With those wins the Royals jumped up to No. 2 in the provincial rankings, trailing only the powerhouse Riverside Rapids from Port Coquitlam. For a three-time defending provincial champion a No. 2 ranking should be common territory, but these Royals are
a little different - six of their seven starters from last year's team graduated, including two who are now suiting up for Canadian university teams. That his rebuilt team has shaken off some early-season struggles to race back up the rankings has amazed Handsworth head coach Tom Oxland.
"I don't think most people at the start of the year or at the end of last year would have predicted that we'd be up there," he said. "It's a little bit surreal to be sitting here and being ranked No. 2 going into provincials is certainly more than I would have expected back in September. I think it's a testament to how hard the kids work. They really work hard and they also have fun doing it."
There's also the small matter of who that one returning starter is. Emily Oxland, coach Tom's daughter, is already a two-time provincial championship MVP and regarded by many as the best high school player in British Columbia. Though Emily is a natural setter, coach Tom moves her all over the court for attacks because she's usually also the best hitter on the court.
"She's certainly our go-to girl, amongst a couple others," said Oxland. "She's certainly the one we like to get the ball to when we're in trouble."
Volleyball, of course, is not an individual game and several other Royals have stepped up this year, including power hitter
Celeste Melliship and setter Rachel Bell-Irving - two Grade 12 players who along with Emily rarely leave the court.
Co-captain and defensive specialist Alyxa Heptin and Grade 11 middle blocker Alanna Grace have also been key contributors, said Oxland, adding that most of the players on his deep roster see the floor in every match.
The tournament co-hosts from West Van will also be hoping to make some noise on their home court. They'll have a chance to make an impression early as they face No. 1 Riverside in their first match immediately following the opening ceremonies Thursday morning.
"We're excited to have a shot at them first," said head coach Kathy Finch. "I've got a strong contingent of girls and we're hoping to play our best volleyball next week."
The Highlanders come into the tournament ranked No. 13 so they'll have to play the game of their lives to knock off the favourites. The Grade 12 trio of power hitter Anna Barton, setter Sophie Merritt and right side Tiffany Lee will lead the Highlanders into battle, said Finch. The coach knows her girls well - she's moved up with them through the Grade 8 team, junior level and now senior.
"This is kind of a special team to me because I've had some of these girls since Grade 8," said Finch. Last season the Highlanders made provincials and finished 10th. This year they're hoping to better that and at least make it into the quarterfinals for a top 8 finish, said Finch.
"It'll be tough, all the teams are great," she said. "There'll be some really great athletes to watch and some really good teams."
Oxland echoed those sentiments. "There's not really much difference between No. 2 and No. 6 or 7," he said. "For anybody that comes out to watch it's going to be some pretty great volleyball."
While his team is going for the four-peat, Oxland said Riverside is the prohibitive favourite. The Rapids lost to the Royals in last year's provincial final and with many of their stars back for this season they've beaten Handsworth twice.
"They're playing really well and I think they're sort of a team on a mission," said Oxland.
Opening ceremonies for the tournament will begin at 8: 45 a.m. at West Van with the Highlanders playing the Rapids at 10: 20 a.m. The Royals will open their tournament on their home court at 10: 20 a.m. Thursday against a wild card team yet to be determined. The championship round will be played Saturday at Handsworth with the bronze medal match at 4: 30 p.m. and the gold medal match beginning at 6: 30 p.m.
Full schedules and results will be provided on the tournament website at aaaabcpvb2011.com.
