To understand the importance of Kendra Finch to the Argyle senior girls volleyball team, it is instructive to look back at the team's record with and without her over the past three years.
In 2012 Argyle ended the five-year reign of the Handsworth Royals as North Shore premier league champs and it was Finch, then just a Grade 10 upstart, who did the most damage for the Pipers, blasting kills from all over the court.
Last year with the versatile power hitter in the lineup to start the season the Pipers came into the campaign ranked No. 1 in the province for AAAA teams. They started off well but when a serious ankle injury forced Finch from the lineup the team struggled, failing to even make it into the North Shore premier league playoffs. Finch returned for the Lower Mainland championships and the team fired up again, going on to win the tournament against many of those same teams that had knocked them off earlier in the season. That showing put them into the provincial tournament where the team started strongly before Finch re-injured her ankle, after which the Pipers limped to an 11th-place finish.
Jump to this year and, once again, the Pipers started the season ranked No. 1. This time, however, they've stayed there, with Finch standing tall on two strong ankles all the way through. The Pipers further polished their resumé Wednesday night with a 3-0 sweep at home over those always tough Royals in the premier league final, capping off a North Shore campaign that saw Argyle lose just one set in seven best-of-five matches. It was a sweet championship win for Finch just one year after injury forced her to the bench when the stakes were highest.
"It was really hard," Finch said of watching her team struggle down the stretch last season, adding that it added motivation for all of them to come back strong this year. "It definitely motivated everybody. Most of our team is returning players so everybody has been really hungry all year."
Finch's time away from the court may have been tough but it also helped her grow as a player, said Argyle coach John McGowan.
"She learned a lot," he said. "It's a testament to her character to see how well she's playing now in her senior year. She's really become an exceptional player in the province. I think again that's a testament to not only how hard she works, all the volleyball she plays, but also that mental toughness she had to have to deal with that injury and not let it get her down."
The Pipers, however, are by no means a onewoman-band. The team is loaded with Grade 12 talent — including middles Sarah Haysom and Keeley Bell and outside hitters Meghan Kovey and Anna Price — who can all bring the heat. Price in particular was matching Finch kill for massive kill in the North Shore final. Grade 12 setter Katie Wong and libero Hannah Barr round out the team's ultra-experienced starting lineup.
"It's pretty easy to coach when you have that much talent," said McGowan. "I won't take much credit for it."
The team's core has been playing together at Argyle since Grade 8 and some of them go even further back with North Vancouver's BCO Volleyball Club.
"The level of commitment that they bring makes it easy to walk into the gym every day," said McGowan. "That's what makes coaching a real joy. It's great to win and have those successful seasons like we're having, but a lot of the hard work and time is spent in the gym in practice. They're a very special group in terms of what they bring every day, in terms of their dedication in the sport. To me that's what really makes them remarkable."
The team's cohesion is easy to see when they're on the court and Finch, co-captain with Price, is the player at the centre of it all. McGowan called her a "360 degree player," meaning she can do it all.
She leads the defence, makes spot-on passes and can even play setter if the situation on the floor calls for it. And then there's the hitting....
"I don't really ever get nervous when the set is getting outside to her," said McGowan with a laugh. "She's learned to be a versatile hitter. If you watch her play it's not just pounding the ball. She'll tip, she'll hit, she'll roll shot. She can hit crosscourt, she can hit line. She's able to create a point out of sometimes not the best set. That's a pretty special player. Anybody can hit a good set, but what can you do with a bad set? Kendra has the ability to take a bad set and turn it into a point."
On Wednesday the Pipers celebrated their North Shore title on home floor and they'll be back there for one more round of games as co-hosts, along with Handsworth, of the Lower Mainland tournament starting Thursday.
Assuming they come out of Lower Mainlands with a provincial spot, the Pipers will head to provincials, scheduled for Nov. 27-29 in Cranbrook, as one of the tournament favourites. It's a label they're not shying away from.
"Winning the provincials is well within their reach," said McGowan. "I think the opportunity is there. The caliber (is high) when you're in the final four, the teams are really talented. But in terms of talent, can this team win provincials? I would say definitely."
The odds get better and better with Finch in the lineup. Speaking of that, how are those ankles feeling?
"Pretty good," she said with a laugh. "Strong. Feeling good."
