The Argyle Pipers senior girls are ranked No. 1 in the province for AAAA volleyball, a nice honour but one that they know from experience is meaningless once the ball starts flying.
The Pipers hit No. 1 last year as well, but that all came crashing down when injuries derailed their season and they didn't even manage to make it to the final four of the North Shore premier league playoffs. They rebounded to win the Lower Mainland playoffs but finished a disappointing 11th at the provincial championships.
Most of the key members from that team are back this year and the Grade 12-heavy lineup — the Pipers dress nine of them — has bigger fish to fry than topping the rankings. They're not even all that worried about wins or losses at this stage of the game, said Kathy Finch, who co-coaches the team along with John McGowan.
"We're still working on stuff," she said. "We're trying to keep the focus not on being No. 1, but on improving, continually getting better and staying healthy.... It really doesn't matter to us the wins and the losses, what matters is that we continue to get better as a team. Our goal is the end tournament, of course. What happens along the way happens."
They may say they don't care about the wins and losses, but the Pipers sure are racking up a lot of the former and very few of the latter. Aside from two losses on a trip to California, the Pipers have only lost twice to B.C. opponents. Those losses came in pool play at the Trinity Western University High School Tournament, a competition they went on to win.
They kept on winning at last weekend's BCO North Shore Invitational, taking out Riverside, ranked No. 3 in AAAA, in the semifinals before sweeping AAA No. 1 Timberline 25-16, 25-20 in the final. They'll try to keep it up this weekend at the annual Coquitlam RCMP Red Serge Classic, a 10-team shootout that will include eight of the top-10 ranked teams in AAAA along with the No. 1 and 2 AAA teams.
Along the way the Pipers have racked up a 4-0 record in the North Shore premier league, so far erasing all memories of last year's disappointment.
Leading the way are Grade 12 co-captains Kendra Finch and Anna Price, both left side hitters who can bring the heat both physically and emotionally.
"They really lead by example on the court — they bring an intensity that helps us a lot," said Kathy Finch, who happens to be Kendra's mom. "Kendra and Anna can hit. Offensively, they're very strong."
Right side Meghan Koven also gets in on the attack while Sarah Haysom and Keeley Bell take charge in the middle, giving the Pipers a handful of Grade 12 attackers all capable of doing damage. Setter Katie Wong and libero Hannah Barr, both also Grade 12s, complete an experienced and talented starting lineup.
"We have a really well rounded team," said Kathy Finch. "We have strengths in the middle, we have strengths on the outside, and we have a very good setter and libero. We're kind of lucky that way.... These girls have been playing together since they were in Grade 8 and they've done well all the way through."
The Pipers will face their biggest North Shore rivals Tuesday when they travel to Handsworth to take on the perennially powerful Royals. Both teams are currently 4-0 on the North Shore, making this meeting a de facto faceoff for first place in the league.
"We'll have a good battle," said Kathy, adding that the Pipers have size and experience on their side but the Royals, ranked No. 4 in the province after finishing seventh at the BCO tournament, always make life difficult. "They're a feisty team. We have a lot of strength in our attacking . . . but defensively Handsworth is very strong. They can soft block, get touches and dig up a lot of stuff. It'll be a really good match. We respect them as a team for sure."
Beyond that matchup will be the North Shore playoffs — this time with Argyle actually making the tournament — the Lower Mainlands and then the big show. The rankings right now say that Argyle is the favourite to win it all. And though the Pipers know the numbers can lie, that's not stopping them from setting their sights high.
"We'd love to go all the way," said Kathy. "I've been coaching high school volleyball for a long time and I think this is a special group. There are a lot of strong players."
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The Pipers and Royals will battle at Handsworth as part of a double header Tuesday night. Elphinstone and West Vancouver will get things started at 6 p.m. with Handsworth and Argyle to follow, starting at approximately 7:30 p.m. The North Shore playoffs begin Nov. 3 with the Div. 1 and premier finals scheduled for Nov. 5.
