THE Handsworth Royals senior girls volleyball team earned bronze at the AAAA provincial championships played on their home court Saturday, their streak of three consecutive B.C. titles ending at the hard-hitting hands of the Kelowna Owls.
Kelowna knocked off No. 2-ranked Handsworth 3-0 in the semifinals before dispatching the top-ranked Riverside Rapids 3-1 in Saturday night's final to claim the title.
The Royals rebounded from their sole loss of the tournament to defeat Heritage Woods 2-1 in the bronze medal match in front of a loud home crowd.
"I couldn't be more proud of them," Handsworth head coach Tom Oxland said about his team. "It's really nice to be able to win your last match of either your high school career or your season in a bronze medal game - there's only one better one to win. We'll certainly take a bronze."
Though the three-time champs worked their way all the way to a No. 2 ranking heading into the tournament, the Royals were not necessarily regarded as huge medal threats when the season began. Six of the team's seven starters from last year's team graduated, the only returning starter being Emily Oxland, coach Tom's daughter.
"If you had told me at the start of the year that we would win the bronze medal at provincials I would have been delighted," said Tom. "The girls all year just kept on improving and improving and to be in the bronze medal match, you feel really honoured."
The Royals won all three of their opening-round matches to finish first in their group before knocking off North Peace and Earl Marriott in playoff games to make the semifinal. Their run ended there, however, as Kelowna came to play with a lineup stocked full of heavy hitters - including tournament MVP Kaitlynn Given and all-stars Cayte Wilson and Hillary Schell - while Emily was the only Royal consistently doing damage on offence.
After getting blown out in the first set, the Royals made it close in the last two but ultimately fell 25-14, 25-20, 25-20. The Owls were ranked No. 1 to begin the year but fell to No. 5 heading into provincials after injuries took a toll on them. But by tournament time they were back on top of their game and fully deserving of their championship win.
"We just don't have as many weapons," said Tom. "They've got four really good hitters and so every (play) there's always two good options for them. That creates more of a challenge for your blockers and your defence."
With the loss came the end of Handsworth's incredible run of three straight championship wins.
"It's a little sad," said Emily. "But whatever - it had to come to an end some day."
At the start of the bronze medal match it looked as if the Royals would miss the podium completely as Heritage Woods won a tight first set 25-23 and then overcame a shaky start in the second set to grab a 15-12 lead. From that point on, however, the Royals took control, eventually grabbing the second set 25-22 and finishing it off in the third 15-12.
Grade 12 power hitter Celeste Melliship picked up her game down the stretch, adding another weapon alongside Emily's big spike.
The Royals also stepped up their defensive game, said Tom.
"We didn't think that we were working as hard on defence (as Heritage Woods was)," he said. "In the middle of the second set all of a sudden our girls just said, 'let's go.'"
Facing the thought of going home empty-handed, the players decided to lay it all on the line, said Emily. "We were just saying it's our last game so we need to pull it together and work hard and play for each other."
With Emily and Melliship doing the hitting and setter Rachael Bell-Irving orchestrating the offence in the bronze medal win, several other Royals made big contributions on defence, said Tom, including Keiko Patterson, Katie Ryujin and Alyxa Hepting in the back court and middle blocker Shelby Wick up front.
The win ended Emily's career with Handsworth, giving her two golds and a silver along with two provincial championship MVP awards won in her Grade 10 and 11 years. This year she was named a first-team all-star.
"She was like a coach on the floor - I just have to say a couple of things to her and then she sort of leads the team," coach Tom said about his daughter. Emily started her Handsworth career as a setter but by her Grade 12 year Tom was moving her all over the floor to give her chances to swing away. "She has to take a lot of responsibility out there, passing and hitting, and she stuck with it. (The bronze) is a great cap off of her high school career . . . it's just tremendous what she's done."
The end of the tournament also was the temporary end of Tom's Handsworth career. Next year he'll be off in Germany on a one-year sabbatical but said he'll be back for more with the Royals when he returns.
The West Vancouver Highlanders, tournament co-hosts, were knocked out of medal contention in a loss to Heritage Woods to open the playoffs. The Highlanders bounced back, however, to win their final three matches to finish first on the consolation side, ninth overall, to improve on their No. 13 ranking heading into the tournament.
In other provincial action Sutherland secondary finished 15th at AAA provincials while Saint Thomas Aquinas placed eighth at the AA level.
