Another banner is going up on the wall at Earl Marriott Secondary, after the school’s junior girls volleyball team went undefeated en route to a provincial title last weekend in Delta.
The Mariners defeated the South Delta Sun Devils Saturday in the championship game of B.C. Junior Girls Volleyball Championships to claim top spot at the 32-team event, which was held at South Delta, North Delta and Seaquam secondaries.
Marriott went a perfect 3-0 in pool play – never losing a set – against Dawson Creek, Killarney and Reynolds secondaries, and was equally as successful in the playoff rounds.
In the first playoff tilt, EMS defeated Handsworth, and followed that with a win over Kelowna in quarter-finals and St. Thomas More in semifinals, before squaring off against South Delta, which Marriott won in straight sets.
“Both teams were really tired by then, you could tell,” said EMS coach Vanessa Wiebe. “But they powered through.”
The tournament also featured a handful of other Surrey and Cloverdale teams.
The Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers were highest-placing team aside from EMS, finishing tied for 13th overall, while other schools taking part were Elgin Park and Pacific Academy.
Earl Marriott’s Bridgit Burns was named the tournament’s most valuable player, while a pair of teammates – Rachel Smith and Emily Herrewig – were named tournament first-team all-stars.
Wiebe added that libero Rubby Dale and all the team’s setters had great performances, too.
“All the girls played great.”
Marriott’s junior girls weren’t the only team from the school to make it onto the provincial podium last weekend. The school’s junior boys also fared well, finishing third at their provincial event.
• Earlier this month, Semiahmoo Totems’ youngest girls team – the Grade 8s – also had much to celebrate, after winning both Surrey and Fraser Valley championships. There are no provincial championships at the Grade 8 level.
• South Surrey schools will take aim at more volleyball hardware this week, as senior provincial championships are set to hit courts throughout the province.
Earl Marriott’s senior girls will be among the top contenders for a provincial crown this week in North Vancouver, as BC AAAA Vollleyball Championships tip off.
EMS heads into the tournament, which runs Dec. 1-3, as the No. 1 seed, having recently won a Fraser Valley banner, while the Semiahmoo Totems and Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers will also vie for top spot.
The senior boys AAA provincials, which are to be held at the Langley Events Centre, will feature three South Surrey teams – Semiahmoo, Elgin Park and Earl Marriott – as well as Fraser Heights and Seaquam.