The Earl Marriott Secondary (EMS) Mariners did not have an easy ride to the Surrey Grade 8 girls’ volleyball championship.
Mariners coach Raymond Lee, a teacher at the school, said the 11-member team drew some tough opponents en route to their Thursday night victory at Sullivan Heights Secondary to take the top banner Nov. 8.
First, the 13-year-old players had to beat Elgin Park Secondary in the quarter-final, then get past Southridge School in a three-set nail-biter of a semifinal, before taking on a stubborn Pacific Academy team in the final, winning two sets to zero.
“I was fairly confident that our girls would pull it off,” Lee said, thanks to a height advantage that helped them control the net.
But the Pacific Academy players made the Mariners earn their win, returning shot after shot.
Next up for the victorious Mariners is the regional Fraser Valley championships, which start this Friday (Nov. 16) in North Delta.