The Princess Margaret Mustangs junior volleyball teams came and conquered two Mt. Boucherie tournaments.
It was the second tournament championship for the junior boys team that travelled to West Kelowna and downed the Mt. Boucherie Bears 25-18 and 25-23 last weekend.
Mustangs coach John Buckley said an improved team performance resulted in the win.
During pool play, the Mustangs were led by Cody Poitras and setter Colton Van Camp as they defeated rival George Elliott Coyotes 25-14 and 25-11. Kyle Kohlhauser led all hitters with 15 attack kills, while the Mustangs received strong blocking by Kohl Linder. Rylan Potter helped shut down the Coyotes attack. The Mustangs then defeated KLO 25-11 and 25-16. Bench players Cam Kapusty, Jake McLeod, Brett Van Os stepped up and contributed to the victory. The third pool play match featured the Vernon Panthers. The Mustangs showed improved middle attacking on freeballs and Potter and Linder were too much to handle en route to straight set wins of 25-14 and 25-15. Injured starting power hitter Spencer Kingzett played libero and led the team in passing.
The first playoff slated the Mustangs against Springvalley Stingers. The Mustangs prevailed 25-13, 25-5 by sharing the attack kills and keeping the Stingers off balance. Gurk Klar and Jacob Winstone led the Grade 9 charge off the bench and improved his positional play.
Out of sync in their semifinal match against Kamloops’s Valleyview, the Mustangs trailed 23-18 before charging back and stealing a 26-24 win. A stronger team effort resulted in a 25-16 victory in the second set.
“We need to control our mental preparation better to be competitive with the top teams in the province,” said Buckley. “At times we rely on our athleticism too much. We can eliminate many unnecessary mistakes with better mental focus.” For full story, check www.pentictonwesternnews.com.
Buckley now looks to prepare his team for the playoffs and Valley championship. The Mustangs are undefeated in South zone league play and first in the Kelowna League with a record of 12-1.
“We are gaining the confidence to be a contender,” said Buckley, adding they just need to get back on track and work hard until the end of the season.
Success continues to find the junior girls team coached by Rich Corrie. Building momentum from their second place finish in Kamloops, the Mustangs won the 18-team tournament hosted by the Bears.
The Mustangs were atop their pool after defeating George Elliot of Winfield, Pen High’s Grade 9 team, Dr. Knox of Kelowna and the Bears all in two sets.
In semifinal action, the Mustangs defeated Armstrong’s Pleasant Valley, then
overcame a strong comeback attempt by Kelowna Christian School winning 25-23 and 25-19 to advance to the final. The Mustangs played their best volleyball against Vernon’s Kalmalka Secondary School winning 25-15 and 25-20.
The Grade 9 girls also did very well and continued to be a team on the rise by finishing first in their pool against Grade 10 opposition.