Winning the 2013 AAAA B.C. High School senior girls volleyball provincial championship is better than the first time for South Delta Sun Devils coach Dan Burgess.
āThis year we appreciate it a lot more because you really realize how hard it is to repeat,ā said Burgess, who watched his team win three straight sets against the Earl Marriott Mariners after losing the first set to Pen High.
āIt really is.
āThere is a lot of luck involved. You have to stay away from injuries.
āEverything has to come together at the right time.
āIām ecstatic, but I think this one is a little bit sweeter than last year.ā
Tournament most valuable player Nicole McNamara said it was an incredible feeling to win as the team worked so hard.
āIām just so happy this is how we finished off the season,ā said McNamara, who helped the Sun Devils win 25-23, 25-19 and 25-19 in front of a packed gym that included the host Lakers and other competing schools.
McNamara said the challenge, facing their Fraser Valley rivals, was mental.
āWe play them all the time. Usually it can go either way,ā said McNamara.
The turning point in her opinion came after the first set, which she said they were really nervous about.
āWe kept calm in the second set. We cleaned it up a bit,ā said McNamara.
āAfter the second set we were pretty confident that we could do it.ā
Burgess said the Mariners were incredible.
āWe played them three or four times this year. Tonight was by far the best I had ever seen them play,ā said Burgess, who praised the performance of Mariner Christie Faester, who he said was incredible defensively. āWe had to change our lineup a little bit. After the first game, we had to switch a few things around.
āThe usual combination for unlocking Earl Marriott wasnāt working. We had to work a little harder.ā
Burgess was impressed with the quality of teams.
āLast year if you asked any coach, you could pick out the top four teams pretty easily,ā he said.
āThis year, I think it was eight or nine teams that legitimately had a shot at winning this thing.
āIt was a very deep field this year. We were lucky to come out on top in a lot of ways.ā
As for the play of his MVP, Burgess said McNamara, who he described as an amazing player, was awesome. He relied on her to get things going on the right side.
āThatās Nicoleās specialty,ā he said of the left-hander. āShe puts the ball away when it matters.ā
When asked about her MVP selection, McNamara said everyone on the team played well and could have easily been named MVP.
āIām just so happy I got it,ā she said.
Burgess said the Sun Devils loved their time in Penticton.
They were impressed with the hospitality and enjoyed some unexpected support.
āThe girls were laughing because they would be walking down the street or walking through the mall and total strangers would say, āGo South Delta,āā he said.
āWe donāt even get that at home. They have their sweaters, they are getting fan support. They loved it.ā
Burgess praised the work that Lakers coach Rob Gunning put in to organizing and said it highlighted the beautiful school.
āPenticton is a great town to host any kind of championship,ā said Burgess.
āFrom the hotels to the restaurants, we really felt welcomed.ā
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