East Three Secondary School's Eagles volleyball teams flew back from Yellowknife on top of the world after both U15 teams claimed the tier 2 championship while the U19 boys took the bronze medal and girls finished fourth.
Wrapping up their season at the Spike It! volleyball tournament Nov. 1-3, the four teams took to the court against over 1,000 athletes culminating in 98 teams with a tremendous showing of skill for players who had only picked up the sport in September.
"Overall, they did pretty well," said U15 boys coach Jeffrey Amos. "All but one of our seven boys has ever touched a volleyball before this season, but until early September there was no skill development.
"I'm very thankful that about half of the team are first-years, so they're eligible for the same category next year."
He noted the boys were tested all the way to the end, with the last game going to five sets between the two squads.
While they got a good run for their money, the boys held together as a team and brought the banner home.
"We lost our first set really terribly, but we picked ourselves up for the second game," said Amos. "It was really close until we got up eight points.
"We knew we were the stronger team, but we met our match. Even myself, we were a little uncertain because it was so close."
Meanwhile, the U15 girls also took the banner after three sets.
"They played together as a team. It was intense, every point we all got caught up in," said coach Chrissy Hvatum. "They brought each other up every single time they were down. They kept it positive and played to have fun."
U19 boys claim bronze
During the same weekend, the U19 boys took the bronze medal and the girls came within shooting distance of the podium.
Considering it was a rebuilding year for the girls, coach Nichole McDonald said the team had quite a showing for having just taken up the sport and chalked it up as a strong learning experience for the girls.
"These girls played in a tougher pool, against the top teams," she said. "They played hard right up to the bronze and lost a tight game," she said. "For the six weeks of practice they had together, they did quite well. There were a few new players, but they played some really good games."