Even in missing the top half of the final standings, Jeannie Mathison couldn't be happier with how her team played.
The Crush 15U boys outfit made the trip to Grande Prairie for Alberta Volleyball's 15U boys Premier 3 tournament on April 14 and 15 and very nearly got themselves a top-half finish. They ended up dropping the ninth place game to the Grande Prairie Wolves, 2-1, in sets.
Still, Mathison said it was a fabulous weekend for her boys.
“It went much better than I expected it to,” she said. “This group had never been to a 15U Premier tournament before so it was a good chance for them to learn.”
The boys started out in the round-robin, where they played two games against the Apex Glacier Club out of Calgary and Park Elite Blue from Sherwood Park. Both of those games ended in wins and then it was off to the playoffs, where they lost their first match, meaning the best they could do was ninth.
It didn't faze them too much, though as they won their next two playoff games to get the chance to take on the Wolves.
Mathison said she knew it would be a challenge for the boys but they rose to that challenge.
“I think we surprised them right off the bat,” she said.
The Crush did spring a surprise in set one by winning it, 25-15, but they lost the second set to set up the drama of a third set, which was back and forth right up to the midway point.
“We were tied, 7-7, but they went on a bit of a run after that,” said Mathison.
Grande Prairie would go on to win the final set, 15-11, to claim ninth place but that didn't matter to Mathison.
“Ninth or 10th place, I would have been happy with either of those results,” she said. “I think we were where we needed to be at that point because the boys played their hearts out.”
The Crush's play over the course of the weekend didn't go unnoticed either, she added.
“The real nice thing was all the feedback we got from other coaches and parents,” she said. “They were impressed with our level of play and they got a bit of a surprise when we told them that all we do is practice back home. We have a lot of good adult players who come and play us in scrimmages but we don't get the games like the teams in Alberta do.”
The Crush won't be playing in the provincial championship on May 5 and 6 because it conflicts with Senior Super Soccer but they will be hitting the court at the Volleyball Canada Nationals in Edmonton from May 17 to 19.
Mathison said it's going to be exciting for the boys to take on teams from all over Canada and she's hoping they take full advantage of the opportunity.
“I've seen the draw and Newfoundland and Labrador is in there,” she said.