St. Thomas More played some of its best volleyball of the season to finish in sixth place at the B.C. high school AA girls' championship in Vancouver this weekend.
The Knights lost fifth place to Surrey Christian in three sets but first-year head coach Becky Lang was not upset with the effort.
"It was probably one of their best matches of the season. (The Knights) were on fire," said Lang. "I could tell the girls really wanted to prove themselves."
And on the final day of the three-day championships, STM did just that.
Earlier on the Saturday, the Knights disposed of Sa-Hali, jumping all over the Kamloops school 25-10 in the opening set before closing out the match 25-21 to move into the fifth-place matchup.
On Friday, STM played near error-free ball to get by independent rival St. Thomas Aquinas in four sets, 25-10, 27-25, 20-25, 25-17, in the all-important crossover match that guaranteed the winner at least an eighth-place finish.
Later, the Knights missed their chance for a spot in the championship semifinal, losing in three sets, 26-24, 25-13, 25-15, to eventual AA champion Pacific Academy.
"I just thought felt after we lost that first set it was as if (Pac Academy) had beaten us," said Lang. "But I'm definitely proud of them, and lots of the girls are returning."
One of those returning players will be Grade 11 libero Miranda Vigna, who earned a spot on the all-tournament second team.
Senior left-side hitter Samantha Drescher was named the team's all-star.
Senior right-side hitter Katrina Abel played the game of her life in her last volleyball match as a Knight in the final game against Surrey Christian, Lang added.
Grade 10 middle blocker Meghan Ho will also be another starting player returning to the Knights next season. All-purpose Aryana Ebrahimzdeh and opening server Ana Vukasovic will both be graduating this year.
In pool play, STM finished second in Pool D, winning handily over Smithers and College Heights before falling to eventual consolation finalist Kalamalka by a 25-22, 25-21 score.
The only thing that could have made the weekend better would have been a stronger showing against Pacific Academy, said Lang.
"Win or lose, I think we could have played better in the second and third sets," she said.
