Inside the lines, the Moscrop Panthers are building a case for a great playoff run.
Undefeated in league play, the Burnaby senior boys volleyball team are itching for the playoffs to begin and a chance to show that their recent fourth-place ranking in the provincial standings is not a mirage.
While rankings are nice, setter Justin Yee said it doesn’t mean a thing if they can’t show it on the court.
“Personally I don’t pay a lot of attention (to the rankings) but I know a lot of the other people pay attention to that,” said the Grade 12 on-floor leader.
“I think we have the skill set, we all know how to play volleyball, we all know the fundamentals but we just need more chemistry.”
As evident in Monday’s 3-0 sweep of the Alpha Aztecs, consistency and focus have been tested over a lengthy league run. A first-game 25-8 win was followed by some spirited pushback by the Aztecs at 5-5 in the early going of Game 2. Moscrop pulled ahead but with the score 22-9, Alpha forced it through nine points before falling 25-15.
In the third game, Moscrop was more efficient in wrapping up the night with a 25-10 decision.
Head coach David Tam said playing to their abilities, and not to their competition, is something the squad is still struggling with.
“We’re still scratching and nowhere close to where we can be right now,” said Tam. “Hopefully in the next week we can start to get going and hit our stride for the Lower Mainlands.”
The perfect league record has less to do with their high rating than performances at a couple of tournaments earlier in the season. Moscrop finished second at a Douglas College tourney, and more recently placing seventh at UBC’s invitational.
“We are a fairly explosive offensive team, with our strength on the outsides,” noted the coach. “Offensively, the team is very aggressive. The defining moment was finishing tied for seventh at UBC, and defeating a few AAA teams along the way.”
Led by seniors Aleks Ristic, Jerry Yan and Yee, the Panthers’ lineup features eight Grade 12s and six Grade 11s. Those returning players are all too familiar with inconsistency, as a promising season last year came to a screeching halt in the last game of the Lower Mainlands, one win short of their goal.
“That was pretty shocking,” recalled Yee. “We had a pretty good team going in and didn’t expect to lose like we did. That is definitely a motivator, especially this being my last year. … It’s a big push.”
Tam said the three court marshals have set a terrific example in a year where expectations are high.
“(Ristic, Yan and Yee) have been a steady force for the team the entire year, and the guys that the rest of the team can rely on,” said Tam. “All three are relied upon to contribute in different areas of the game. They have done a great job pushing their teammates to get better every game and practice.”
Success depends upon a united front and consistent intensity. Yee said the squad needs to close the gap and treat every game, no matter who the opponent, like its do-or-die.
“I think our team really needs a little more of a challenge when we play. I feel like when we play teams of a lower playing level we tend to stoop down to their level and start playing like them,” he said. “We also tend to communicate a lot less when we play those teams, so that’s something we can work a lot more on. … We’re really close. A lot of us play club volleyball out of school so we hang out a lot, hang out at school – we’re like a family.”
They’ll get to show their playoff form in the league tournament, Nov. 9 and 10, which feeds into the Lower Mainlands in mid-November – to be hosted by the Burnaby champion.
Tam feels the best is yet to come.
“Our ultimate goal is to win a championship and put a banner up for the school, but one step at a time. We have to get to the Lower Mainlands before we go there… There is still potentially another 20 games to go in the season,” he said.”
