That coveted momentum is in their back pocket, and now the Moscrop Panthers can apply it at the highest level.
The senior boys AAA volleyball team swept the competition at the Lower Mainlands last week, hosted by Moscrop, and head into next week’s provincials in Langley with a near-perfect record.
Each win at the LM tournament was a run of efficiency, although the Van Tech Talisman provided some resistance in the final.
With a berth to the B.C.s assured after a 3-0 sweep over McMath of Richmond, Alpha still had a banner in sight as it looked to remain perfect against AAA competition.
And sweep they did, beating Van Tech 3-0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-22), but needing a rare rally in the third set to exit the court clean.
“We were hoping they’d come out ready to play,” said Moscrop coach David Tam. “We knew Van Tech was going to be a tough matchup for us: they’re well coached and have some great players. We anticipated a great fight.”
They got exactly that, with the first two games a case of Van Tech keeping pace until Moscrop broke free, in the first set tied 6-6 then suddenly 14-7, and in the second set 14-14 before the home squad crept ahead 20-16.
Completing the final sweep wasn’t easy, however.
Van Tech turned a tight 8-8 match into a 15-8 advantage, holding the upperhand and an eye on extending the series to a fourth game.
But the Panthers responded, with leftside hitter Jerry Yan delivering a kill to earn serve and spark a rally that pulled them within two points.
The Talisman replied and led 21-19 before Moscrop erased the gap, tying it on a double block by Tatsuki Taylor and Justin Yee. While Van Tech would take the lead once more, the momentum had swung to the home team, with Yee providing serves over the final three points.
“It was probably one of the biggest deficits that we had to come back from all year,” said Tam. “A little bit of stress there. ... It was great character building for the kids, to know that they can come back and make that run.”
Yan, who joined Sandeep Moore and Yee on the tourney all-star squad, said overcoming that deficit was a big shift.
“It felt like we just weren’t focused,” said Yan of the start of the third set. “We just needed that one pass. Once we got it we just finished it off and kept rolling. ... We all trust each other, we knew we could come back.”
The next step will require a lot of polish, focus and stamina as the 20-team provincials begin Dec. 2 in Langley.
In the power pool competition, No. 4-seeded Moscrop will test their mettle in a grouping that includes top-ranked Kelowna Owls, Island champion Dover Bay and Okanagan runner-up Mount Boucherie, with three games on opening day.
“I knew going into provincials that it is all power pooled. ... It is something that we are looking forward to as a team,” said Tam.
