St. Thomas More did one better than its pre-provincial seeding.
The AA Knights placed sixth at the B.C. high school girls’ volleyball championships following a three-set 15-7 tiebreak loss to Hatzic in placement finals at Brentwood College on Saturday.
The seventh-seeded Knights placed second to eventual champion Pacific Academy in opening pool play and then made a determined run for a championship berth the following day.
“It was way too close on Friday,” said STM head coach Becky Lang.
The Knights eked out a 16-14 tiebreaker over host Brentwood in the championship round and then later moved on against Lower Mainland and independent rival York House in the quarter-finals.
STM took a 2-0 lead in sets, but dropped the next two in extra sets before succumbing to a 15-9 tiebreak in the final set.
“We lost to (York House) six times this season, but it was always the narrowest of margins,” said Lang. “In the third set, we had match point and couldn’t put it away. We came from behind in the fourth set and again had match point. But we didn’t have enough steam left.”
Still Lang described the team’s effort as “the best volleyball the girls played all season.”
Undeterred, STM dispatched DP Todd in straight sets to move into the fifth-place matchup with Hatzic.
Junior-aged left-side hitter Bianca Te shone for the Knights, earning a second team provincial all-star mention.
Lang also singled out Grade 11 libero Vanessa Llyod, who anchored STM’s outstanding defence.
“She was the reason. But we’re very strong defensively. We have a lot of girls who are not afraid of standing in front of the ball,” Lang said. “They peaked at the right time.”
With six returning Grade 11 players and four more of junior age or younger, the Knights expect to return to the AA’s again next year.
The Knights junior girls’ team, including second team all-star Martina Fads – seventh-place finishers at the recent 24-team provincials in North Delta, will also age up next season.
