Sabres and Queens tops at 2014 Crowsnest Pass Senior Volleyball tournament

Boys First Place - Livingstone Sabres

Girls First Place - Vauxhall Queens

Chris Davis

Crowsnest Consolidated High School was the site of a Senior Boys and Girls volleyball tournament last weekend, October 31 and November 1.  Six Boys teams participated, including the Crowsnest Panthers, St. Michael's Dragons from Pincher Creek, Taber's Rebels, Elkford's Celtics, Lundbreck's Livingstone Sabres, and Coaldale's Titans.  Six Girls teams participated, including the Crowsnest Pandas, St. Michael's Dragons, Sparwood's Spartans, Elkford's Celtics, Claresholm's Cobras, and Vauxhall's Queens.  

Second Place Girls - Coaldale Cobras

Second Place Boys (and host team) - Crowsnest Panthers

There was a total of 19 each of Boys and Girls games, with a Boys game and a Girls game playing simultaneously in the split gymnasium.  Stamina was definitely a factor, as each team played 10 sets over the course of two days before the playoff games.  With the exception of the four playoff games, each game was played in two sets, with standings for the finals determined by the number of sets won.  The playoff games could go to a 15 set tie-breaker, and both Final games did.  Livingstone's Sabres emerged as the Boys champions, and Vauxhall's Queens were the Girls champions.  Second place Girls went to Coaldale's Cobras, and second place Boys went to the Crowsnest Panthers.

Host team Crowsnest Pandas prep for a set

Boys Final

The Sabres win could definitely be categorized as an upsetter.  They were up against host team the Crowsnest Panthers in the final game.  The Panthers were ranked first going in, having won all ten of their ranking sets.  The Sabres were ranked third, with four wins and six losses.  The two teams had faced each other in their first game of the tournament, and the Panthers won both of those sets 25-20.  The Sabres lost both sets against the Coaldale Titans in their last ranking game, but defeated them in the semi-final, much to the Titan's surprise. That semi-final game was dramatic, going to a third set, which the Sabres won 16-14.  The Final game also went to three sets.  The Panthers won the first set 28-26, the Sabres won the second set 25-21, and the Sabres won the third set by two points, 15-13.  

Truly, all players from both these teams deserve respect for the tremendous efforts they put in. A tip of the hat to Ross Cook of the Sabres, he was a whirling unpredictable dervish who cranked the volume to 110 over and over again, an inspiring athlete.  The Sabres continue to amaze, the sleeper team that regularly surprises their competition.  The Panthers also put on a great show, they've set the bar higher for Crowsnest teams that will follow in their footsteps.  These two teams were also scheduled to meet each other again in the Crowsnest gym on Monday, November 3.  

Girls Final

The Girls Final feature the top ranked Claresholm Cobras and the second ranked Vauxhall Queens.  Both teams had 7 wins and 3 losses in the ranking games.  When they faced each other during the ranking games the Cobras won the first set 25-11 and the Queens bounced back to win the second set 25-21.  In the Final, the Cobras won the first set 25-22 and the Queens won the second set 25-15.  The third and final set mirrored the just concluded Boys final, with the Queens emerging victorious 15-13.

Consolation games

Sparwood's Spartans defeated St. Michael's Dragons to win the Girls Consolation.  Taber's Rebels defeated St. Michael's Dragons to win the Boys Consolation.  Both of those games went to third set tiebreakers.

Misc. Boys games 1

Misc. Boys Games 2

Boys Final - Panthers vs Sabres

Girls

Misc. Girls games 2

Misc. Girls games 2

Girls Final - Cobras vs Queens