The Mel Johnson School Eagles from Wabowden dropped only four sets all weekend as they flew to the boys’ title at a junior varsity volleyball tournament in Thompson Oct. 17-18.
The Eagles were 5-3 in the round-robin, beating the host R.D. Parker Collegiate (RDPC) Trojans 25-22,25-21 and 25-18, 25-22 in a pair of matches, while losing three of four sets to the Margaret Barbour Collegiate Institute (MBCI) Spartans from The Pas 25-23, 15-25 and 12-25, 19-25.
The Eagles were on top of their game when it counted though, winning a semifinal against RDPC in three sets to advance to the final, where they did what they couldn’t do in the round robin, beating MBCI in straight sets – 25-21, 25-15 – for the title.
Mel Johnson’s girls’ team was winless in the tournament, falling 13-25, 19-25 to RDPC’s home team and 19-25, 13-25 to MBCI #1 in the pool B round robin. Chief Sam Cook Mahmuee of Split Lake was winless in the girls’ pool A, losing 7-25, 2-25 to RDPC’s travel team, which went on to win the girls’ tournament, 16-25, 13-25 to MBCI #2 and 10-25, 11-25 to Chemawawin School from Easterville, who finished second in the round robin with five wins in six games – 25-16, 16-25 against RDPC’s travel team and 25-9, 25-15 against MBCI #2.
Chemawawin lost to MBCI #1 in a playoff semifinal, while the Wabowden girls lost 14-25, 21-25 to the RDPC travel team in the other semifinal.
Northern Manitoba high school volleyball teams were also on the court in Churchill at the Duke of Marlborough School’s Polar Spike 2014 varsity tournament Oct. 16-18. The Duke of Marlborough Storm were tops in the boys’ round robin, beating the Grand Rapids School Wolverines 25-12, 25-13, Chief Sam Cook Mahmuee 25-8, 25-11 and Helen Betty Osborne Ininu Education Resource Centre (HBOIERC) from Norway House 25-19, 25-17. The varsity girls Storm went 3-1 in the pool 1 round robin, beating Chief Sam Cook Mahmuee 25-11, 25-15 and splitting a pair of sets 28-26, 22-25 with the Wolverines. The junior varsity Duke of Marlborough girls were 2-2 in pool 2, losing 11-25, 22-25 to the junior varsity HBOIERC girls and beating Neil Dennis Kematch Memorial School from Pelican Rapids 25-14, 25-12.
