A second-place finish at the Island championships on Wednesday means the Duncan Christian Chargers senior boys volleyball team will play host to a three-team tournament next Tuesday with a wildcard berth at provincials on the line.
The Chargers won their first two matches on Wednesday, beating Ucluelet 25-16, 25-13 and Phil and Jennie Gaglardi Academy 25-13, 23-25, 15-4.
That led to a thrilling semifinal against host Nanaimo Christian. The Chargers won the opening game 25-14, only to be edged 26-24 in the second game. Trailing 8-1 in the final set, the Chargers came back to prevail 15-13 and advance to the final.
St. Andrew’s won the Island championship match 25-18, 25-16 to secure a guaranteed berth at provincials.
Ben Kapteyn and Vincent Fernandez were named Island tournament all-stars.
“The guys played their hearts out today against some great teams,” said Scott Harder, who coaches DCS along with his son, Nick. “There were some amazing moments with the guys playing their best passing game of the season against the hard-hitting St. Andrew’s School. We are looking forward to hosting the two Mainland teams on Tuesday for another chance to make the final provincial spot.”
The wildcard tournament will include DCS, Lower Mainland No. 2 seed Brockton, and the yet-to-be determined Fraser Valley No. 2 seed.
DCS will play the Fraser Valley team at 1:45 p.m., followed by Brockton vs. the Fraser Valley seed at 3 p.m., and finally DCS vs. Brockton at 4:15 p.m.