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Duncan Christian Chargers lock up berth at volleyball provincials

Host team places second, Lake Cowichan fourth

The Duncan Christian School Chargers have punched their ticket to provincials after placing second at the single-A girls volleyball championships that the team hosted last weekend.

Placed in a power pool that included the other three top teams on the Island, the Chargers went 1-2 in round-robin play, but swept their way through the first two rounds of the playoffs to reach the championship match against Nanaimo Christian.

The Chargers opened with a 25-22, 25-21 loss to Lake Cowichan, then defeated Cedar 25-9, 25-19 before losing to NCS 25-15, 25-22 to close out pool play.

“The weekend started kind of rough and the coaching staff was not sure what to expect after the loss in the first set to Lake Cowichan,” DCS head coach Jim Brandsma related. “We were able to get the girls to regroup and refocus and in the second set against Cedar, and they really did a great job. In the last set against Nanaimo, the first set was tough, but the second set the girls put their heads and played a really good set.”

The Chargers defeated Brookes Westshore 25-21, 25-16 in the quarter-finals, then won their semifinal rematch with Lake Cowichan 25-18, 25-20 in what Brandsma said was probably his team’s best match of the tournament. The semifinal win also secured a berth for the Chargers in the provincial tournament.

The Island final was another rematch, but this time DCS was defeated 25-11, 25-14 by Nanaimo Christian.

“Although it wasn’t our best match, the girls showed perseverance and our entire team got a chance to play in the gold-medal match,” Brandsma said. “With a very young team, the future looks bright. I am very proud of the team, everyone was able to play and contribute to our silver medal finish. At one point in the gold medal match we had our captain, who is in Grade 12, alongside five Grade 10s and they did quite well. I am very excited to see what the future has in store for these girls.”

Julianna Kapteyn and Sydney Dollman were named tournament all-stars for the Chargers, who will travel to South Slocan for the provincial championships hosted by Mount Sentinel Secondary on Dec. 2-4.

“I’m very proud of our senior girls team for qualifying for the provincials,” DCS athletic director Tom Veenstra said. “They definitely rose to the occasion and played their best volleyball in the semifinals in order to earn a trip to the provincials. A tournament coach commented and said that his team noticed that the DCS girls never gave up. They would often be seen chasing down every ball and diving for everything.

“We have a young team and it’s very important to the continued development of our program that our girls will now have the opportunity to keep developing their skills at a higher level.”

The Lake Cowichan Lakers also beat Cedar and NCS in pool play to finish 2-1, then defeated North Island in the quarter-finals before falling to DCS in the semis. The third-place match, also against Cedar, needed three games to decide, with the Lakers falling 25-21, 20-25, 15-13. Macey Anderson and Chloe Blume were named to the tournament all-star team.

Chemainus Secondary went 1-2 in pool play, beating Stz’uminus and losing to Port Hardy and North Island. The Cougars beat St. John’s in the playoffs, then loss to Aspengrove and finished 10th. Sienna Waller was picked as a tournament all-star.



Kevin Rothbauer

About the Author: Kevin Rothbauer

Kevin Rothbauer is the sports reporter for the Cowichan Valley Citizen
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