JV Sabres dominating as provincials loom across Manitoba

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This article was published 13/11/2023 (604 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s hard to believe how good the Steinbach Regional Secondary School’s junior varsity girls volleyball team has been.

The Sabres have yet to lose a match on the season, with only one league game remaining on their schedule. The team has also won each of the four tournament’s they’ve entered this season, as they lock up the number one spot in the provincial rankings heading into playoffs.

For head coach Bryan Tottle, it’s unfamiliar territory.

“I can’t compare it to anything,” Tottle said when asked if it was hard to coach a team so dominant.

“Our approach is always just one game at a time, one practice at a time. We never really talk about down the road, and we don’t talk about our record. We kinda all know, but no one’s cocky, no one’s arrogant. They’re humble kids, and I think that’s the key.”

It was another clinical victory for the team, made up entirely of grade 10 players, when SRSS hosted Glenlawn Nov. 6. Powered by excellent serving and defense, the Sabres dominated for a convincing straight sets victory (25-9, 25-14, 25-10).

“We work a lot on our serving, because I think serving is going one of the most important things,” Tottle said.

“It sets up our defense, whether we get one, two, three attackers coming back at us depends on what kind of passing they’re making… We like to put a lot of service pressure on the other team.”

Plenty of times throughout the match Glenlawn struggled to return a strong serve, with SRSS easily able to capitalize with their next series of passes.

“We have a lot of offense, and in order to get that offense going, that’s where that service pressure comes in,” Tottle said.

“We can get that easy ball back, so we can run our offense.”

The volleyball pipeline in the region has Steinbach with a lot of athletes to choose from, even at the junior varsity level. The school has two different grade nine teams, which are fed by strong clubs from the region, including from the Providence Pilots.

“The girls came in with a lot of skill and it was just a matter of implementing a system that works for us,” Tottle said.

“They bought into the system really, really well and you can see some of the effects of it.”

Later in the night, the Steinbach boys junior varsity team completed a 2-0 comeback to defeat Glenlawn and themselves remain undefeated in league play. The Sabres have been dominant when it comes to long games, winning four league games so far in five sets.

PLAYOFF PICTURE

The South Central Athletic Conference junior varsity playoffs are set to finish with the championship games on Nov. 16, after semi-final matches Nov. 13.

The SCAC grade 9 finals are on Nov. 14. In varsity action, the league semi-finals are set for Nov. 15, with finals hosted on Nov. 17. The location will be determined after results are in.

In Zone 13 action, the AAA south championships will be on the line on Nov. 13, with the number one ranked Steinbach Christian School hosting Niverville at 5:30 p.m.

The Flames have been excellent this season, including in tournament play. Last weekend they finished second at the DIG tournament in Brandon competing against top-level teams from around the province.

The girls bracket should see Niverville hosting a south region qualifier as well.

The winners of the AAA zone 13 south championship will play in the zone championship Nov. 20 against their northern counterparts.

The junior varsity AAA zone 13 provincials will take place Nov. 14.

Lover level action is already underway, with the A and AA zone 13 varsity championships taking place Nov. 8 in Lac Du Bonnet and Pinawa. Games were completed after press time.

The collegiate volleyball season is also underway, with the Providence Pilots hosting Assiniboine Community College at Niverville High School on Nov. 10/11, as repairs on the floor inside the Niverville Resource and Rec Centre’s AMF Fieldhouse have not been completed.

Providence’s women’s team was ranked number 12 in the country earlier this week.