The Parkland Vipers 13U volleyball team had one final tournament, their biggest of the season.
The team finished third in their round-robin power pool at the provincial championships. They beat the Brandon Volleyball Club, losing in three sets to the Pilots Navy, and Win Storm. In their playoff play-in match, the Vipers played in an epic battle against the Westman Wave.
In the third set, they were down 13-11 before scoring three straight to take a one-point lead, and put themselves one point away from staying in the championship bracket.
Unfortunately, the Wave battled back to clinch a three-set victory. The Vipers went to the consolation bracket and ran the table.
Taylor Schmidt is the team's head coach.
"I was really proud of this group. They continued to improve the entire season, not only with their skill level, but as a team," offered Schmidt. "This team showed a great competitive level right at the start. We played very well against the top teams in our age group and were put in pressure situations. I thought they did very well."
On the consolation side, the Vipers beat Taika Orange in straight sets, RVC in two sets, and the Junior Pilots 12U in two sets. One final match went the way of the Vipers as they cruised past the Junior Pilots 13U White in two sets.
They finished the season with a record of 32-10-6.
"When we would lose games, we would take it hard, and I didn't know why," said Schmidt. "After reflecting on it, we got used to winning. When we would lose a set or a match, the girls would do a great job refocusing and bouncing back."
Schmidt was proud of how the team finished off the event. They won five games at the provincial tournament, and four in a row.
"I was very impressed with how this team was able to handle situations and rebound," ended Schmidt. "Finishing the tournament and our season with four straight wins was very nice."
Another season highlight saw the team finish fourth out of 12 at the Junior Bison tournament. They went into that event ranked ninth. They also won a tournament in Elkhorn, going undefeated and beating Club West in the final, 25-22, 25-18.
