North Battleford’s John Paul II Collegiate only lost one set during the 4A provincial volleyball tournament held in La Ronge. (Facebook/Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association)

By Derek Cornet

strong reputation

North Battleford wins gold in provincial volleyball championship

Nov 18, 2024 | 5:08 PM

North Battleford’s John Paul II Collegiate senior girls’ volleyball team emerged victorious in the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association’s 4A provincial championship held in La Ronge over the weekend.

The John Paul II Crusaders arrived at the tournament as the team to beat and they didn’t let their fierce reputation slip away from them. The squad went first in their pool and won every set they played, except for one against Fort Qu’Appelle’s Bert Fox Community High during the quarter final match.

In the gold medal game against the Melfort Comets Volleyball Club, the Crusaders came out with force and won in two sets (25-13 and 25-15). Melfort ended up going home with silver, followed by Moose Jaw’s Vanier Collegiate Institute with bronze.

Crusaders coach Quinn Baynham explained reputation could have been what gave her team the edge during provincials.

“I know mentality plays a big part in how people play and how the sport goes,” she noted.

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“Knowing that we were a top team coming into the tournament, I think definitely helped. Throughout the tournament, I think a big thing that really helped us was just staying headstrong as we played, not letting past mistakes affect their emotions, and just focusing on the next point. The girls definitely had good communication, and we really worked on that as we went and improved throughout the tournament.”

Other communities which participated in provincials were Humboldt, La Ronge, Lumsden, Meadow Lake, Nipawin and Tisdale. Members of the Crusaders included Akeira Anseth, Abigail Bell, Jadyn Bugg, Halle Harty, Sophia Hicks, Jada Kachur, Paige Michaud, Addyson Nyholt, Quinn Nyholt, Mia Peyachew, Sophie Pyle, Rory Salzl and Mikayla Shepherd.

La Ronge Churchill Chargers tournament organizer Scott Tomporowski stated it was an honour to host provincials as the opportunity only arises once every 12 years or so. He mentioned the local team wasn’t able to win a single set, but they did put in a good effort.

“It was a great experience,” Tomporowski said.

“Of course, we had the first large snowfall happen Thursday night when they were coming up this way, but everybody got here on time, and they enjoyed themselves, and we got a lot of compliments telling us it was well organized and they enjoyed themselves.”

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com