Kings 2 Ooks 0
The RDC Kings didn’t put together a lineup for the Alberta U21 volleyball championships that would scare a lot of people.
After all they had only one player off their regular season starting rotation — right side star Mitch Irvine — among the nine roster players.
But the younger members of the Kings showed they have their share of talent as they downed the NAIT Ooks 32-30, 25-18 to capture bronze.
The Kings were relegated to the third-place match when they dropped a 15-25, 17-25 decision to the eventual champion University of Saskatchewan Huskies in the semifinal.
“I was a little disappointed against the Huskies, as we could have had a better run, but they’re a good team which included some starters off their university team,” said Kings head coach Aaron Schulha. “Overall I was pleased with what I saw this weekend. Our younger guys showed a lot and learned a lot. We played a lot of very good teams, all but Mount Royal, and we’re better off for it.”
The majority of the Kings nine-man roster that played this weekend saw limited action this season but several will be in the running to grab a starting spot next year. However, Irvine will be one of those who will be gone, joining the University of Alberta Golden Bears.
“We’ll certainly lose some talent from this year’s team, but I really like the overall attitude of the younger guys,” added Schulha. “They enjoy being here and working hard . . . they play for each other, which we saw this weekend.”
Power hitter Taylor Hunt, who couldn’t play this weekend, will be back and Schulha has several other players on his radar.
“We’re still looking and hoping for a few more commitments,” he said. “We’d like to find one more bigger middle blocker, but we’ll see what happens in the next little while.”
One of the younger players to stand out during the weekend was David King, who was named to the tournament all-star team. He played some libero and power.
“He was deserving of the all-star berth, he was probably our most consistent player all weekend,” added Schulha.
The Ooks, whose roster was bolstered by players from Grant MacEwan and the University of Alberta, lost 18-25, 17-25 to the Mount Royal Cougars in the semifinals.
The U of S, which included RDC setter Chris Gilbert, beat the Cougars 25-19, 25-23 in the final.
Dinos 2 Queens 0
There was a chance the RDC Queens could have finished in the medals as well, but that was secondary for head coach Talbot Walton.
Walton went mainly with a younger lineup as the Queens lost 13-25, 20-25 to the University of Calgary Dinos in the women’s bronze medal match.
“We wanted to play the majority of our younger athletes who are coming back next season,” said Walton. “It gives us a chance to see them playing above average competition.
“Some of the players saw limited action this season, so it gives the coaching staff a chance to see what they’re capable of and see where we feel they stand heading into next season. As well is shows me what kind of job I did developing these athletes.”
Walton has his sights set on several top high school grads for next season, including a trio from Red Deer — setter Kirsten Sorensen from Notre Dame, right side Sidney Ponto of Lindsay Thurber and libero Megan Brouwer, who played two years ago at LTCHS.
“There’s two of three others weren’t looking at as well, and we should know about shortly,” he said.
The lost 22-25, 16-25 to the U of S Huskies in the semifinals while the Dinos were defeated 25-23, 25-19 by the U of Alberta Fog Pandas.
The Huskies downed the Pandas, who included former Queen Alyssa Jones, 25-22, 23-25, 15-13 in the final.
l Queens libero — Tarah Truant — was named to the women’s all-star team.
drode@www.reddeeradvocate.com