Austin O'Brien High School - The Paul Kane Blues refused to lose the biggest game in metro Edmonton high school volleyball.
Teetering on the brink of defeat at the start of the winner-take-all fifth set showdown against the Holy Trinity Trojans, the prolific Blues showed why they are the team to beat at provincials while capturing their first premier women's volleyball crown in school history.
"It's really huge for us. We're just so excited right now," said a beaming Tyra Adamic, captain of the Blues, during Saturday's jubilant post-match celebration. "To do what we did feels so good. It really took a total team effort. It wasn't just six players, it was everybody."
The Blues celebrated their dramatic 25-11, 25-20, 17-25, 29-31, 15-7 conquest of the Trojans with tears, cheers and a ton of pride.
"We're basically over the top right now," said an overjoyed Whitney Follette, a Grade 11 tower of power in the middle for the second-ranked 4A team in Alberta. "To win this for our school means so much. It's really amazing."
Massive swings in momentum dominated the playoff classic.
"When we had it we were unstoppable. When they had it they just rolled on us. We just needed to bring it back up in the fifth set and we got it," Follette said. "We started that set off really hard. We weren't going to let them get the momentum again and we took it."
The Blues looked totally deflated after losing the marathon fourth set.
"We got a little shaky and we started doubting ourselves. We lost it for a little bit but then we found it in a big way in the tiebreaker," said Adamic, a prime-time Grade 12 middle. "It was win or go home. We all got it together. We were so focused. We've been working really, really hard all season for this and we weren't gong to let it get away from us."
The pressure cooker almost took its toll on the Blues. They pinned the defending champions against the ropes by winning the opening two sets but couldn't land the knockout punch until it was almost too late.
"We were all so stressed out. We were trying to focus on staying calm more than anything, with the atmosphere and the crowd and all the yelling and screaming," Adamic said. "We really respect them as a team. They pushed us really, really hard and we're just so happy that we won it at the end."
Head coach Stan Andronyk wasn't expecting the Blues to sweep the Trojans despite Paul Kane's impressive showing in winning the first and second sets.
"Holy Trinity just has too much to allow that to happen," said the ultra-mellow bench boss. "We knew it would be tough today. Holy Trinity has always played great defence. They are just a very tough team to play against."
Last year in the semifinals the Trojans, seeded fourth in the playoffs, upset the undefeated Blues in three convincing sets at Paul Kane. This year the Blues swept the Trojans in league play as both teams finished tied for third spot in premier with 8-3 records.
"We really learned from last year not to second guess any team. We can't just plow over teams," said Adamic, 17, one of six returning Blues from last year's seventh-place finish at provincials with four wins and three losses in best-of-three match play.
Rollercoaster ride
In the first set the Blues smoked the Trojans as Adamic, Follette, Niki Oudenaarden and Maddi Aguis heated up the court with blazing hits. Lengthy point runs lifted the Blues into commanding leads of 8-1, 15-8 and 18-9 before ending the set with seven straight points.
After the Trojans scored the first point in the second set the Blues kept racking up the scores. Follette did most of the damage with several scintillating spikes, crushing blocks and timely serves. After a point by Aguis off a block made it 24-14, the Trojans rattled off six in a row before the Blues scored their 25th point off an errant hit by Holy Trinity.
In the third set, and Paul Kane poised to polish off the Trojans, the wheels started to fall off the Big Blue Machine. Down by two, the Trojans erupted for eight straight while outscoring the Blues 11-1 to lead 16-8. Looking completely out of sync, the Blues gradually faded away as the Trojans staved off elimination.
"We didn't really get excited for the points we scored and we kind of almost quit on the ball and they used it and really rolled on us and got the momentum for themselves," Follette said.
A monumental fourth set was a heart-pounding display of volleyball at its finest. The teams waged a fierce battle while taking turns putting points on the board. The longest point run of the set was four by the Trojans. As the tension mounted down the stretch, both teams had chances to win by the required two-point margin after the score was deadlocked at 24-all. After Oudenaarden hammered home a dig by Adamic to knot it at 29, the Trojans connected twice with deadly hits for the win, setting the stage for a thrilling finish to the final.
Frantic finish
"We were ready for that fifth set," Andronyk said. "We were confident. We've had some experience with fifth sets lately. We've gone to [last] sets in tournament finals and in the quarter-finals we went to a fifth set [against the St. Albert Skyhawks]. You just have to start fast and not let up and they did that. They just went after them."
With Sarah Thomas serving, the Blues tallied four straight points, sparked by a couple of heavy hits by Oudenaarden that shredded the Trojans defence.
The Trojans replied with four in row, but a surprising block by setter Hailey Lutz broke the tie. Follette spiked the ball for the team's sixth point, then blocked a shot with her long arms for the next point. Lutz added the eighth point with a great serve that landed just fair.
It was 8-5 Blues when Follette threw up another power block for the ninth point, then added the 10th point with a killer shot after a clutch dig by Adamic. Follette continued her overwhelming performance with a tricky tap to make it 11-6. She would later serve a tough ball the Trojans couldn't handle to widen the gap to 13-6, and the rest was history.
There was no game star awarded in the final but the 16-year-old Follette would have been a deserving candidate.
"I don't know if it was my best game but it was definitely one of my better ones," said the tournament MVP at the 2010 Lions Western Canadian Challenge.
Afterward the emotional tug-of-war, Andronyk was popping buttons over how the Blues overcame adversity to defeat arguably the best 3A team in the province.
"I'm extremely proud, especially how they came back like they did in the fifth set. They showed huge heart. It's easy for teams to rollover in that situation, but they weren't going to be denied," he said. "They really stepped it up and played great. That might have been our best match of the year."
The last match before provincials for the Blues is today against the public league champion Spruce Grove Panthers at 4:45 p.m. at Paul Kane to determine the first and second Edmonton zone seeds at provincials.
"It's an important match. We want to come out and play well against the public league champion," Andronyk said. "We want to beat them."
