The Paul Kane Blues didn't miss a beat in Saturday's repeat performance in high school women's volleyball.
The Blues successfully defended their Metro Edmonton Premier Conference championship by sweeping the Bev Facey Falcons in convincing fashion.
"To win it two years in a row is excellent! I'm loving it!" a jubilant Whitney Follette, captain of the Blues, said during the post-game celebration. "Last year was the first time Paul Kane had ever won it so it was a real big deal. This year we really executed and proved our point again. It's back where it belongs."
The victory also secured a spot at the 4A provincial tournament next week at Strathcona Composite High School.
Last year at provincials the Blues slipped to eighth place in the 16-team draw after placing seventh in 2009.
"We're ready for provincials. We're not just going there to participate, we're going there to win," Follette declared. "This is the best team to go in there with. We've improved so much. We're going to do really well at provincials."
The fourth-ranked 4A team in Alberta finished 13-1 in league play after sweeping its third playoff match in a row.
"I really believe it will be our year. We peaked at the right time this year," said Maddi Agius, a dangerous Grade 12 power.
The team to beat at provincials is the host Scona Lords. The No. 1 ranked 4A team and Edmonton public league champions host the Blues today at 4:45 p.m. to determine the first and second Edmonton zone teams at provincials.
"They're our main competitor. Every time we've played them they've beat us so we really, really want to beat them," Agius said.
The Blues are the real deal after overpowering Facey, listed third in 4A as the second-highest Edmonton zone team to make the top 10 rankings.
"It really proves to us and to everyone else that we can beat any team when we're on our game and we did that," Follette said. "We came out strong and we went for it all the way."
Total domination
Scores were 25-19, 25-19, 25-14 in a match that started late but still finished on time.
"Most of us were thinking it might to go five and it would be a tough game but it's definitely cool that we did it," Agius said.
Both teams finished on top of the premier standings at 10-1, but the Blues were awarded first place after their memorable 19-25, 18-25, 25-17, 25-20, 17-15 triumph against Facey in the Oct. 26 showdown at Sherwood Park.
In the last tournament for the Blues before the playoffs they swept Facey in two sets in the round robin but lost the final to their premier rivals 25-16, 22-25, 13-15.
In the opening set of the championship match the Blues left Facey reeling in disbelief during a 13-1 point run to make it 16-7. A block by Follette ignited a seven-point outburst that put the Blues ahead to stay. Facey also had trouble defending against the wicked serving by Agius and Follette during the scoring spree.
After a spike by Jill Tymko put the Blues up 18-11, Facey rallied for six consecutive points before Agius rifled a shot that handcuffed the opposition. The lethal combination of Agius and Follette combined for six of the team's last seven points in the set. Tricky pinpoint hits by Agius from the left side and Follette's intimidating blocks from the middle sunk Facey's comeback hopes.
"Once we beat them in the first set we knew that this was our game," Agius said. "As a team we really have to get it going right from the start. In most of our games, when we lose it's because we kind of go slow at the start and we try and push more. This time we were like, 'We want this right now!' "
The Blues ramped up the intensity in the second set during an early 10-1 point run. Errant passing, misplaced hits and a leaky defence by Facey allowed the Blues to rack up the points.
Follette's killer spikes throughout the set whipped the Paul Kane fans into a lather. Strong play at the net by Larissa Kirdeikis and Tymko also generated points. A block by setter Hailey Lutz, the smallest player in Paul Kane's line-up, to extend the margin to 22-17 was another crowd pleaser.
Follette's ball bashing, Tymko's power hits, Mackenzie Bender's blocking and Lutz's serving exploits for the Blues highlighted the third set.
Follette, 17, was surprised the final wasn't as close as expected.
"I thought it was going to be a little harder," she said. "They didn't have the best game they could've had."
The dominating third-year middle was the best player on the court. The six-foot-two tower of power was constantly set up by the sure-handed Lutz with perfect balls to punish.
"I'm not sure if I played as well as I could've but I was highly consistent, which is good for me," Follette said.
The Blues finished league play with 41 sets won and only seven sets lost after their 10th sweep in 14 matches. They are also the first premier women's team to repeat since Facey won four in a row from 2005 to '08.
"What we did tonight is pretty special. We're very proud to do it for our school," said Agius, 17, one of five returning Blues on the roster.
