The Vincent J. Maloney Marauders embraced the thrill of victory after experiencing the agony of defeat in junior high volleyball.
The lady Marauders finished what they started last year by winning the St. Albert Physical Education Council championship Thursday at Bellerose Composite High School.
“It’s so exciting because we lost last year,” said co-captain Isabelle Lajoie after VJM beat the Lorne Akins Gators in four sets. “It’s actually nice to come here and win it this year after feeling what it’s like to lose in the final in the fifth set last year.”
The 24-26, 25-12, 25-18, 25-20 result took the sting away from last year’s 21-25, 23-25, 25-10, 25-20, 9-15 performance against the Sir George Simpson Voyageurs in the Tier 1 city final.
“It’s amazing. We really wanted it this year and we wanted it more than them,” said co-captain Chantel Quismorio, a returning Marauder along with Lajoie, six-foot middle Kylie Morrison and Ella Dubrule at power.
The second championship in three years for VJM is also the SAPEC-leading 14th banner.
“It’s another good step for VJM,” Quismorio said. “We’re really proud.”
VJM finished a season to remember by going 10-0 in league play and 32-2 (77 GW/20 GL) overall with first-place results at the SAPEC Active Physioworks, Stony Plain Parkland Challenge, Spruce Grove Great Canadian Classic and U of A Fog (top team in Tier 3) tournaments.
“It means we played really well every single game,” said Lajoie, a Grade 9 middle.
“It’s amazing,” added Quismorio, a Grade 9 power. “We improved a lot throughout the season.”
The road to the final included two major hurdles to clear: 25-23, 19-25, 25-22, 12-25, 15-13 over the Gators (7-3) in the second-last match before the playoffs and in the semifinals VJM survived a huge scare against the Richard S. Fowler Falcons (5-4) – 25-23, 16-25, 22-25, 25-15, 15-8 – for another shot at the championship.
“It’s really nerve-wracking when the games are so close like that,” Lajoie said. “Today we didn’t let the pressure get to us. We wanted it more and we executed and made smart plays.”
VJM came out swinging with eight consecutive points and Lajoie serving. The lead ballooned to 13-4 and then 22-12 before the Gators got rolling with a six-point run. It was 24-18 when the Gators closed out the set with seven in a row. Caitlyn Edwards was the server for the last six as VJM’s hitting errors resulted in the tying and go-ahead points. Taylor Marthiensen was instrumental on the set-clinching block.
VJM regrouped after gassing the opening set and never looked back.
“We knew there were four more sets left and we could still come back from it,” said Quismorio, 14. “The key thing was that we weren’t getting down on ourselves. We would just shake off the point if we didn’t get it.”
The second set was a runaway with long runs backed by the serving of Lajoie, Morrison and Dubrule and strong net presence by Quismorio and Lajoie.
“We had a good talk from our coach (Jamie French after the first set) and she just brought the energy up for us,” Lajoie said.
The momentum shift continued in the third set as VJM pulled ahead 18-8 before the Gators closed the gap to trail by two at 20-18. Lajoie’s point off a block kick-started a five-point run to end the set.
The next set was back and forth until the Gators rattled off five consecutive points for a sizable advantage, highlighted by the block from six-foot-two middle Ella Stanley. They maintained a healthy lead until VJM buckled down to outscore the Gators 9-1 to seal the deal. It was 20-18 when Lajoie’s hit down the pipe signaled the beginning of the end for the Gators. The next two plays Lajoie scored points off blocks and Dubrule’s serving down the stretch handcuffed the Gators.
“We communicated well and we got our passes up and our defence was really good,” said Lajoie, 14, on the team’s effort. “Our hitting was good too. We placed it to smart places.”
Visit www.stalbertgazette.com to view the team’s championship picture.
