The end is almost nigh for volleyball season. In just over a week, teams from all over the province will start on the road to be crowned provincial champions.
Starting on that road as well will be the Drumheller Valley Secondary School (DVSS) senior girls volleyball team, the Dynos.
“We will be competing against other 2A teams in our region, including teams in our league like Three Hills and PCA [Prairie Christian Academy],” said Dawn Sullivan, head coach of the team.
Three Hills and PCA boast tough squads, and the Dynos will be going up against teams from Hanna, Oyen, Siksika, and Beiseker - teams they haven’t seen before.
To prepare for regionals, the Dynos have had a busy schedule of tournaments. This past weekend the team was in Olds, but was narrowly denied a spot in the quarter finals.
“It came down to where we split a match with one of the teams. We had to beat them by three points, but we only beat them by two,” said Sullivan.
To determine which teams move on, the number of matches won, games won, and points for and against are tabulated. The Dynos were shy by only a few points to make it into the quarter finals.
However, the Dynos did prove to themselves they had what it took to go up against some of the toughest teams around.
“We started a little slow at the tournament, but in our last match we managed to split a match against one of the better teams at the tournament,” said Sullivan.
To get ready for regionals, the team will be concentrating on keeping their focus for an entire game. Sullivan feels the girls have what it takes to be up there with the best.
“They’re still working, but it’s the lapses when they’re playing. The potential is there, we just have to put it together when we’re on the court,” said Sullivan.
The Dynos will be in Strathmore this weekend for their last tournament until regionals. The team has been up against Strathmore before, but the other teams will be new to the Dynos.
“We’re still working towards regionals and zones,” said Sullivan. “It’s crunch time.”
The DVSS Dynos senior girls volleyball team is coming off a close defeat in Olds this past weekend. The team will be heading to Strathmore this weekend for another tournament, then they will compete in regionals. The team includes (back, l-r) Brigitte Doolittle, Brenna Grieve, Raine McDougald, Bonnie Courtenay, Becky Gough, Allyson Campbell, Kendra Schmidt, Madison Colberg, Mikayla Britton, Shae-Lynn Skytt, (front) Shae Mirbach, coach Dawn Sullivan, Leah Neuman, and (missing) Zaynah Chomos.
