NORTH VANCOUVER — After coming up just short of a provincial title last season, coach Mark Cassell and the Earl Marriott Secondary senior girls' volleyball team are preparing to win it all this season.
The team came in second in an earlyseason tournament this weekend (Oct. 3-5) at Capilano College.
Earl Marriott lost 17-15 in the third and final set to Surrey Christian.
Even though they lost to a double-A team, the coach was impressed by what he saw from his squad.
"It was great for them to get out there and finally get them working together," he said.
"We beat Moscrop in the semifinals and they're ranked (#5).That's why we go to these tournaments. So we can compete against other teams around the province.
We get an idea of what they're like before we get to the provincials," added Cassell.
Despite finishing with the silver medal at last season's provincial championships, the Mariners enter this season ranked fourth in the quad-A division.
However, the head coach isn't paying any attention to the preseason rankings.
"Those are just preliminary rankings," he said. "We'll see where we sit from here."Cassell lost two-thirds of last year's team to graduation, but this year's team is not short of talent.
Angelica Kilbert, a middle with EMS, agreed to play volleyball with the University of Manitoba after she graduates this spring.
The Mariners play their next league game on Wednesday (Oct. 8) at 6:30 p.m. against Clayton Heights Secondary.
The match will be played on neutral territory at Semiahmoo Secondary.