Having already won a Surrey championship and a Fraser Valley crown, there is only one thing left on the to-do list for the Semiahmoo Totems Grade 9 girls volleyball team:
Win a provincial title.
The Peninsula squad will have that opportunity beginning today (Friday), when B.C. Grade 9 girls volleyball championships hit the court at Cloverdale’s Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary.
The Totems are a week removed from their victory at Fraser Valleys – which saw them defeat the Seaquam Seahawks in the championship game – and as such, will be entering the provincial showdown on something of a high note; they’re seeded No. 1 out of the 12 participating teams.
“We’ve done well, and we’re playing well right now. It’s been nice to win the first two (playoff tournaments) but it’s always a challenge to win the provincials – it’s the toughest one, for sure,” said Semiahmoo head coach Gord Houchen.
“This is new for all of them – there’s no provincials for Grade 8s, so it’s exciting for all the teams involved.”
If the Totems are to have success at the Tweedsmuir-hosted tournament – which wraps up Saturday, with finals set for 4:30 p.m. – they’re likely to rely on a handful of key players who also performed well at Fraser Valley championships. Tara Wallack, who plays the middle for Semi, was named the MVP of that tournament, while another middle, Izzy Forsyth, was named to the all-star team.
Earl Marriott Secondary’s Rachel Kramer also received an all-star nod. EMS advanced all the way to semifinals, before losing to Seaquam.
Semiahmoo opened the tournament Friday morning with a 9 a.m. game against Seaquam, and a few hours later, are set to take on Vancouver’s Eric Hamber Secondary.
The Totems’ afternoon tilt is scheduled for 2:50 p.m. against Richmond’s McRoberts Secondary, and playoff rounds begin Saturday morning.
The Grade 9 Totems were not the only local volleyball squad to find success at the Fraser Valleys. Earl Marriott’s junior boys placed first at their tournament, and a handful of players received post-event accolades.
Talin McMullin was named tournament MVP, while teammates Takota McMullin and Joshua Quirring were named all-stars.
At junior girls Fraser Valleys, Lord Tweedsmuir was first, defeating fellow Surrey school Pacific Academy in the championship game.
Senior teams
Senior volleyball teams across Surrey also hit the court this week, as Fraser Valley championships – at a variety of divisions – began earlier this week across the Lower Mainland, and wrapped up Friday.
In the mix at the senior girls tournament – which began Monday in Mission – are three highly-ranked Surrey teams, as Seaquam, Semiahmoo and Earl Marriott are all ranked inside the top-10 among B.C.’s quad-A teams, while Elgin Park is also on the court.
Those same three schools also have teams at the triple-A senior boys Valley tournament, as Earl Marriott (No. 2 in B.C.), Seaquam (No. 9) and Semiahmoo (No. 11) all ranked provincially, as well, while Elgin Park rounds out the local contingent.
The finals are already set, with EMS scheduled to take on Delta Secondary in the championship game Friday night, while Semi, Seaquam and Elgin are currently battling for spots three through six. The top six teams are guaranteed to go to provincials, while a seventh or even eighth seed could potentially be added to the provincial tournament, as well.