The Fraser Valley Volleyball Club’s U-14 boys are provincial champions, going 6-0 to take the title last weekend at Brookswood secondary school in Langley.
The boys started the tournament on Saturday, breezing to a straight-sets (25-4, 25-9) decision over Surrey’s Force.
They continued on with dominant wins over the White Rock 13’s (25-9, 25-10) and Kelowna 1 (25-15, 25-9).
The perfect record on day one earned the team a bye to the quarter-finals.
On Sunday morning the locals played Kelowna 2, winning another two-setter by scores of 25-9, 25-12. They followed up with a semi-final win over the White Rock 14’s (25-10, 25-10).
The win secured a second straight trip to the provincial championship match for the boys, who lost to the Surrey Eagles in last year’s final.
The Victoria Landsdowne Flyers stood in their way this year, the only team to defeat the FVVC boys in their own age group all season.
The final started out very close. The Fraser Valley boys had three set points in the opening game but could not put the Flyers away, eventually losing 26-28.
Rather than withering away in frustration, the local boys found another gear, storming back to hammer the Flyers 25-9 in the second game and set up a winner-takes-all third set.
The teams traded points in the tie-breaker, with the Victoria squad taking a slim 8-7 advantage.
But the local boys turned on the jets and pulled away, taking a 14-11 lead to match point.
The Flyers managed to snag a couple of last points in a desperate attempt to claw back but it was too little too late as the Fraser Valley squad grabbed the final point for a 15-13 victory.
The Fraser Valley boys relied on a deep bench to rest their starters for the playoff matches on Sunday. All fourteen athletes played significant roles in at least three of the six matches.
Captain Jordan Loewen (MEI, Abbotsford) led the team with 30 kills, eight service aces, 15 digs and seven stuff blocks for the weekend.
He also received serve at a remarkable 2.89 (out of a possible 3.00) for the weekend. Langley Fundamental’s Steven Hsu had 21 kills and 13 digs. Setters Jordy Koslowsky and Simon Friesen (both from MEI) had 63 and 33 assists respectively. Middle hitters Curtis Schopf (from Chilliwack’s G.W. Graham) and Josiah Mooy (Surrey Christian) were very strong at the net, each recording four timely stuff blocks.
Right side hitter Jonah Swanson of MEI was the defensive catalyst as he received serve at a 2.45 clip on 20 attempts and added 15 digs.
Other members of the team are Levi Block and Mark Harrison (Chilliwack), Reese Frey (Surrey) with Abbotsford natives Ben Friesen, Bryson Marazzi, Quinn Sojonky and Keaton Boughen.
The boys travel to Saskatoon this weekend to compete in the Canadian Open Championships.