By Joel van der Veen
ARCOLA — A tight win over some close friends was enough to give the RaiTec the title at south-east regional playoffs in Arcola last weekend.
The Davidson/Loreburn senior girls volleyball team defeated Kahkewistahaw in a best-of-three match to finish on top on Nov. 14.
The RaiTec girls lost in the first set (25-15), but recovered to claim the two following sets (25-23 and 25-20) and thus the victory.
While pleased with the win, coach Tony Baldwin said he believed the team had fallen out of its groove after defeating Hanley in the semi-final (25-8 and 25-14).
“We kind of lost our focus after the provincial qualifier game,” he said, adding that it wasn’t until the third set against Kahkewistahaw that the team got “rolling” again.
In round-robin play, the RaiTec defeated Wolseley (25-16 and 25-15) before playing Milestone, winning the first set 25-17 and then posting a 25-2 win in the second, in what Baldwin called a highlight of the day.
“The girls were just perfect,” he said of their performance in the second set, noting that such scores are generally “unheard of at that level of competition.”
The RaiTec were headed to 2A provincial championships in Porcupine Plain on Nov. 20 and 21, along with teams from Langham, Invermay, St. Walburg, Pierceland, Kerrobert, Foam Lake, Asquith and Kahkewistahaw.
Baldwin said he was optimistic about their chances, noting that they had faced several of those teams earlier in the season and had not lost to any of them.
If the girls could keep up the level of play they have maintained this season, he said he expected they would go “deep, deep, deep into the playoffs.”
Baldwin, who coaches the team along with Karen McConnell and Hallie Vollmer, said he continues to be amazed by the girls’ record of achievement. Since last year, the RaiTec has won 15 out of the last 16 tournaments or similar events in which the team has played.
The coach said this is especially impressive given the increased level of play in Saskatchewan volleyball over the last several years, which he attributed to a growth in both club ball and school programs.
Baldwin has high praise for the players themselves, saying he and the other coaches are lucky to have them and they’re lucky to have each other.
He added that the team’s camaraderie is genuine and that the girls stay away from social drama, allowing them to concentrate on playing the best game they can.
“They’re a real focused group of kids,” he said, adding with a laugh, “I can’t stop talking about them.”
For the full story, please see the Nov. 23 edition of The Davidson Leader.